Positioning Crayfish Trap

[Billfo]

On Table Rock, would i have best results setting my Crayfish trap directly under my boat dock ( 9' deep rock bottom in the shade) or closer to the shore in the sun..

Thanks for your experience..

[Wayne SW/MO]

I've always done better in 2-3 feet and overnight. I'm not sure however about the Table Rock craw and it's habits.

[Billfo]

Thanks for your reply. What do you bait the trap with ?

I've always done better in 2-3 feet and overnight. I'm not sure however about the Table Rock craw and it's habits.

[Bobby P.]

The guys in our boat dock over by the dam put their traps about 15-25 feet deep straight down from the front of their boat stall and use cut up blue gill or white bass carass'(after they have cleaned them) for bait. I have seen them haul up a lot of crawdads. Also I have seen them use any kind of meat on the bone. I have seen them use chicken carcass' too(like from a baked whole chicken after it is mostly eaten).

[abkeenan]

I am going to have to second BobbyP's suggestion. I always put it in the boat slip of the dock somewhere in the 15 feet of water range. We have a square trap and it has a seperate bait holder made of the same chicken wire as the trap that hangs in the middle of the trap. Its works FANTASTIC as is much better than the round type of trap that opens into 2 halves that I used to use before I got the larger square one. Any sort of meat/bones/carcass works but I just started using round bologna that is unsliced and still in the outer casing. Then I just cut it open to where some of the meat is exposed and it works just as good as I ever did with the carcasses and it last FOR EV ERRRRR.

[snagged in outlet 3]

Carpet bomb starting 10 -12 feet out to 20, piece of bacon.

Pete

[Bill Babler]

Great photo of those daddy's. Looks yummy.

Best luck I have seen is a local at Shell Knob that used to run a trapline. He put his traps in the shelf rock timbered deep cove guts. Usually in 15 plus feet. he would attach them to some docks some times or to a dock cable and no one ever knew they were there.

He would always prebait an area for a week or so using cut gills, liver and necks. He caught hundreds, with lots of them being BIG. He ate the biggest ones and used lots for limb and trot lines. He had the best of both worlds. He told me nothing in the traps works better than turkey necks and a little lard. He also really liked beef liver, but after the blood was gone it was no good. Usually about 2 days.

He would also bow shoot carp and put some of that in his freezer. He canned the meat. He would use the carp carcausses in his traps.

Hope this helps good luck

[Billfo]

Thanks all of you for the great replies.. Gives me enough info to get me started.. Ill let ya know how they taste

[mclothier1]

Thanks all of you for the great replies.. Gives me enough info to get me started.. Ill let ya know how they taste

Fish heads usually work pretty good, need something that they can pick on for hours. As soon as the meat is gone... they will sneak back out of the traps.

Good luck and have fun with it.

[Billfo]

Well THATS important information.. I didn't know they could escape once caught... Ill be sure pack the bait box !

Thanks.

Fish heads usually work pretty good, need something that they can pick on for hours. As soon as the meat is gone... they will sneak back out of the traps.

Good luck and have fun with it.