crawdads/crayfish?

[jeepster]

ive seen em everywhere... there are tons of em in the lake behind my house and the samish is crawling with em... is there anybody out there who knows anything about them? if i go to the samish tomrrow im half tempted to take my pots.... is there anything about them like toxins similar to red tide, or stuff i should know? are they safe to eat this time of year... are they even active?

[Special T]

as in the lake or the river? they are tasty buggers eat them up! taste like lobster!

[deadyote]

Just know that ther actully is a season!!!  Why, I don't know because we could never come close to catching enough to even put a small dent in them, but the WDFW says so?   But it ended on Oct 31st.  Yeah, there are a ton around here.  I have caught a few that reached 8" long in a lake up north.  I find them in all waters and great eating also.  If you wait till the season opens, throw your pots and eat like a king.

[krout81]

never heard of anything..  Boil them just like lobsters and crab.  They turn red yummmy dont be skimpy on how many you catch
Rules are

CrAYFISH (Crawfi sh)
ALL WATERS NATIVE SPECIES 1st Mon. in May-Oct. 31
Min. size 3¼" from tip of rostrum (nose) to tip of tail. Daily limit 10 lbs in shell. All
females with eggs or young attached must be immediately returned to the water
unharmed. No Shellfi sh/Seaweed license is required. See gear rules on page 139.
NONNATIVE
SPECIES
1st Mon. in May-Oct. 31
Must be kept in a separate container. Must be dead before being removed
from riparian area (immediate vicinity of water body). No daily limit, size, or sex
restrictions. No Shellfi sh/Seaweed license is required. See gear rules page 139.

[high country]

I use smallmouth bass parts for bait, 13 feet of water in the rocks...

this is 4 traps set for 4 hours.....good times!

[FC]

Crawdads are better than lobster IMO, boil them up and eat with garlic butter.

[singleshot12]

What kind of baits do most people use to catch them?  Would a chicken leg work?

[lewy]

chicken works great

[Holg3107]

Use Chicken Livers stuffed in cheap panty hose. Sounds funny but it works great. I grew up in Colorado catching these delicous little guys. Their claws get stuck in the panty hose and you just lift em out of the water and into your bucket. I got a really weird look from a guy at the grocery store one day, we were headed out to elk camp and we camp right on the river so I went to the store to grab 2 things of panty hose and a few tampons to use for hanging scents (also works well just dip it into your scent and hang it from a tree, already has a string) needless to say had quite the awekward conversation with the store clerk.

[singleshot12]

Chicken livers hmm.. I would have a hard time using chicken liver for bait since liver pate is my favorite to eat 

[C-Money]

My Captain caught some and brought them to work for us to try. Wow! They are good! I am wanting to try for some this summer!

[singleshot12]

I know most of the lakes have them, any suggestions on depth or best areas in the lake?

[Holg3107]

I would focus on loose rock points/banks that are adjacent to mud flats. We always targeted the edges of dam/dike areas. anywhere there is rocks you will be succesful. I have not done any crawfishing in rivers si no idea about what, where, or how to in that situation.

[Special T]

SWEET another kind of water species i can attack with out paying the WDFW!!! Now i can shoot carp and catch crayfish! 

[Heredoggydoggy]

For some reason, while the trap is in the water, they can't find their way out.  Pull the trap out of the water and throw it up on the shore and instantly they will be jumping out of the trap and marching back to the water.  Strange little critters.

[Alchase]

Remember not to leave your traps in the water too long, when the food runs out the will leave the trap. HighCountry, was that the wetside or eastside? That is a good haul! Crank up the garlic/lemon butter and dig in, yum.

[high country]

these are east siders. I use small mouth for bait, I would suggest placarding your traps with obama and gregwhore stickers to catch all the bottom feeders on the wet side.

[dirty24d]

these are east siders. I use small mouth for bait, I would suggest placarding your traps with obama and gregwhore stickers to catch all the bottom feeders on the wet side.

 

[testar77]

I am new to the Tri-cities, are there any good crawdad bodies of water around here?  I grew up on the wetside and used to catch them all the time.  I love em.........  Just need a whole bunch of em lol.  I have caught a bunch in Banks lake before, so there has to be some around here I would think.  Any thoughts?

Toby

[400out]

I am new to the Tri-cities, are there any good crawdad bodies of water around here?  I grew up on the wetside and used to catch them all the time.  I love em.........  Just need a whole bunch of em lol.  I have caught a bunch in Banks lake before, so there has to be some around here I would think.  Any thoughts?

Toby

I have heard that you can get into them around here but I find more of them up the snake 

[testar77]

how far up the snake?  I would think the Walla Walla would be decent too?

[grundy53]

Crawdads are better than lobster IMO, boil them up and eat with garlic butter.

[D-Rock425]

When I was a kid we use to make traps out of milk jugs and take them down to a local creek.  We never got very many but it was better then Nintendo.

[Straight Shooter]

Got to get some traps and try the Spokane area lakes.  I heard you shouldn't eat any mudbugs coming out of the Spokane River... something about heavy-metal pollution coming from silver mining, or something like that.   

[carpsniperg2]

When I was a kid we use to make traps out of milk jugs and take them down to a local creek.  We never got very many but it was better then Nintendo.

Use to do the same, cut the milk jug at the shoulder and turn it into itself. Then staple it together, and put a rock on top and one in the mouth. That's tall enough for them to get into the hole. I raw bacon and cheese for bait.

[hawk eyes]

testar my brother camps over at hood park in the summer him and his kids will go out at night with flashlights and wade around and pick them up he must of had like 75 of em one night.

