What to catch crayfish with - the best bait for crayfish

Habits of crayfish

Crayfish prefer to live in clean water. If a body of water was found in which they are present, this indicates the environmental friendliness of this place. Crayfish are a desirable catch, no less popular than fish. Everyone likes the taste of crayfish; this is the product that people love to snack on with beer. In addition, crayfish are used as bait when fishing.

The length of a large specimen without claws can reach up to 20 centimeters, and the weight of an adult varies between 150-200 grams. Catching such a cancer is a great success. In most cases, crayfish fishermen manage to catch medium-sized specimens – 10-12 cm in length.

Fishing conditions

1. The fishing season starts in July. The size and quantity of prey directly depends on the heat and temperature of the reservoir. At high temperatures, crayfish finish molting much earlier than the start of the fishing season, which gives good catches from the very first days.
2. Cold summer means weak catches, which return to normal only by September, when the molting of arthropods is completely over. The situation can be slightly improved and production can be increased only by scrupulously checking and examining the most promising places.
3. Illumination and water transparency significantly affect the ability of crayfish to move quickly and, as a result, the volume of catches:

– If the water is dark and sunlight does not pass through its thickness, the gear must be installed in the evening, from about 16-17 hours. The most abundant fishing in such water is observed late in the evening and at sunset, and by midnight it noticeably decreases due to a decrease in the mobility of crayfish.

– Clear water – early fishing is not advisable, the catch increases significantly only towards midnight and continues almost until dawn.

1. It is recommended to hunt in the rain. It is in this weather that the most productive days are obtained.
2. On cold, foggy nights, during thunderstorms, and also during a bright moon, the catches are much poorer.

Crayfish habitats

Cancers are considered loners. They prefer to live on a rocky bottom, where they can easily find a secluded place, or on muddy surfaces - here crayfish can easily dig a hole for themselves. Crayfish burrows are located near the shore; they are narrow dwellings with a long corridor, no more than 1 meter long.

During the daytime, the crayfish sits in a hole, closing the entrance with its claws. To search for food, it comes out at night or in the afternoon in cloudy weather. The peculiarities of its existence are taken into account when hunting.

The best places to catch crayfish are:

• Shell rock. This is a place where crayfish often settle.
• Thickets of reeds. People don’t swim there and there are no animals, so crayfish can easily set up their home.
• Sandy bottom. Ideal fishing environment. There is a clean bottom and fine sand, making it easy to distinguish prey.
• Quiet creek with snags and tree roots. It’s very convenient for a crayfish to hide here, but a crayfish fisher who easily navigates the terrain can easily catch it.
• Rocky bottom. Here, crayfish set up their burrows, and therefore you will be able to find a lot of prey.

How to install shells?

The location of the crayfish depends on what type of shell is used. Depending on the shape of the gear, the installation method may differ significantly:

• Cone. It is advisable to install from a boat. Rakolov swims to the desired place and, holding the top foam plastic, gradually lowers the crayfish into the water. If this is not possible, then the stick is threaded through the last bunch of ropes and installed near the shore. But still, it is better to put tackle of this shape from a boat.
• Ball. A rope is tied to the crayfish and simply thrown into the water so that the bait does not fall out, without any sudden movements. In this case, there is no significant difference in how the installation will be carried out from the shore or from a boat.
• Rectangular. With this form of gear, it is best to install from the shore. It is placed where there is a smooth descent of the bottom and there are no sharp cliffs of the shore. The principle of casting is the same as for a ball, but you just need to be more careful so that there is no confusion.

We recommend reading: Detailed information on the use and independent production of amphipods for pike perch

It is better to place other types of crayfish shells of non-standard shape from a boat, since they need to be lowered evenly.

Time

Every crayfisher who decides to go hunting should know what time to catch crayfish. This is necessary in order not to waste your personal time. Crayfish are caught in the dark, when they go for prey - from 22-00 to 3-00. There are reservoirs where crayfish go out in search of food in the early morning.

It is difficult to answer clearly what time to catch crayfish, because different regions have their own deadlines. It is believed that you can catch delicious crayfish in the autumn. It is from the end of August to the end of October that crayfish have delicious and fatty meat. But in the spring, during spawning, catching crayfish is prohibited by law.

What to use to catch crayfish in a crayfish trap?

