Freshwater lobsters - also known as crawfish, crayfish, or crawdad - are small ten-legged crustaceans found in waters throughout the US, as well as other countries. Catching crayfish is a fun family activity and can be done using fishing rods, special traps, or even your bare hands! Once you've caught a crayfish, you can cook these mini lobsters into delicious dishes or take one of these mini lobsters home to serve as an unusual clawed pet. Here is how to catch freshwater crayfish. Make sure you catch these lobsters only if catching crayfish is legal in your area.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Choosing a Catching Method
Step 1. Try catching lobster with fishing line and bait
Catching with fishing line and bait is a simple way to catch crayfish and is a fun family activity. All you need is a fishing rod, rod or rod, fishing line, and bait.
- You can attach the bait to the line using a hook or safety pin - this will ensure that the bait stays on the line and prevent the crayfish from escaping.
- Lower the bait into the water and wait patiently until you feel a tug on the end of the line. Then, slowly pull the crayfish and bait toward the shore as close as possible before gently pulling them out of the water. Immediately place the crayfish in the bucket.
- If you prefer, you can use a fishing net with a long handle to scoop out the crayfish as soon as you pull the line close to you. This will prevent the lobster from letting go of the bait and escaping.
Step 2. Use open or closed traps
Traps are the best way to catch large quantities of crayfish with relatively little effort. So if you want to serve a crayfish feast for your friends and family, this is the perfect way to catch those lobsters.
- There are two main types of traps: open traps, which are basically trap nets that open at one end, and closed traps, which are a more sophisticated variation with a channel at one end through which the crayfish can enter the trap, but prevent the lobster from escaping.
- Avoid using square traps as these can catch rocks at the bottom of the water and cause the trap to snag or break. Cylindrical, conical, and cobweb traps are better choices. The height, width and depth of the crayfish trap should be less than one meter.
- Before you lower the trap into the water, you need to set the bait. Some traps have a hook in the middle where you can place the bait, while others require a bait box or bottle.
- Open traps can be left in the water for several hours at a time, as long as there is enough bait attached, while closed traps can be left in the water all night. If you're lucky, when you lift the trap back out of the water, it will be full of crayfish. Under the right conditions, you can catch 7.5 - 10 kg of crayfish per trap!
Step 3. Catch the crayfish with your hands
A third option for catching crayfish is to simply catch them by hand as crayfish are often found among rocks in shallow pools and can be easily caught -- just watch out for the lobster's sharp claws!
- To catch crayfish by hand, you will need to find a pond, creek, or lake that is known to have lots of crayfish in it. Freshwater lobsters usually hide behind rocks and plants in shallow water.
- To catch crayfish, walk into the water, and look for rocks that might harbor crayfish. Then, slowly, put your hand in the water and slowly lift the stone. If you lift the rock too fast, you will startle the crayfish and cause the mud to stir up, blocking your view, and the crayfish may escape.
- If you lift the rock properly, you should see the crayfish sitting still in the water. Now you have two choices. The first option is to just lift the crayfish with your bare hands. If the lobster is very small, you can put your hands in the water and cup the lobster with both hands. If the lobster is larger, you can lift it using your thumb and forefinger with one hand, just behind the claws.
- Your second option is to use a small bucket and stick. Gently place the 10.2-15.2cm bucket behind the crayfish, then shake the stick in front of the lobster or gently pat the lobster with a stick. Freshwater lobsters swim backwards, so they will swim straight into the bucket. As soon as the lobster enters the bucket, remove the bucket from the water.
- Whatever you do, don't just stick your hand in the water, or you might get caught!
Part 2 of 3: Catching Freshwater Lobsters
Step 1. Get a fishing license
In many countries, a fishing license is required to catch freshwater crayfish. However, once you get this license, you can catch as many crayfish as you want, 365 days a year.
- A family fishing license (which allows all family members to fish) can be purchased from your local government department, for about $60.
- When using crayfish traps, the license number must be printed or affixed to the trap, along with your name and address.
Step 2. Go fishing for crayfish between April and October
Crayfish are most active during the warmer months, so the best time to fish for crayfish is between April and October. However, it is still possible to catch crayfish in the colder months, just don't expect to get as many crayfish in the warmer months.
Step 3. Look for crayfish in freshwater lakes, ponds, and streams
Freshwater lobsters are freshwater crustaceans and can be found in many waters throughout the US and in other countries around the world.
- Freshwater lobsters nest in streams, ponds, and lakes, as well as in canals, reservoirs, springs, and rocky ponds.
- Most crayfish prefer calm or slowly flowing water, with plenty of rocks and plants for shelter.
Step 4. Go fishing for crayfish at night
Freshwater lobsters are nocturnal, meaning they are most active at night, especially in warm water or during the summer months. Therefore, many people set out to catch crayfish at dusk, or leave their traps in the water all night and pick them up in the morning.
- If you plan to leave the trap in the water all night, make sure you attach a string to the cork. This will make it easier for you to find your traps in the morning.
