crayfish success

[sarg]

i figurd i would start my own thread on crayfish.
so i move my trap this evening and success, it was only one but still success:-D
http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc423/sarg2/crayfish/crayfish023.jpg
http://s1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc423/sarg2/crayfish/

[fowlweather]

congrats never tried fishing for them before, now you know where to find them!

[littleheelers]

Caught these before in the creeks.

Crafty buggers!

[sarg]

im going to leave it over night and say if it make a differents, i mite have crayfish for lunch.:) tomorrow

[Jagermeister]

The time line on you photos indicate that the picture was taken over 4 years ago. Were they taken in 2007?

[Big Lew]

There are probably many rules, like everything else now-a-days, that govern even harvesting crayfish, but it can be interesting.
I've canoed all over the Lower Mainland, including Pitt Lake and Widgeon Creek, and frequently spotted crayfish. Years ago,
people had many crayfish traps secured to nylon ropes strung across Widgeon Creek and Alouette River. Some of the crayfish
in those traps were huge.

[sarg]

The time line on you photos indicate that the picture was taken over 4 years ago. Were they taken in 2007?
no i never set the data on the camra, they were yesterday.

[sarg]

i've check my traps this morning and no crayfish but i did have 5 bullheads and one trout minnow in it. hopefully i"ll have better luck this weekend.:)

[Jetboater]

not the best time to eat crayfish as they are going to be molting thier shells, and with the warmer temps pic up more parasites... the best time to catch them are months ending with R IE sept,oct, nov, they will have far more meat as well in the colder season....

[Johnnybear]

Cool sarg! It's been quite a few years since I tried catching them. Now if I can find that crayfish trap...............:-D.

[835]

Thats hilarious, I never thought this kind of thing would make it!
Im just waiting until the river is warm enough to swim in then i'll get mine!

And 100% of the crawfish i have eatn have not been cought in months ending in "R" and have not been soft shelled nor have had any visable parasites.
to me all of that is hullabaloo,,, Sorry Jet boater its just my experiance. I ve been swimming for thoes things in Van Isle rivers ever since i was able to swim.
And eaten thousands of them. I wont say they are the most tasty things ever but they are fun to catch!

[Big Lew]

Place them in a pail of water overnight and then take a close look at them in the morning....if they have parasites, you should be able to see them poking through their shell.

[835]

I think i might know what you are talking about,,,,, But it is kinda like thoes worms in bears and them other worms in fish,,,,, And thoes wormie things in moose sometimes,,,, Cookem'

[Ronforca]

Years ago we used to catch a lot of them in the Salmon River near Fort Langley.River might be poluted now.

[Mr. Dean]

Why does the time-stamp read March 16th, 2007?
You should fix that....

http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc423/sarg2/crayfish/crayfish024.jpg

[Mr. Dean]

no i never set the data on the camra, they were yesterday.

Never mind.... But you should fix that.

[troutseeker]

They are so dang tasty! When I was akid my dad used to make traps with bundles of 2 foot sticks thightly wrapped in rope. A rock and some bait inside of it and presto, crawfish trap! In French we would call that bundle of stick a "fagot".. I guess the PC police would be all over us now...

[tonywtc]

supposedly you can also make a trap out of a 2L pop bottle or cranberry juice bottle3521

[steelheadSABO]

What are you guys using for bait? I used to throw my trap out in a little creek and get about 2-4 at a time if I remember I used pieces of bacon hotdogs and some power bait to lure them out from under the rocks.

[knockturnal]

i have a trap made out of a cranberry juice bottle. you dont want to use a 2l pop bottle because the hole isnt big enough for the big ones to get in. take a drill and drill extra holes in the bottom so it sinks faster and you have yourself a cheep homemade trap!

[bforce750]

supposedly you can also make a trap out of a 2L pop bottle or cranberry juice bottle3521

Yes it works very well...try it

[sarg]

well no luck in the chehalis river for crayfish this weekend the water was to high and to fast,my next try is going to be salmon lake this weekend.

[BigfishCanada]

The trouble I find is that crayfish are everywhere. Its finding them in water that I wouldn't worry was full of pollution. A clean freshwater creek would be awesome!