Cancer lives in clean waters. It is almost impossible to catch it in muddy water. Its main place of residence is a river or lake, where there is no strong current and the water can settle. Cancer also loves rocky bottoms, because it is easier to find secluded places to hide there.

Cancer is a carnivore, so it won’t be possible to interest it in plant food, but with animals it’s a completely different matter. Moreover, it is worth noting that these animals are scavengers, that is, they themselves do not hunt, but feed on what has died and, accordingly, began to exude the corresponding aroma.

However, you shouldn’t go overboard here; cancer won’t covet outright rottenness and rot and certainly won’t climb into a trap for it if there’s a fresher alternative.

In order to attract prey to the crayfish trap, you need to cut the carcass, which serves as bait, so that the smell spreads. To create a tasty smell, many fishermen add Borodino bread, greased with garlic, to the bait.

When is it prohibited to catch crayfish?

Bans on catching crayfish in different regions of Russia are determined by the relevant government agency. Below are some examples of restrictions on fishing for freshwater creatures:

• From April to June, crayfish are not caught, as the law prohibits it. This is spawning time.
• It is completely prohibited to catch arthropods in Krasnodar and all surrounding rivers.
• From October to June, a ban on catching crayfish is in effect in the Vladimirov region.
• From October to June, crayfish hunting is prohibited in the Kirov region.
• In the Moscow area and in the region, year-round fishing for crayfish will not work.
• In the Orenburg region, from June 5 to July 15, there is a ban on catching arthropods.
• In the Kursk region, hunting is prohibited from the beginning of October until the end of June.
• In the Pskov region, it is impossible to catch arthropods from the moment the ice melts until mid-July.

Open type traps

These traps are based on the principle of operation of lifts. They are attached to a long, strong pole and taken out of the water vertically. You can fish with them both from the shore and from piers or bridges.

Simple screen

The simplest open type traps are screens. They are a ring of metal wire covered with mesh. Three or four cords of the same length go up from the ring, which are tied together.

Then the main cord is tied to their attachment point, which goes to the handle of the trap.

The bait is attached to the middle of the net in a specially sewn mesh pocket or a woman's stocking, and then the bait is lowered into the water. Sensing the bait, the crayfish crawl towards it and concentrate in the center of the trap. This type of clamshell should be checked every 20-30 minutes. The rise from the water must be done energetically, but evenly, so that the crayfish that look at the “light” do not have time to run away.

It should be noted that the screen can be made not only round, but also square, in the manner of a little fish for catching verkhovka. In this case, the laces can be replaced with knitting needles located at the corners of the structure.

Double open trap

A more convenient catcher for catching crayfish consists of two hoops. The larger one, covered with mesh, forms the bottom of the structure. The smaller circle is connected to the bottom by a vertical mesh, so that a trimmed mesh cone is created.

This crayfish catcher is installed on the bottom so that the upper small hoop seems to hang in the water. This prevents the cancer caught inside the trap from escaping from it.

The use of such a trap makes it possible to check it less often than a simple screen; you can return to the trap no earlier than 4-6 hours.

Inkwell

You don’t have to check an open “inkwell” type rack for even longer. In appearance, it resembles a metal fish tank without a lid. Imagine the design described in the previous chapter, where inside a smaller hoop in the same plane as it, there is another one, and the gap between them is covered with a mesh.

The cancer will be able to get out of this structure only when it is filled to capacity with its fellow tribesmen. Such crayfish traps can be safely left for a day or more.

Fishing methods

Due to the fact that today it is popular to catch crayfish with lines, few people use other fishing methods or even forget about them. But there are many options that are used to catch arthropods. Not all methods are easy enough, but this is what makes crayfish hunting so interesting and exciting.

Fishing with a crayfish

Catching crayfish by hand is prohibited by law, so it is recommended to use a crayfish catcher, which is quite easy to use. Typically, several types of crayfish traps are used simultaneously to increase the chance of catching crayfish. The design is made in such a way that arthropods get in there and cannot get out. And in order for them to get in there, they use bait that attracts crayfish.

Due to the fact that crayfish prefer to burrow in steep, steep banks to build burrows, the structure is installed near the coast. This is done like this:

1. They take a long, strong stick, at one end of which there is a slingshot.
2. The cord from the crayfish catcher is hooked with a slingshot so that the structure rises.
3. The shell is slowly lowered into the water until it touches the bottom.
4. The cord is tied to reeds, a stick stuck into the bank or any strong tree.

