Positioning Crayfish Trap

[abkeenan]

Yes they can escape but if you use the square trap that I mentioned in my last post they RARELY get out. The round/footballish looking 2 halves ones yes those would let more than a few out if you left the "daddys" in there with the food down to the bones or next to nothing. I will try to find the one online that I use and its really is a great crawdad trap. I think we got it from a local place around TR but not exactly sure where.

-Brett

[jdmidwest]

Try a can of Cheap Tuna Cat Food or just Cheap Tuna. Poke a few holes in the can and they will come running. The scent trail draws them in.

[vacation]

I had a great crawfish fry two weeks ago and caught about 30 in 2 nights with one trap. I put the trap (round) below a dock stall in 10-15fow and baited it with the red strips I have cut out of all the whites I have been catching...nothing like reusing mother nature

[Billfo]

This is exactly what I was thinking !!!

I had a great crawfish fry two weeks ago and caught about 30 in 2 nights with one trap. I put the trap (round) below a dock stall in 10-15fow and baited it with the red strips I have cut out of all the whites I have been catching...nothing like reusing mother nature

[Billfo]

Just trying to be prepared as my time down at the lake will be limited. After letting the trap sit overnight, if I only have a few in the morning, how would I keep those few alive until I catch more the following night ? Thanks for your suggestions...

[abkeenan]

They should stay alive for a few days especially if you have food in the trap still. Depending on how many you have and what kind of trap I would be more concerned with them getting out than dying. If you set you trap lets say Friday night and are wanting to have your "crawdaddy" feast on Sunday afternoon you should be fine just leaving the trap Fri night, all of Saturday and clean them Sunday morning. You are obviously going to check Saturday morning and if you have a LOT of crawdads then over crowding can kill quite a few of them and I would take some out and clean them on the spot.

[Billfo]

Prebaiting - I have a headstart, one ole guy on our dock has a cleaning station he uses everyday & the guts and carcausses are dumped into the lake for the scavengers to eat.. Hopefully there will already be a lot of crayfish down there.. It will be a fun experience if not a meal

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]

Will do.. Thanks ! Looking forward to reporting on my maiden crayfish escapade ! LOL..

They should stay alive for a few days especially if you have food in the trap still. Depending on how many you have and what kind of trap I would be more concerned with them getting out than dying. If you set you trap lets say Friday night and are wanting to have your "crawdaddy" feast on Sunday afternoon you should be fine just leaving the trap Fri night, all of Saturday and clean them Sunday morning. You are obviously going to check Saturday morning and if you have a LOT of crawdads then over crowding can kill quite a few of them and I would take some out and clean them on the spot.

[mclothier1]

I would clean out my traps in the morning and put em in a fish basket... they stayed alive for several days that way.

At first I just left em in the traps, but thats when I noticed they would escape, so from that point on... in the fish basket they went.

good luck

[Kayser]

Try a Flo-Troll- floating minnow bucket that lets in fresh water while containing your little friends. I don't know how well it would work if you have a lot of them, but it generally keeps them alive for the day when I wade rivers.

Rob