Anyone here ever get a bunch of crayfish for eating?

Years ago when I was getting them for bait I'd found a bunch of big ones in Picnic Point pond. Had to throw most of them back as they were too big for bait.

Also found a bunch in the Sammammish Slough. We had on a face mask and gloves and were just picking them up off the bottom near one of the bridges.

I've heard Lake Sammammish has a commercial fishery on it for them.

As an aside, years ago when I was stuck on the island of Guam, complements of the U.S. Navy, I was cooling myself in a local stream. Had a giant honker of around 12 inches pinch me on the butt while I was in that pool. I flew out of that pool like you wouldn't have believed.

Found out a couple of months later that we were camped out right under the cave of the last Japanese solder holdout. He also had a fully operational machine gun in that cave.

Probably wondered why those crazy americans were riding round on japanese motorcycles...

I've seen a guy in his boat laying traps on lake Washington. Could be kinda fun to do while fishing for the cutts.

I use to get them all the time at Walupt. We would leave the pot in the stream overnight and in the morning it would be full. VERY good eating.

I've done well in Lake Washington in the past- around 30 ft. of water, use cat food can that's been perforated. Normally best luck is when you put the traps in at dusk, and pick 'em up the next a.m. Down along the log boom at Barbie Mill (SE end of lake) was a favorite spot

I try to catch a few whenever I fish L. Goodwin. They have a decent population,and I can usually count on catching a few for the pot.
I think any lake,that has Smallies in it will also have Crawdads. They like the same kind of habitat.

Have got them on the Elwa and Grays River here on the westside and when I was a kid growing up on Loon Lake used to catch them in the rocks at my Granddad's place and use them for bait for large mouth bass.

I've even seen them in the N/F Stilly.

Here's an anecdote for what it's worth. While I was interviewing the manager of DFW hatchery (I think it was on Lake Whatcom, but it's been awhile) we got off onto the topic of crawfish. He said he was an avid crawfish fan and did very, very well on the lake.

Here's the weird part-- he said he got this from an old commercial fisherman-- the best bait is cantaloupe rinds. He had a hard time believing it, he said, but then he tried it. Said it was a great bait.

I haven't tried it, but I do think it's interesting.

Besides being great eating, crawdad tails make great bait for summerrun steelhead.

Keith

I was a crayfish fisherman for a while, just get a snorkal a good pair of underwater goggles and a little net mesh bag you can attach to your side to put them in. You just cant be worried about the occassional pinch! I've also heard alot about people using traps out in lake washington. Hope this helps

Skeets

Skeets,

A good area we found was the bridge over the slough next to the winery(s). Back when we found this spot there was only one winery... and no breweries....

One other way to catch them is with bait. Some people that I used to know, would put out hambuger(raw) along the shore at night on a small lake and net them when they came to the meat.

My Picnic Point pond method was to put a hunk of beef liver on a weedless hook, hook the weedless wire over the hook and cast it out in the lake. Slowly reel it in and net the crayfish hanging on it.

Crayfish there were so big I kept thinking I was getting bites from fish. This is where they were too big to use for bait.

....so would a shrimp pot work?

I've never used a crayfish trap.... but I would suggest comparing the size of your mesh against one of the traps Outdoor Emporium sells and you may find out a shrimp trap would work.

I have a trap, and I'd like to use it to catch them, but I'm never sure where to place it. Anyone have any suggestions as to how deep, and what kind of bottom to look for?

there's alot in the green. Used to go trout fishing for bow's and being too young to know any better, would ball up some mono, put fish guts in the middle of the ball and a rock, toss it out in the slow pools and tie it to a branch and jam it upwards in the rocks, come back after fishing and go down the river to each trap i'd set up. Filled up my uncles' fish basket too often and didn't have any room for the fish at times, then started to have to bring a bucket with me. They're great in seafood jambalya and cheaper than prawns or shrimp in any seafood cooking. Seems to absorb in the spices alot better.

Robert

forgot to answer your question Arklier. ROCKY BOTTOMS. If you ever go diving in any lake or near shore in a couple of feet of water, turn over rocks and you'll find them underneath'. Hope you enjoy your new floatation device you picked up (ha-ha) and hope to see you out in the salts for the idiot bay openers. It'll be perfect.........