Crayfish Mania-2020

[fowl smacker]

Couldn't find this posted for 2020 so I'll start one.  If someone knows of the Crayfish Mania 2020 already started, feel free to move this.  Finally made it out to my spot for the first time this year.  Did ok, wasn't as good as it has been, but got enough to satisfy our bellies tonight.  The kids had a blast doing it too.

[Watimberghost]

Looks good!

[shootem]

That looks like fun. What kind of traps do you use?

[fowl smacker]

That looks like fun. What kind of traps do you use?

We "picked" all these ones by hand, but I do have some oval tube shaped traps that I picked up a long time ago at Bobs.

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

Nice haul!

[Shrimper]

Nice Catch!

Sorry I didn't start crawdad maina 2020 this year.  Wa parks cancelled our camping reservation for our big crawdad trip and I'm still a bit pissed about it.

Anyway, I look forward to seeing all the catches this year and the tasty boils, Cheers.

[WSU]

What traps does everyone recommend?

[Shrimper]

What traps does everyone recommend?

I use a combo of a few half size and full size square shrimp pots with the smaller mesh and use a few clyndrical pots I made.  I like the square pots because they sit well on slopes whereas I think the clyndrical tend to catch and hold more crawdads.

Here are some pics of the shrimp pots I use.

[RC]

What's your bait of choice?

[fowl smacker]

What's your bait of choice?

Canned cat food, smelt, anchovies, sardines, salmon/tuna parts.  They'll eat about anything.

[Shrimper]

What's your bait of choice?

Fresh fish, trout, perch...  Whatever is in the body of water you’re looking to get crawdads in.  Filleted trout/perch carcasses seem to work best for me.

[WAcoueshunter]

How long do you soak?

[scotsman]

We are heading to Sun Lakes next week . Any c’dads in that area? Or Banks lake?

[duckmen1]

How long do you soak?

I've left pots for 30 to 45 minutes in small creeks and filled them full. Typically I'll leave them for that time frame in a small creek to do a test run to see if there's any action. If so next soak will be 3 to 4 hours or if dropped in evening an overnight soak.
Larger bodies of water I like to start with a 1 to 2 hour test then depending I'll lengthen the soak accordingly. Overnight soaks are awesome if left in the evening.
Every spot is different though. Just gotta test the waters.
If there is a target rich environment you can start seeing action pretty quickly though.

[dilleytech]

What traps does everyone recommend?

I recommend making your own. They cost around 10$ to make and they are far superior to those “minnow” traps they sell at any fishing department or you can order some. Making the funnels one way escape proof is a huge component. Can’t recall the video I watched but some kid in Wyoming has the design figured out.

[dilleytech]

How long do you soak?

2 days works great with well made pots. The crappy ones you buy at the store I wouldn’t go much past over night because most will escape.

[WSU]

Please post the video if you find it.  I've tried the store bought ones and came back after an hour to two to less crawdads than I left in the pot.  Figuring out how to make it so they can't escape seems key.

[WSU]

What traps does everyone recommend?

I recommend making your own. They cost around 10$ to make and they are far superior to those “minnow” traps they sell at any fishing department or you can order some. Making the funnels one way escape proof is a huge component. Can’t recall the video I watched but some kid in Wyoming has the design figured out.

Is this it?  I really like the idea of long soaks where they can't get out of the pot.

[dilleytech]

What traps does everyone recommend?

I recommend making your own. They cost around 10$ to make and they are far superior to those “minnow” traps they sell at any fishing department or you can order some. Making the funnels one way escape proof is a huge component. Can’t recall the video I watched but some kid in Wyoming has the design figured out.

Is this it?  I really like the idea of long soaks where they can't get out of the pot.

Yes! That’s the one. The point he makes about the spikes around the end of the funnel so they can’t make the corner to escape is the biggest thing to take away I think.

[WSU]

I'm going to make some with the spikes and probably add some spikes to my store bought ones.  It'll be interesting figuring out how to do that.

[kellama2001]

Tagging along, I'd like to get into this this year

[dilleytech]

I'm going to make some with the spikes and probably add some spikes to my store bought ones.  It'll be interesting figuring out how to do that.

If you buy the rolls of 1/2” maybe it’s 1/4” and cut off the ends were they connect to the next row it will leave your with a strip of spikes. Then I double wrapped it.

[WSU]

That was my first thought. Thanks!

[NWR]

So I've had success in years past with homemade traps similar to those seen here. I've used larger trout heads. After I freeze them I drill a small hole though the skull and insert a light wire through the hole .. twisting it tight so the head doesn't slide on the wire. Then when baiting the trap I suspend the bait across the trap by tying the wire from side to side in the round trap at the door opening. Just how I do it but seems to work that way with out a bait box.

My question is in the above video the guy stated he thought that net entrance cones worked much better than wire cones.  I looked on line but find nothing on the method to make and instal net entrance cones.  Might like yo try that in a trap or two. Any help/info would be appreciated. 

[dilleytech]

Put my 4 homemade traps out for 24 hours. Columbia River bugs.

[Sutherland]

Wow that's so cool I've always wanted to try to catch some. What type of setup do you need. Any places near Wenatchee to get them?

[TheStovePipeKid]

Anyone fishing around the Hood Canal/Pierce county area? I gave it a stab last year at Lake Roosevelt while turkey hunting using a crappy store bought trap and came up empty. I'd like to find some success and some spots close to home.

[fly-by]

Does anyone do well setting traps in faster flowing sections of rivers?  I have close and easy access to one of the forks of the Snoqualmie but it's basically a big riffle.  I intend to give it a shot either way but am curious.

[Fl0und3rz]

One of my favorite threads each year.

[Norman89]

IV caught them in faster water usually in about 2-3 feet of water near a hole but I also do better in the tail end of a hole. I use fresh frozen chicken for some reason around me in Pierce county it seems to work best. I do pretty well in all tributaries to the nisqually river across Pierce county. Also done good in south prairie creek and Gale creek both tributaries of the carbon and Puyallup rivers

[Whitenuckles]

It's been good!

[scotsman]

My PB.  From Sun Lakes area

[Whitenuckles]

A few more from this weekend

[Fl0und3rz]

Yum.