Crayfish

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Robson Valley

Full Member
Nov 24, 2014
9,959
2,664
McBride, BC
I bought yabbies from the kids that fished the moat at LaTrobe University in Bundoora (Melbourne).
2 cents for big, 1 cent for small. The kids would fish all morning and we would buy the catch for lunch!

Bit of fish tied to the end of a string. Once the yabbies grab the bait, they don't want to let go.
Slooooooooooly pull in the string and scoop the yabbie with an aquarium dip net.

Make the buggers work for their food = 1/4" mesh bait bag ( hardware wire mesh?)

There were lots of them in the lakes and rivers of western Canada, we caught them by hand with spotlights.
I miss that. BC coastal delicacy here is the Spot Prawn that you can trap even in downtown Vancouver/Burrard Inlet.
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
2,293
Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
Crayfish are very tasty if you cook them properly.
Boil on its own and just after you caught thrm = muddy taste.

If you can, catch, place in a holding net and place in some fresh running water, a stream, for a day or two.

Eating crayfish is a famous and popular Swedish tradition in August.
 

Robson Valley

Full Member
Nov 24, 2014
9,959
2,664
McBride, BC
South of me, crayfish are a farmed crop in the rice fields. You buy them live in 20kg bags.
Boil in a large pot with some Old Bay seasoning.
Don't boil the sack. Boil some corn & potatoes, too.
 

TeeDee

Full Member
Nov 6, 2008
10,451
3,654
50
Exeter
Useful article -comprehensive.


 

Disabled Preppers

Full Member
Apr 3, 2023
213
102
58
west midlands
I notice they say illegal to fish for crays in the UK , well you best tell the crays to leave carp baits alone , lol the carp lake i use to fish well it was riddled with them i mean put a bait near the carys and you had a bite in seconds of the bait hitting the bottom , we use to try popping the baits up and the crays i think you to esiter climb on each other or carry a ladder , what annoys me about the EA is the stupid rules , back in hertforshire there is a run off from the canal and it diverts some of the water to lower down so to speak now it is all concrete but over the years it has broken and cracked and i can tell you it is rammed with crays and i mean big ones we had a huge haul took them home in to fresh water for a couple of days and wow BBQ , it is to stupid for words these things are destroying banks all along the canals but it is illegal to try and catch them .

I will say you can not mistake a birtish cray of a signal , first off the brit is small and no where near as agressive as the signals put a signal down and you watch the little nasty , my german shepard learnt a hard lesson when one nipped his nose he never ever tried to nudge one again , i think he thought it was one of his squeaky toys until it got him .
 
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KieranB96

Spammer-Banned
Mar 21, 2024
3
1
27
Bolton
I love Crayfish. I used to go to a B&B with my parents growing up and the lovely owner used to catch crayfish in the lake for me. Something about crayfish is very nostalgic for me
 
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wickerman

Full Member
May 6, 2010
147
88
norfolk
I once caught 140 Cray fish from a friends mill pond used a piece of string with a chicken breast tied to it and as the Cray fish were pull to the surface netted with a landing net before they could let go we shared them out .....some were very large with lots of meat in the claws.....it makes me laugh they are an invasive species causing damage to fish and banks and the government want you to have a licence to trap them.....and tax
 
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TeeDee

Full Member
Nov 6, 2008
10,451
3,654
50
Exeter
I once caught 140 Cray fish from a friends mill pond used a piece of string with a chicken breast tied to it and as the Cray fish were pull to the surface netted with a landing net before they could let go we shared them out .....some were very large with lots of meat in the claws.....it makes me laugh they are an invasive species causing damage to fish and banks and the government want you to have a licence to trap them.....and tax

I'm pretty sure I'm correct but there is no fee with getting the licence.
 

slowworm

Full Member
May 8, 2008
1,982
934
Devon
You need a licence to remove them as well, so that would apply for a bit of meat on a line.

One of the reasons for needing a licence to trap or remove is so you aware of the laws around them. With regards to traps they need to be the right shape and size to prevent killing other wildlife such as otters and fish.
 

Mesquite

It is what it is.
Mar 5, 2008
27,807
2,893
62
~Hemel Hempstead~
I'm pretty sure I'm correct but there is no fee with getting the licence.
Correct, there's no fee for the licence.
You need a licence to remove them as well, so that would apply for a bit of meat on a line.

One of the reasons for needing a licence to trap or remove is so you aware of the laws around them. With regards to traps they need to be the right shape and size to prevent killing other wildlife such as otters and fish.
Yup, you have to be licenced for trapping crayfish, regardless of the method use. You also have to submit yearly returns on how many you trapped under the licence, even if it's a zero amount

EA guidelines here.
 
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Ozmundo

Full Member
Jan 15, 2023
351
265
47
Sussex
Having surveyed a few lakes I have found more than a few with sides resembling Swiss cheese due to the number of Crayfish burrows.

I do find it odd that the signal and native species can be confused but there was that chap that caught 40 or so native ones and prosecuted, he though he was getting rid of invasive ones.
 

wickerman

Full Member
May 6, 2010
147
88
norfolk
You need a licence to remove them as well, so that would apply for a bit of meat on a line.

One of the reasons for needing a licence to trap or remove is so you aware of the laws around them. With regards to traps they need to be the right shape and size to prevent killing other wildlife such as otters and fish.
so what is the reason for a rod licence at £30 there is no explaining the laws on fishing on it ......the environment agency should focus on water companies discharging sewage in to rivers
 

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