Crayfishing in 2-2

[caddisguy]

I was hoping to find a place in the Silver / Skagit Valley to lay down some traps. I know that Silver Lake holds some crayfish--a bit surprising given the water temperature--and there's a good chance some of the creeks (Yola, Hicks, Cantelon, MaselPanik, Upper Silver--maybe even Skagit runoff or Ross--might have mud bugs as well) ... trouble is that Silver Lake is C&R, Silver River and all tributaries that flow into it are baitban, Skagit and all tributaries flowing into are all C&R / baitban ... Ross has a bait ban too. Not sure if there's any options for crawdads.

I know plenty of places around Hope and Chilliwack where getting my 25 in a a few hours is a gimme, but it would be nice to find a few a legal spot holding crawdads along the Skagit road.

Gonna hit Ross for a camp trip in a couple weeks... hoping to find a place along the way to throw the traps down. Anyone know of a stream out that way where it would be permitted for sure? Willing to trade my honey holes in other places--and maybe a beer--for such info :)

Same goes for bullfrogs. I don't think there are any out that way and that's a good thing... but if anyone knows otherwise I'd be interested in annihilating them.

[Dirty]

When is the best time of year to catch them (when are they the best eating)?

[caddisguy]

When is the best time of year to catch them (when are they the best eating)?

Mid July through late September are the magic months. In September they will be bigger on average, but I usually put out a few traps and I'm picking the largest 25 out of 100, so it doesn't make much of a difference.

I haven't noted a difference during those months. I imagine that if you find any over the winter or early spring when they are inactive that they might not be as good. Hard to find them in the off season though. I've found some under logs and what not during the off season, but they're mostly deep in the mud.

Summer and early fall trapping is where it's at. Bonus if you can find a nice clean / clear lake and combine trapping with snorkeling.

[caddisguy]

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/t644/vaporeyes/crayfish02_zpsb717d315.jpg

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/t644/vaporeyes/crayfishtrap01_zpsc1006a19.jpg

[caddisguy]

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/t644/vaporeyes/crayfish01_zps786dcd69.jpg?t=1404164422

[caddisguy]

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/t644/vaporeyes/crayfish04_zps8995df12.jpg

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/t644/vaporeyes/crayfish05_zpsbf4f9f55.jpg

[one-shot-wonder]

If your interested in bullfrog, my buddy was telling me last night of his inlaws in Aldergrove who are overrun by them in there pond. If you are keen send me a PM and I can try and line it up.

For the record my buddy cooked up the legs from one and said they were delicious!

[BRvalley]

the frog legs are pretty good...super easy to catch....any type of long rod about 10', 3-4' of line, a long shank hook and piece of yarn, red or green....walk the shore and yank em out

or of course pellet gun, but is harder to retrieve them

[browningboy]

Where you get the traps from and how long you set them for, looks interetsing

[keoke]

The bait ban does not apply to crayfish, that was the reply I received from an email I sent to the fisheries. I can see if I can dig it up when I get back home.

[caddisguy]

The bait ban does not apply to crayfish, that was the reply I received from an email I sent to the fisheries. I can see if I can dig it up when I get back home.

A letter indicating that bait ban does not apply for crayfish traps would be absolutely golden to me. Definitely a document for my glovebox archives. That means I could actually test Ross Lake for crayfish. I will be heading up that way in a couple weeks for 3-4 nights of scouting around, playing with trailcam, fishing the lake and the mouth of the Skagit, etc. I would love to test that lake for the presence of crayfish. With all the mud and vegetation as well as being connected directly or indirectly to so many rivers and creeks, I am surprised I haven't noticed any. That said I've never really looked or checked the pH in Ross which could make it or break it.

I might also follow up with them regarding whether or not "release all fish" (maybe even "no fishing") applies to crayfish. I'm not a biologist, but the impression I get is that in many ecosystems, crayfish can do more harm than good. The negatives are destruction of vegetation, erosion, consumption of fish eggs, smaller fish and aquatic insects. They will take a swipe at the fins of a large fish given the opportunity. The positives are that they can be source of food for bulltrout, dollies, larger cutthroat and rainbows, birds, raccoons, otters, etc.

Thanks in advance for checking into the letter. I got my fingers crossed! :)

[caddisguy]

Where you get the traps from and how long you set them for, looks interetsing

A prawn trap or anything similar will work, but my absolute favorite trap is one that is sold by a place called Ronnie Sunshine over in the UK. It's made out of mesh around a wire/coil spring. It's the one shown in the pictures above and the features I like are a) it collapses locks/down to about the size of dinner plate and easy to attach it your pack b) it weighs practically nothing c) it has a bait bag so the crayfish have trouble stealing food from the outside, or the inside for that matter d) it has zippers for both the bait bag and for crayfish removal. They are only a few dollars (5-6 British Pounds) each. May as well buy 3 or 4 since you'll pay $10-15 in shipping. I have had mine for 6-7 years now and I would estimate each trap has seen about 500 crayfish. Other than small patchwork--sewing a new zipper onto one as well as ends of each zipper so you cant slide the zipper all the way off and patching a bait bag--they have held up very well. They are fairly tough... attached them to the outside of my pack a few times while bush whacking through thick stuff. Snagged on everything like a net does, but nothing ripped it. One crayfish was able to tear a portion of a bait bag, but it was the largest crayfish I have seen in my entire life, so not a common event, plus it was easy to repair.