[Big Lew]

For you Valley crayfish pursuers, "sarg", "BigfishCanada", and others, I can't find anything in the "online" regs restricting trapping crayfish in Widgeon Creek. As I mentioned earlier, years ago it was a good , clean place to try. (saw many traps, some with good-sized crayfish in them.)

[sarg]

so i took the boys to jones lake for some fishing and cray fishing today and we caught 1 little fish and 11 crayfish. i let the fish go as it was to small but kept the crayfish, it was my first time eating crayfish and they are dam tasty, can wait to get more now.
http://s1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc423/sarg2/jones%20lake%20july%204%202011/

[Glenny]

Awesome!!.......

[new hunter]

Any Idea if crayfish would be as far north as pemberton ? If so would they like a shallow pond slash wetland situation ? I haven't caght crayfish since I was a ten year old on the Island , I'd love to build a trap and introduce my wife to the subject .

[Peter Pepper]

Allways thought they where vermin, enough meat to make it worth it?

[new hunter]

crayfish are awsome , just like little lobsters . they range from the size of large prawns to small lobsters . Get a dozen or so and youve got a meal.

[Gateholio]

I wonder if there are any in the streams around Pemberton? I have to be honest, I've never looked! :)

[joey_halen2000]

From what I've read online they are just about in every freshwater lake and stream. Shouldn't be hard to find some up there.

[porcupine]

crayfish are awsome , just like little lobsters . they range from the size of large prawns to small lobsters . Get a dozen or so and youve got a meal.

In Louisiana 5 lbs of live crawfish is the average per person serving if you are going to make a crawfish boil.

[new hunter]

That does it I'm gonna make me some traps . If I get any around pemby I`ll post my succes . I think I`ll set a trap in millar creek in whistler , maybe a couple in lucille lake , and I`m thinking around samson and railroad creek , maybe even that pond that samson drains into . I might try squamish (I read online that theyre there ) , but it seems like a long drive.

[crazybushcreature]

Is there a limit on how many ur aloud to keep?size?and or special lisence u need for these guys?

[Jagermeister]

daily possesion limit is 25 and minimum size is 9mm or 3 inches measured from the top of the carapice to the tip of the tail. If they have eggs on the under side, put them back.

[sarg]

Is there a limit on how many ur aloud to keep?size?and or special lisence u need for these guys?
your aloud 25 a day no size limit.:)

[keoke]

Tried my luck this weekend for a few hours during the day at silver lake and got nothing. I used cat food in one trap and chicken another. I found some fish guts in my freezer (forgot to toss them out) so I will try that next weekend.

[sarg]

i tried my luck in shea lake this weekend to with no luck.

[porcupine]

Cooked a great meal of crawfish etouffee last night and served it on tomato & basil spaghettini. Unfortunately, I had to use commercially peeled crawfish tails, but at least I was lucky enough to find some at Thrifty Foods Fairfield in Victoria.

[sed8ed]

New hunter: When we were kids, we used to catch them while snorkeling in Alta lake, wasn't too deep.

[Jagermeister]

your aloud 25 a day no size limit.:)
I hate to rain on your parade, but the following excerpt is copied from page 9 of the provincial fishing regulations.
"

trap crayfish

… with any number or size of

traps for personal consumption. You must
release all fin fish caught in your trap.
To help sustain crayfish populations, you
should release any crayfish that are less
than 9 cm in total length as well as those
bearing eggs or young.
All other methods of taking fish are illegal.

You probably will not get a fine today for undersize, but by keeping them, you can expect to continue to catch nothing but small ones in the future or perhaps they will just close the fishery down all together. Try self imposed conservation and let the little and egg bearing one go.

[sarg]

I hate to rain on your parade, but the following excerpt is copied from page 9 of the provincial fishing regulations.
"

trap crayfish

… with any number or size of

traps for personal consumption. You must
release all fin fish caught in your trap.
To help sustain crayfish populations, you
should release any crayfish that are less
than 9 cm in total length as well as those
bearing eggs or young.
All other methods of taking fish are illegal.