[meat_handler]

man those are so good with butter and a little salt.. i need t catch some again mmmmhhh

[dscott]

Hmmm, one of my favorite foods and no lic req'd . Just last year I spent a gob-load bringing in live ones from La.
An afternoon of trap making and a canoe trip may be in order.

Salt pork or any chicken scraps work great.

Crawfish Eater Deluxe,
dScott
(formerly of Baton Rouge)

[high country]

dad's are a game fish and there are limits on some....read up in te regs.

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

Also, pretty sure they are dormant in winter, at least I never figured out where they were  maybe real deep ?
 Spring, but look under tails for the eggs, and throw back females (not legal issue, just my attitude)
I have done real good spring, summer, and fall, used to throw a pot in anywhere I was, just to see.
Lost my best pot one year at Jameson, put it on tailgate, next to boat and drove off... (did not get any out of there, but caught some shrimp close to 1" long!)

[grundy53]

Also, pretty sure they are dormant in winter, at least I never figured out where they were  maybe real deep ?
 Spring, but look under tails for the eggs, and throw back females (not legal issue, just my attitude)
I have done real good spring, summer, and fall, used to throw a pot in anywhere I was, just to see.
Lost my best pot one year at Jameson, put it on tailgate, next to boat and drove off... (did not get any out of there, but caught some shrimp close to 1" long!)

Actually you are required to release females with eggs. Don't want anyone to get in trouble.

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

And closed in winter, May-Oct season, guess it is good I never found any, and quit trying until spring..... 
Been catching them since I was a kid, never really paid attention, only one lake that I have been to has ever been close to catching limit, with 3 guys/traps.

[grundy53]

This is strait from the Fishing regs. so everyone gets a clear idea. Lol.

CrAYFISH (Crawfish)
ALL WATERS NATIVE SPECIES 1st Mon. in
May-Oct. 31
Min. size 3¼" from tip of rostrum (nose) to tip of tail. Daily limit 10 lbs in shell. All
females with eggs or young attached must be immediately returned to the water
unharmed. No Shellfi sh/Seaweed license is required. See gear rules on page 139.
NONNATIVE
SPECIES
1st Mon. in
May-Oct. 31
Must be kept in a separate container. Must be dead before being removed
from riparian area (immediate vicinity of water body). No daily limit, size, or sex
restrictions. No Shellfi sh/Seaweed license is required. See gear rules page 139.
There is only one native crayfi sh species in Washington – the signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus). This species can be identified by its uniform brownish coloration, white or light coloration of the claw joint ,and the smooth surface of its carapace and claws compared to that of nonnative species. Native crayfi sh are the only crayfi sh that may be removed from the vicinity of the waterbody alive. If you cannot positively identify your catch as a nonnative species, the daily limit and other restrictions listed above for native crayfish apply. How to humanely kill and preserve crayfish There are two important steps to killing a
crayfi sh quickly and humanely. The first is to chill them in ice or ice slurry for 20-30 minutes, and the second is to pierce their head with a knife.

[grundy53]

And closed in winter, May-Oct season, guess it is good I never found any, and quit trying until spring..... 
Been catching them since I was a kid, never really paid attention, only one lake that I have been to has ever been close to catching limit, with 3 guys/traps.

I was the same way. until someone brought it to my attention. i used to love catching crawdads when i was a kid... don't ever remember measuring them. oh well i didn't know any better.

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

I used the small ones for bait .. 

[Alchase]

How to humanely kill and preserve crayfish There are two important steps to killing a
crayfi sh quickly and humanely. The first is to chill them in ice or ice slurry for 20-30 minutes, and the second is to pierce their head with a knife.

Seriously? I have never seen anyone do this? We use to just tear the tails off and call it good. 

[grundy53]

How to humanely kill and preserve crayfish There are two important steps to killing a
crayfi sh quickly and humanely. The first is to chill them in ice or ice slurry for 20-30 minutes, and the second is to pierce their head with a knife.

Seriously? I have never seen anyone do this? We use to just tear the tails off and call it good. 

That's our new and improved tree hugging kinder gentler WDFW for you...

[Alchase]

Now we have to make them comfortable ice bath and sweat talk the crawdads......before we rip their tails off and throw them in the Jacuzzi of garlic butter and lemon, lol

[dscott]

We keep them (live) cool and in a wet burlap or similar sack until we're ready to boil them. Will last for several days

[FC]

We keep them (live) cool and in a wet burlap or similar sack until we're ready to boil them. Will last for several days

I've always kept them live till cooking time too and then just dumped them into a pot of boiling water.

[high country]

one buddy bought a bag of them via mail, he kept them in a fish pond in the front yard. not sure how many coons' it takes to eat 20lbs of dads, but he had at least that many there one night.

[dscott]

Gemini fish market in Issaquah brings in a large order of live crawfish in early summer. If anyone is interested, they start putting the order together in June if memory serves

[RAMSFAN]

Dang, you guys are bringing back memories. Used to catch them in the creek by our house when I lived in Oregon. We would catch them using whatever we could. Bologna, hot dogs...it all worked!

[quadrafire]

In Missouri, we used to sein (sp?) them from farm ponds. Keep the small ones for catfish trot-lines/bank-lines, and eat the big ones.
Some ponds were very productive.
It was kinda fun, you never new what you were gonna catch. Could be a load of crawdads, maybe a snapping turtle or two, those will make your heart race, as you are chest deep with them in the muddy water.
Oh' the memories.

[Machias]

In Missouri, we used to sein (sp?) them from farm ponds. Keep the small ones for catfish trot-lines/bank-lines, and eat the big ones.
Some ponds were very productive.
It was kinda fun, you never new what you were gonna catch. Could be a load of crawdads, maybe a snapping turtle or two, those will make your heart race, as you are chest deep with them in the muddy water.
Oh' the memories.

Fond fond memories!!!