Improvising traps is fun too. Experimenting with crayfish traps throughout my childhood, I found the most effective and cheap method was a 1-2L plastic bottle/container, cut off at the shoulder with 5 inches nylon stocking (tube sock can suffice) placed inside and folded over the opening. On the inside, poke small holes in the side of the plastic to get fishing line through to get the sides of the sock pulled tight and tied to the sides of the plastic. Poke small holes everywhere so it sinks and disperses food scent. Fix some cordage to it, put some bait in a rock in, then toss it in the lake/pond/stream. Like most traps... easy to crawl into... getting out, not so much!

Regarding the length of time, it depends on how good the crayfishing is at your location. In general crayfish are more active at night. They are said to be nocturnal, but if present are often seen at any time of day and the slightest smell of food in close proximity will wake a crayfish and draw them out of their hiding spot no matter what. I found from snorkeling in widening circles over the traps that after 15 minutes, it is obvious that the majority of crayfish spotted within 30 yards are making their way towards the trap. My strategy is to throw the trap down and check it after an hour or two. Bonus if you find some good spots where you can see the trap from your boat or the shore. In some places, you'll get your limit of 25 in a few hours.

On average for lakes with reasonable numbers, the way it seems it work is that you get the ones in the immediate area--say 50-100 square meters--within a couple hours. Then you can make a decision about where you want to leave it there overnight. A reasonable estimating formula is: X crayfish in fresh spot for 2 hours results in X * 2.25 + X overnight. So if you catch 3 in 2 hours and decide to leave the trap overnight, you can expect 6-7 overnight, plus the original 3 (total 9-10) ... 8 in 2 hours, then 18 overnight, plus the original 8 (total 26)

Don't worry about taking the original ones out of the trap. They're not going anywhere and from my observation, crayfish are jealous / competitive critters and would rather try to take what another crayfish has rather than take the same thing sitting right in front of its face. Though a couple of times I have watched monsters hang outside the entrance of traps and guard the whole trap from a number of other crayfish wanting to get in.

Creeks are a whole other ball game. Most creeks around the coast do not have much aquatic vegetation. Look for slower moving water deeper than 2 feet with mud banks, some live vegetation and cover such as rocks and rotten logs. You might draw out a few from each pool, but don't expect any from neighboring pools to come out of their borrows. 2-5 from a creek pool overnight would be considered good.

Drainage canals, sloughs and rivers like Nicomekl or Salmon River are crawling with crayfish. The Fraser is also full of crayfish, but IMHO you don't want to be eating resident living things from these places.

[shoot2kill]

hows the Harrison river for cray fish?

[caddisguy]

hows the Harrison river for cray fish?

I have yet to try Harrison River, but I imagine it would be quite productive. A couple traps along the river with one at the mouth would give us a pretty good idea.

I have put a few traps along the east side of the lake. I ended up with a few traps each with a half dozen overnight along the shores of Cascade Peninsula. I read somewhere that there used to be a commercial fishery for crayfish in Harrison. If I had to guess, I would put my money on the mouth or the Harrison River.

[f350ps]

I would think Pitt Polder would be pretty good for bugs, no? K

[crazy ducker]

what do you use for bait

[caddisguy]

My preference for the most effective economical bait is the cheapest hot dog wieners you can find. They are filled with all sorts of unknown ground up animal/parts and the scent carries very well. Just slice it up a little bit first. A small handful of dry dog or cat food usually works pretty good. Anything you can find super cheap that has liver in it, will throw scent while staying moderately solid is great too.

Wet canned dog/cat food will work if you open it a little or poke some holes, but it's usually pricey compared to the alternatives and enough finds it way out of the can that crayfish are happy hanging outside the trap without finding the source.

Fish heads and entrails are decent as well, but IMHO nothing beats that sketchy super discount pack of hot dog wieners that you'd be skeptical of eating... just use one sliced wiener per 24 hours per trap. Freeze whatever you have left for next time.

[Squamch]

How do you deal with them after you've got them out of the trap? My buddy was saying you have to leave them in a tub to...uhhh....crap. Basically. To clean themselves out or something like that?

then boil whole and dip in butter or what?

[vortex hunter]

Yummm they look soo good

[B-rad]

Sounds like a blast,,,I'm interested now,,,,,you know if any crayfish in kamloops area??

