Crawdads in Central Oregon

[oriahma]

Hi, just wondering if anyone knows what the best places to go catch crawdads in Central Oregon are...where NOT to go is helpful too. Looking to use traps, and also go out in shallow water and let the kids grab 'em.


(Crawdad, crawdads, crayfish, crawfish)

 

[Diehard]

dont go to lake billy chinook it is closed to permit only harvest but maybe research prineville resv. if this is close enough to you and maybe some of the rivers/crooked etc around there make sure and check the regs first

 

[oriahma]

dont go to lake billy chinook it is closed to permit only harvest but maybe research prineville resv. if this is close enough to you and maybe some of the rivers/crooked etc around there make sure and check the regs first

Thanks for the info. I didn't know there were areas that you needed a permit for. It looks like anywhere else in the Central Zone is open for crawdads, even if it's closed for fishing.

 

[Diehard]

i dont think you can even get these permits. i believe there commercial permits. but part of that lake you can get a permit to fish. the other part its not needed. good luck

 

[Damon79]

Hi, just wondering if anyone knows what the best places to go catch crawdads in Central Oregon are...where NOT to go is helpful too. Looking to use traps, and also go out in shallow water and let the kids grab 'em.


(Crawdad, crawdads, crayfish, crawfish)

Try the Twin Lakes over near Wickiup.. I hear there is a lot of dads in both lakes.

 

[troutdude]

Welcome to OFF!

Lake Billy Chinook is partly Native American Tribal land. You can be in hot water in more ways than one, if you fail to know the reg's on, or around, that body of water. I'd go anywhere else but there.

According to the 2011 ODFW reg book, you do NOT need either an angling (fishing) license nor a shellfish license, to catch crawdads (called crayfish in the book). Both of the methods that you mentioned to catch them are legal (by hand, or in a trap). I see no other restrictions other than you cannot use hooks to catch them.

 

[SistersGuy]

Tribal... Warm Springs Indians technically own the lake but sold us the the South and East sides back...

Screw it, toss your traps in the Deschutes... I pulled a dead one out at Cline Falls State Park... Warmer water places like Ochoco, Haystack, Prineville I think would all do well.

 

[Big3d]

I don't know where exactly you are but under Harper's bridge on the Deschutes near sunriver was good to me in my younger years, and the water there is pretty steady so they won't be quite as muddy

I'd be careful about the kids going in after them there though