- However, crayfish can still be caught with bait during the day, so catching crayfish during the day is not impossible.
- Go fishing whenever you can. Just remember that nighttime crayfish fishing expeditions can be a lot of fun!
Step 5. Use the right bait
The best bait to use for crayfish fishing is much debated, but most sources will agree that you can't go wrong with the head, tail, entrails of the fatty fish that are native to the area.
- Fish such as salmon, herring, carp, perch, walleye, and trout are good bait for crayfish, but animals like sardines, squid, clams, tonguefish, and eels are not good bait.
- Other options include any type of fatty raw meat such as chicken or pork. Freshwater lobsters are also attracted to hotdog scraps and even fish-based cat food (though some crayfish experts will disagree with this).
- The most important thing about bait is that the meat being baited must be fresh. Freshwater lobsters will not be attracted to old, rotten, or smelly meat, contrary to popular belief.
Step 6. Install the bait correctly
If you are using a trap to catch crayfish, it is very important to set the bait correctly.
- In ordinary traps, the bait only needs to be hung on a hook in the center of the trap. This works well, but if the trap is left in the water for too long, the crayfish will eat all of the bait, and then lose interest and escape the trap.
- That's why many crayfish experts recommend using bait boxes - with these, the crayfish can eat the bait, and the smell of the bait can be dispersed through the water, attracting more crayfish. But because these baits are harder to reach, they don't get eaten up quickly, so the crayfish will stay in the trap longer.
- Another alternative is bait bottles - with these, the bait smell will be dispersed through the water, but the crayfish can't eat it. The bait will last longer, but the crayfish likely won't stay in the trap as soon as they realize they can't eat.
Part 3 of 3: Bringing Freshwater Lobster Home
Step 1. Follow the applicable rules
Be aware that there are some states that prohibit lobsters from being removed from their fishing grounds. For example in the US state of Arizona, people are prohibited from bringing crayfish home. This animal must be killed at the location of its capture. So, if you want to bring this animal home to pet, read the regulations first.
Do not release the lobster back into the water after it has been caught. There are several countries that consider these animals as pests and want to reduce their numbers due to their impact on aquatic ecosystems. Therefore, you must kill these animals as humanely as possible or give them to other anglers. You can also use this animal as bait when fishing for salmon, especially if it comes from the same river
Step 2. Cook the crayfish
Freshwater lobster has a sweet and delicious white flesh that can be eaten alone or used in a variety of southern dishes such as crayfish jambalaya, crayfish etouffee, and crayfish bisque. Freshwater lobster can also substitute for other shellfish such as lobster and crab for use in most dishes.
- First, kill the crayfish by sticking a sharp knife between its head and chest, or by submerging the lobster in ice or boiling water for a few minutes.
- To cook crayfish, boil a pot of water and add salt, black pepper, and chili for a real Acadian seasoning. Clean the mud or dirt attached to the crayfish by washing it with clean water.
- If you want to drain the crayfish (gut) before cooking, mix 120 ml of salt or white vinegar in a bucket of clean water and let the crayfish soak in it for 30 minutes. When the water has turned cloudy, the lobster is ready to be cooked.
- Place the crayfish whole (or just the tail and large claws) in a pot of boiling water and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the shells turn a bright red color. If you wish, you can add additional ingredients to the water such as seafood stew, onions, jalapenos, or cilantro.
- Eat crayfish just like that, dipped in butter and lemon juice or coated in cocktail sauce. Serve it with corn on the cob and boiled potatoes for a delicious lunch or dinner after fishing.
Step 3. Raise crayfish
Some people like to keep crayfish as pets, because crayfish are easy to care for and are an interesting spectacle for children. Sometimes, crayfish can even be brought to school and kept as class pets!
- Bring crayfish home by storing them in a cool, damp place. Do not put this lobster in a bucket of water because most living things need oxygen to survive and will die if they are in still water. As long as the crayfish are kept wet, they can survive without water for several days.
- Keep crayfish in an oxygenated tank alone, as they will eat other fish. This lobster can eat any plant you place in the tank or you can feed it the heads and bits of fatty fish or any of the baits listed above.
- Be careful, some countries prohibit people from taking live freshwater crayfish from the lobster fishing grounds. Some states (such as Arizona) prohibit people from bringing crayfish home alive - crayfish must be killed at the lobster fishing grounds. So if you're considering bringing a crayfish home as a pet, make sure you check your state's regulations first.
Tips
- Installing multiple fishing rods at once will be very helpful.
- Remember to be patient!
Warning
- Watch out for the crawfish claws!
- Never move crayfish from one water location to another.
- Avoid releasing excess crayfish back into the water after you catch them. Some countries consider crayfish as pests and want to reduce the number of crayfish populations, because these lobsters damage certain aquatic ecosystems. So you should either kill the crayfish as humanely as possible or pass the excess to other anglers when you've got as many lobsters as you want.