[B-rad]

I soooo wanna try crayfishin out

[caddisguy]

How do you deal with them after you've got them out of the trap? My buddy was saying you have to leave them in a tub to...uhhh....crap. Basically. To clean themselves out or something like that?

then boil whole and dip in butter or what?

I have heard of a lot of people leaving them in a big bucket of fresh water for 24 hours to clean them out. I personally just leave them in lake water until I'm ready to eat them. If my camp resides on the shore/bank of the same body of water I caught them, I just leave them there in the trap until I'm ready to cook my next meal, at which point they go straight into the boiling water. Otherwise I just keep them in a bucket until I'm ready to cook.

Once they are cooked, I pull out the tail just like a prawn, peel off the poop tube, give the meat a little rinse off with fresh water and it's ready to eat. I eat the meat from the pincers as well. Unless they're on the small side, there's still a good 1/4 to 1/3 of the meat in there. I just pull the pincers in half. Sometimes all of the meat slides out, sometimes half, sometimes none. For whatever doesn't come out, a little pressure with your teeth--about the same amount you'd use to break a sunflower seed--cracks it for easy tear down.

I'm not sure exactly why some people leave them for 24 hours. I have done it and found there was not much different in the taste. I question how much do they really self clean in 24 hours and whether leaving them in a stagnant bucket while their immune system weakens from extreme stress of being in captivity outside of their environment really helping? After 24 hours, I find they are extremely weak and docile... close to death. I don't think this helps with any sort of taste or safety. Like anything though, I wouldn't eat anything that was resident to contaminated water like farm runoff sloughs, drainage cancels, etc.

Also not sure if there are any regs exempting live transportation of crayfish. I haven't heard of anyone getting fined, but do recognize the potential for some scrutiny. Worth noting these things are escape artists by nature. I suspect their goal in life is to get as far as possible from where they were born and then reproduce if possible. A tub might work, but even a 65 gallon aquarium is no match. Some spouses have adverse reactions after waking up in the morning and finding crayfish crawling towards the kitchen or bathroom. They can sense water from far away. For fun, carry a crayfish a ways inland from a water source, put it down and see which way it crawls. I recall reading they have been used to find spots to dig wells. Neat critters for sure.

Dipping in garlic butter is delicious. That said, they taste really good--somewhere between lobster and prawn--on their own. I have had them plenty of times without any sort of dip. I have also found they are a great supplement to many of the "Mountain House" freeze-dried meals such as Chicken Alfredo and Teriyaki Chicken + Rice. I'm not a chef by any means, but in my opinion you can't go wrong.

[caddisguy]

Sounds like a blast,,,I'm interested now,,,,,you know if any crayfish in kamloops area??

I am pretty sure I recall seeing that Thompson/Nicola region has a 25 crayfish limit, so there must be some out there way. I imagine bodies of water holding them come few and far between. I'd check the Thompson River and work my way from there and if found, testing bodies of water connected by either creeks or a few hundred meters of land. It's amazing how far they can migrate.

I have tested a few lakes for crayfish around the south cariboo, but never found any. I suspect the further you get from south west BC, the less spots you will find. I guess if there's one advantage Region 2 has over other regions (perhaps with the exception of Region 1) it is crayfish. The rest of BC may have better moose/deer/elk/grouse hunting and giant rainbow trout... but we have... wait for it.. *drumroll* ... mudbugs ;-P

[B-rad]

I am pretty sure I recall seeing that Thompson/Nicola region has a 25 crayfish limit, so there must be some out there way. I imagine bodies of water holding them come few and far between. I'd check the Thompson River and work my way from there and if found, testing bodies of water connected by either creeks or a few hundred meters of land. It's amazing how far they can migrate.

I have tested a few lakes for crayfish around the south cariboo, but never found any. I suspect the further you get from south west BC, the less spots you will find. I guess if there's one advantage Region 2 has over other regions (perhaps with the exception of Region 1) it is crayfish. The rest of BC may have better moose/deer/elk/grouse hunting and giant rainbow trout... but we have... wait for it.. *drumroll* ... mudbugs ;-Pjust for the heck of it,,,I'm gonna try north Thompson,,,,,,,different spots for couple days,,,,,,then south Thompson,,,,,,,

[f350ps]

If Pitt Polder doesn't have them I'd put money of Widgeon Creek! K

[caddisguy]

just for the heck of it,,,I'm gonna try north Thompson,,,,,,,different spots for couple days,,,,,,then south Thompson,,,,,,,

I'm interested in the results. I'll bet you get some squawfish in the traps too. I hate those things just as much as the bullheads we have out this way. I know hate is a strong word, but it's true.

[knockturnal]

put them in a bucket of water with a bunch of salt for a bit. They cant handle the salt and they puke/shit everything out of their system. Then boil them up!