At night, crayfish come to the shore, so you should not throw the crayfish trap too far.

How to fish with a fishing rod?

This option is not easy, because crayfish are not fish, they just don’t bite the bait. Moreover, in the dark it will be difficult to attach the bait. For these reasons, there is only one way out - to catch crayfish with a fishing rod during daylight hours, but closer to sunset. It is recommended to choose a crawler, dung worm, rotten meat or fish as bait. The best time to catch crayfish with a fishing rod is from September to October.

It’s easier to catch crayfish with a classic fishing rod during the feeding season. For a larger catch, it is advisable to tie several hooks to the fishing rod at once, which will increase the likelihood that several crayfish will bite. Arthropods bite very slowly, but the crayfish will immediately feel the bite: the crayfish grabs the bait and drags it, while the float first moves smoothly to the side, and then sinks and hides in the water. Due to the fact that the crayfish does not cling to the bait very tightly, pull out the fishing rod carefully.

Screen efficiency

It is popular to catch crayfish with a screen, which is a round or square structure with sides that prevent the crayfish from falling out when removed from the water. For a good catch, 2-5 screens will be enough. The design of the screen is similar to a conventional clamshell, but differs in its rectangular shape.

They take steel wire, from which they make two squares, then they are fixed at a distance of 20-30 centimeters from each other, then they cover the bottom and side walls of the screen with mesh. Crayfish will crawl through the open top for bait. The screen is tied to a thick pole, which will act as a fishing rod, bait is placed in the center, and the screen itself is carefully placed in the water.

Catching crayfish with a crayfish trap

Catching crayfish this way is a fairly simple process. But, in order for this process to be effective and productive, it is necessary to take into account some nuances. For example:

1. To catch a crayfish, you need to attract it to the crayfish trap. To do this, you should use aromatic bait in the form of meat (chicken legs, necks and other parts). To add flavor, it is roasted over a fire. The main thing is that the bait is fresh. Of course, many people believe that crayfish prefer spoiled meat, which gives off a specific smell, but this is not so.
2. Properly placed bait is also important . It is placed in the center of the bottom of the crayfish trap. In this case, it needs to be firmly fixed with wire. There should be a lot of bait, which will significantly increase the catch. When the bait is eaten, the crayfish begin to look for a way out. But only a few can be lucky and get out of the trap. Some crayfish traps use special containers to store bait.
3. The clamshell should be placed at a depth of up to one and a half meters . At the same time, it should stand in water for no more than 7 hours. Of course, there are structures that can be left in the water for the whole day, but for this you will have to use a large amount of bait.

If you take into account all these nuances, you can easily catch a large number of crayfish. Of course, if they are in the selected body of water.

What to feed the crayfish?

Bait for catching crayfish is selected based on the time of year. In spring and summer, the use of bait of plant origin is effective. In autumn and winter, crayfish are lured with animal food. For these purposes use:

• trimmings of meat, poultry or fish entrails;
• fish;
• worms;
• shellfish;
• frogs;
• meat;
• snails

Fish is used fresh or spoiled. In order for the bait to release a more pronounced aroma, the product is initially dried in the sun. Cancers like bream, roach and crucian carp. For meat baits, it is advisable to give preference to a poultry carcass or a piece of beef. It is acceptable to use stale meat. It is better to catch frogs, snails, and mollusks in the same body of water where you plan to catch crayfish. Worms are a last resort option; they are placed in gauze to prevent them from spreading.

Among plant foods, the following are considered effective:

• corn;
• dill;
• peas;
• black bread;
• makukha;
• garlic

Peas and corn are pre-boiled, steamed or used in canned form. When choosing bait, the season is taken into account. With the onset of cold weather, arthropods are lured out with rotten meat or peas. In spring, use fish or vegetable bait. In summer, when it is very hot, the best option is a piece of liver, meat or chicken giblets. To enhance the smell, add a little fish oil.

It is equally important to choose the right place for catching crayfish, based on which you will be able to accurately select the bait. For example, to catch crayfish in reservoirs with muddy bottoms, spoiled fish are used as bait. For arthropods living in such conditions, this is considered a common food. They will crawl into the trap without feeling any danger. If there is a lot of vegetation on the bottom, crayfish choose peas or corn for fishing.