You probably will not get a fine today for undersize, but by keeping them, you can expect to continue to catch nothing but small ones in the future or perhaps they will just close the fishery down all together. Try self imposed conservation and let the little and egg bearing one go.


my mistake i totally missed that, i know about the egg bearing part but not about the size thing.

[troutseeker]

How come they don't have little elastic bands on their pincers in your pictures?

[CeeZer]

Just don't have 6lbs of them and a gallon of beer the night before you are to see your company's customer... unless it's in MS, USA :D :D :D

[Jager]

It is my belief that using fish guts for bait is also a no no. "it is unlawful to use fin fish for bait" or something along those lines- not sure if it pertains to traps?

[lip_ripper00]

Thanks for all the great info! Chopped peppers garlic in mushroom caps Mmmm


http://i1000.photobucket.com/albums/af124/lip_ripper00/crayfish1.jpg?t=1312780595

[sarg]

Thanks for all the great info! Chopped peppers garlic in mushroom caps Mmmm


http://i1000.photobucket.com/albums/af124/lip_ripper00/crayfish1.jpg?t=1312780595
man that was a good haul, where did u get them from? were they tasty? they look tasty>:)

[lip_ripper00]

man that was a good haul, where did u get them from? were they tasty? they look tasty>:)

They where great!! Harrision River. Looking forward to more next week.

[seanps]

Might as well chime in. I've tried four times so far: In Sturgeon Slough near Pitt Lake, Rice Lake in North Van, Hicks Lake near Harrison and a random creek along the Sea-to-Sky. Used cat food, fresh chicken scraps and some scrap meat for bait, and haven't caught a damn thing.

Left the traps in for about two to four hours each time. Nada.

Help! :)

[lip_ripper00]

Might as well chime in. I've tried four times so far: In Sturgeon Slough near Pitt Lake, Rice Lake in North Van, Hicks Lake near Harrison and a random creek along the Sea-to-Sky. Used cat food, fresh chicken scraps and some scrap meat for bait, and haven't caught a damn thing.

Left the traps in for about two to four hours each time. Nada.

Help! :)

I find the water has to be moving, not a lot, but some current.Rocky shore or bottom

[sarg]

I've being using last year sockeye heads and tails. Ur bait sounds ok, maybe there just no cray fish where ur trying, I know with me its very hit or miss on catching them, if they are there u will chatch them and if they r not there u pull up empty net. I get more empty net then full net. Just keep trying to find them and it will pay off.
sarg

[knockturnal]

Might as well chime in. I've tried four times so far: In Sturgeon Slough near Pitt Lake, Rice Lake in North Van, Hicks Lake near Harrison and a random creek along the Sea-to-Sky. Used cat food, fresh chicken scraps and some scrap meat for bait, and haven't caught a damn thing.

Left the traps in for about two to four hours each time. Nada.

Help! :)

Maybe try leaving your traps in longer

[recoil]

I bought a trap a while ago at Army and Navy for $11, was thinking about trying it out on my next trip to the Cariboo, aybody know if they are in Canim or Bridge river etc?

I believe they are somewhat nocturnal you may want to soak the traps overnight if possible. I used to catch them by hand in the Serpentine river when i was a kid, i remember their pinchers being painful if you weren't careful.

[ruger#1]

Try the creek behind the grave yard. There is a waterfall there that used to have lots of them. Another place would be that big hole they swim at below the Ruskin dam. Try snorkeling in there and you will see their small caves they make. I have caught small ones out of the Kettle River in Rock Creek. Make a dip for them out of miracle whip and ketchup. Mix them two together until it turns a med dark pink. It's also great for prawns also.

[seanps]

Thanks for the tips. I'm using a minnow trap, with the openings widened a bit.

What depth of water are you having the best success in?

[lip_ripper00]

Thanks for the tips. I'm using a minnow trap, with the openings widened a bit.

What depth of water are you having the best success in?


To date less than 15ft,trying some deeper spots this weekend

[sarg]

for me its no more then about 15' deep but i like to keep it in about 5'-10' of water in lake and in river or creek at least a couple of inches under water.,i'm using a prawn trap and it works good for me.
sarg