crawdiddley daddys

F
fishudedmeet
any1 have any tips on how to catch crayfish without a trap?
 
A
ArcticAmoeba
Because Crayfish don't use their faces to initiate a strike, it can be a waste of time to try to target individual creatures, because it is really hard to get one hooked Traps work a world above any other method of harvest. Go squaw fishing, and use that for bait, then use the crawfish for bait when you go bassin.
 
A
ArcticAmoeba
Come to think of it I have seen some people using an interseting looking snare, type of rig...A loop that gets drawn tight, when the crawfish are within range. Maybe a Google search is in order....
 
Raincatcher
Raincatcher
kids play

kids play

fishudedmeet said:
any1 have any tips on how to catch crayfish without a trap?

Well, about 25 years ago, my kids and I would have a great time catching the little critters. We caught 30-40 a day out at Benson Park. We would wade along the shore with a quart jar, find one and either grab them behind their pinchers or carefully put the jar behind them and put a finger or stick in front of them. They always put it in reverse at the first sign of threat. Be very careful, those little buggers can latch onto your pinkie and make you cry for your momma!
Barb
ps
someday I'll tell you about the crawdads I hunted as a kid in the swamps in eastern Oregon...hint:16" long with pinchers as big as my chubby lil hand :shock:
 
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A
ArcticAmoeba
Woha! My moms friends have a pond near their home out near Paulina Lake, and they say therea at least 50 or more crawdads in excess of 12 inches...Never thought those were very true tales...And that does work, the quart jar, although the kids down at riverside are using a screen from a window, and dragging them in, a few at a time...Seems prett neat for some young kids.
 
C
chris61182
I've been relatively successful letting them get comfortable picking at my baited lure and then slowly dragging them closer to shore being careful not to break the surface. Once they're close to shore, as in a few inches, a quick jerk and they're on dry land where you can deal with them on your own terms.

Of course if you're really after volume a trap is the only way to go. But keep in mind there's nothing requiring you to buy a trap, a pop bottle or milk jug can be easily converted to serve that purpose.
 
H
Hawk
Especially in the summer i get a kick outta catchin' crawdaddies. I put a little nightcrawler on a hook, after they grab it, jerk them to the shore. They like rocky areas to live in. At times i've caught about 100, mostly after dark. Use a good flashlight/spotlight. Put them in 5 gallon plastic buckets or an ol' ice chest. If'n yer goin' to keep them in thar very long use a battery operated aerator cuz they will die due to lack of oxygen.......................................:lol::lol::lol:.................................:cool:


I hear there are a lot of crawdads in lake Billy Chinook & Timothy Lake...................
 
A
ArcticAmoeba
I catch Pikeminnow, and bait my traps for carwdads when I go to L.B.C. and Timothy. Tim never lets me down, always have absolutely stuffed pots. Up there if you have a kicktube, or pontoon, it is fun to troll through the mess of pot buoys and catch fish in the maze of lines.
On-line I saw a modified 5 gallon bucket that is used to catch large crawfish, simply like a giant milk jug that Chris mentioned. Just put it behind the water bug, and scare it in. Except this bucket had some fine plastic mesh in the shape of a cone shoved cone point down into the bucket. It is so the catch can easily shoot through backwards, but it is nearly impossible to crawl out. Seems kind of neat...
 
F
fishudedmeet
where can u catch them in corvallis?
 
F
FishSchooler
I bought around a pound or two of crawdaddies yesterday, was gonna break off 5 of their tails, but wasn't allowed to and we eaties them! Good eatin!:D:cool::dance:
 
C
chris61182
fishudedmeet said:
where can u catch them in corvallis?

You can catch tons of them out of the willamette but I would not recommend eating them.

I've seen plenty in the Alsea, also, Green Peter or Foster might be worth a try. If you do end up trying the lakes let us know how you do.
 
F
fishudedmeet
I have a trap and know how to catch them by hand, (which i do a lot in the creek behind my house) its just i mght be able to get some sport out of them between fishingtrips.
 
C
chris61182
It's never crossed my mind before but the Marys river may also be worth a try. I'm not aware of any old/current/new paper mills so it should be relatively dioxin free, no clue about potential mercury sources though.
 
F
fishudedmeet
i should start a thread on the marys.... thanks fo the reminder;)
 
H
Hawk
Jest about all the critters want to eat the crawdaddies so they try to hide under rocks & sech.....................:D....Lift up rocks in the waterways & yuu will usually find them. They mostly hunt fer food at nite, but sometimes dumbones come out in the day...............................:lol::lol::lol:



I hav 2 traps that Terry made. Oily fish parts work best to attract the crawdads. i try to keep a healthy population in my pond.
 
J
joesnuffy
kinda reviving this thread but anyways......

If I don't want to use a caught fish for bait, what can you buy at the store for bait? I've got a small trap that I would like to use.
 
F
Fishtopher
joesnuffy said:
kinda reviving this thread but anyways......

If I don't want to use a caught fish for bait, what can you buy at the store for bait? I've got a small trap that I would like to use.

Hot dogs and leftover chicken always did the trick for me.
 
J
joesnuffy
bah! whoever has leftover hotdogs and chicken? lol

I'll give that a shot, I've heard that a can of tuna works as well, has anybody ever tried that?
 
H
Hawk
Tuna in oil has worked. The crawdaddies can smell/sense the oil.....................:D
 
J
joesnuffy
I guess if you poked a couple small holes in the can the oil would leak out slowly......

Now where are those 16" crawdads at? I've only seen up to 6-7"......
 

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