If the hunt takes place in underwater caves or under the shore, it is advisable to use complementary food with a strong aroma, for example, spoiled meat or a mixture with the addition of garlic. In shallow water, it is effective to use corn, worms or clams.

The best bait for catching crayfish is considered to be the bait you prepare yourself. Several effective recipes have been proposed that are used by experienced crayfish fishermen:

• Garlic bait. Grate or crush the garlic. Cut the rye bread into pieces and fry a little in oil (optional). Crush the garlic inside the bread and rub the crust with it. Garlic balls will be no worse. To prepare them, both garlic and rye bread are passed through a meat grinder, and small balls are formed from the resulting mass. Next, they are placed in nylon or gauze pockets - this will prevent the balls from becoming soggy in the water.
• From the top. Cut the pressed sunflower seeds into medium pieces, then add fresh or dried dill and rye bread to them. Mix thoroughly and add the mixture to the gauze.
• Fish bait. Before preparing the bait, fish are caught from the reservoir where arthropods are found. It is also acceptable to use freshly frozen store-bought fish. An incision is made along the ridge, the air bubble of the fish is squeezed out or pierced. The scales are lightly picked, and the crucian carp is completely removed. Small fish are used whole, and large fish are cut into pieces.

Read more about feeding crayfish, their diet and bait here.

DIY bait

It is very important not only to choose the type of bait, but also to prepare it correctly so that it performs its functions. In the case of fish, it should be cut and the giblets removed along with the air bubble. The fish must be cut and, if necessary, removed from scales. In this case, fishing may be more productive.

If you use meat from an offal set, then there is no need to cut it: it already creates a peculiar smell. To prevent crayfish from eating the bait ahead of time, it is better to place it in gauze. The same applies to bread with garlic.

The Best and Effective Lures for Catching Crayfish! How to Catch a Lot of Crayfish on Rakolovki!

Useful tips

Experienced crayfish fishermen recommend using some tips to help you catch crayfish.

You need to know the following features:

• Crayfish have a highly developed sense of smell, which is why they use baits that emit a particularly strong odor. The smell of garlic is especially attractive to arthropods. Many crayfish fishermen rub garlic on a piece of brick and then place it in the trap. After some time, the crayfish will definitely fall for the garlic aroma that attracts them so much. If the smell is not strong enough, especially for vegetable baits, it is recommended to flavor them with garlic juice.
• It is best to catch crayfish from July to December; it is at this time that arthropods gain greater mass, and caviar deposits form in females. Use bait of animal origin. They also rub the bread with garlic, wrap it in cheesecloth, and place it in a trap.
• The bait (with the exception of shellfish) is firmly fixed to the bottom of the crayfish trap. A pocket of nylon fabric is sewn into the bottom of the trap. Sometimes they use a large bait, securing it with a rubber band.
• When using fresh fish for bait, it is first cut lengthwise. This is required to attract arthropods with the smell of meat and blood of fish.
• It is recommended to go hunting for crayfish in places where ponds are located near poultry farms. Meat production waste often ends up in such reservoirs, which can result in a huge number of crayfish in these places.

Catching crayfish is considered a very interesting and exciting process, because in this case the crayfish catcher awakens passion and the desire to catch as many individuals as possible for further delicacy. If you know where and when crayfish are found, and what traps and baits to use to catch them, luck will not turn your back.

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How to attach the bait?

Food to attract crayfish is attached directly to the bottom of the crayfish trap.

The method can be any:

• tie with an elastic band;
• put on a pin;
• place in a mesh bag;
• tie with wire;
• use a special hook for fastening;

The main thing is that the bait does not fly off when throwing the trap, and that the crayfish does not have the opportunity to drag it into the shelter. The animal must be forced to eat the prey in the crayfish trap.

When using fish as bait, the air bubble is removed from the carcass. This way it won't float up.

Fishing technique

Often reeds grow near the shores of a reservoir, which complicates the installation of a trap. It is best to lower the crayfish into the water from a boat.

In order to subsequently find the crayfish trap, you can tie a piece of foam plastic to the cord, or you can tie the trap to a stick, which in turn will be fixed to the shore.

The fishing technique is extremely simple. The pre-prepared trap slowly sinks to the bottom of the reservoir. If there are several crayfish traps, they should be installed at a distance of at least ten meters from each other. The trap can be checked three hours after installation.