Catching Crawfish!

[OFADAN]

Okay I need some credible first hand experience advice here....during my wilderness survival outings I've set crawfish traps. My catch is "iffy" at times with sometimes a score and other times not. All from the same hole.

I have good traps, but my bait is where I'm lacking...what works for you all here in the Pacific NorthWet!

Please none of this "this is what I've heard, or been told" but rather I'd like to hear from those who have repeatable success-please.

Thanks.

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[duginsky]

Chicken necks.

 

[Member 5605]

Chicken backs. Lots of fat

 

[Deavis]

its been some time.... but pork has always done well for me. Cheap fatty bacon.

 

[Father of four]

I have caught LOTS of craw fish! First off, the place where your put craw fish cage at needs to have rocks and lots of them. The craw fish have to have a place to hide. For baiting them, the best I have found is a piece of fish that is folded up into fine screen. Like storm door screen. You can pick some up at Home Depot or other stores. Not too sturdy/stiff though. Cut off around a 10in x 10in piece of screen. Lay the fish in the middle, fold up the corners to the middle and us a piece of wire or a tie strap to tie the ends. A piece of fish that would fit in the palm off you hand will be enough for days. Attach the ball of screen with the fish in it to the bottom of the craw fish trap. After the scent of the fish gets moving around you'll catch plenty! Try different places until you find the golden one. Make sure you have a strong 20ft or longer rope attached to the trap. it might get logged under something and you may have to jerk it out.

Hope this helps.

 

[Father of four]

Back East we call'em Crawfish. Out here in the northwest don't yall call 'em Crayfish?

 

[simpleguy]

When I was a kid we would net them on the Alsea or catch them by hand with a flashlight at night.

Trapping needs to be done with "fresh" bait, don't use the old smelly stuff you would for crab.

 

[Redcap]

Chicken or turkey necks work well, so will duck or goose.

Catching them by hand is an easier way to guarentee quantity though. Find a good crawdad hole!

 

[Box13]

crawdads...since I was a kid...

 

[endthefed]

We don't use traps, we actually use fishing poles. Just tie some salt pork or whatever bait you want onto your line and drop it next to crawfish where you see them. This is my wifes favorite kind of fishing and kids love it too.

 

[chase]

I use cat food, puncture some holes into the top. Its nice aromatic oily texture is a good bait. Try out different baits in different cages and see what works the best for you.

 

[OFADAN]

Thanks! I'll try the fresh bait. Tried every variety of cat food with zero results. Chase if you have a brand or choice that works for you I'd sure like to know. Also dead nutria doesn't work either!

 

[buick455]

Bacon works well and hotdogs seem to work well and they last in the traps all day. it is a good idea to wrap the bait so it doesn't get used up too fast. Still, I like to catch them by hand. Just flip a rock and grab them behind the shoulders. Any of the rivers by the coast should do, the Alsea is great seems that there is about five rivers right in that area. We used to catch them in the summer but i'm not sure wat the best time of year is.

 

[2506]

Haven't gone after crawdads since I was a kid, but I recall any type of pork product worked well--i.e., baloney, hotdogs, spam....

 

[JUSTIficatioN]

chicken necks, like duginsky said.

 

[eldbillbo]

who needs bait sneek up behind them and grab them by the body behind the claws used to catch hundreds of them like this as a kid

me a buddy caught a hundred and fifty in one day once down in Johnson creek
his family ate them but i could not since i could see the parasites on them

 

[michaels]

I've been wondering about Johnsons creek. Would you have eaten the crawdads otherwise? It just seems like the creek goes through alot of city, or were you catching them further up?

 

[jeddedia]

Yeah with two guys, a cooler of beer and an afternoon in the Yamhill County Watershed we just replace the beer in the cooler with crawdads and walk upstream. When it gets too dark to see or we're too drunk to stand then head back to camp and cook em up!

 

[tallshipsgo]

I've used cheap cans of dog food to good effect as well. Same method as cat food: just punch some holes in the can and put it in your trap. The cheaper the better on the dog food. If you ever watched the movie Repo Man and remember that everything they bought was white labeled with a UPC code and the word Food then you get the idea. Cheap and stinky with lots of fat. Punch some holes in the can and then dip it in the water – if you don't see any fatty slicks come out on the water get a cheaper brand of canned dog food. No fat = no flavor and no smell. I've been able to use the same can for up to three days with many crawdads in the trap!

Oh, don't get the canned dog food that's chunks in gravy – make sure it's the processed log of food in a can stuff. Breaks up slow and keeps the stink going. Good stuff.

FatherOfFour: it seems only the people professionally selling them call them Crayfish. I suppose the figure if you put the word "fish" in it that it's somehow made more legitimate. Who knows man, I've always called the crawdads or mudbugs. Either way they taste great.

Good luck and happy hunting!

 

[Loaded1985]

i say the best thing i ever used when i was a kid is liver!