the fresh-water lobsterette - crawfish lakes *UPDATE*

[Rich McVey]

Thanks for the links guys.

So many crawfish (to eat).... and so little time... :geek:

This site has a ton of pics from all over the world http://www.crayfishworld.com/


Dave Royal, holding the star of the 1999 Melbourne Fishing Show

[spindog]

While fishing for bass, I've noticed lots of crayfish traps tied off to home owners docks. The season doesn't even start until May.
I asked a home owner about it and they told me, they didn't care and they just simply scraped the roe or babys off and keep them
during the early season. Mentality like that is going to hurt a lake, fish eat those buggers to........unbelievable!!!
Many lakes, many docks, and many out of season traps, since the end of Feb. I guess some of these are year round traps, out of season, that probably never come out of the water.

[Rich McVey]

Not cool. Some people just dont get it. Some just dont care. [-x

WDFW Poacher Hotline - 1-877-933-9847

http://wdfw.wa.gov/enforcement/reportin ... tions.html

[flyfisher31]

washougal river has alot!

[G-Man]

FYI, this year's regs allow for no size, sex or catch limit on non-native crayfish species. There are however some important notes to this change. You can't transport the non-native crayfish alive and they need to be separated from your native catch. If you can't identify a native from and non-native crayfish you'll want to do some studying. I know for certain that Pine Lake in Issaquah has non-native crayfish but I don't know if they have made their way into Sammamish yet. I plan on doing my part to cull the invaders. So if anyone finds a lake with non-native species, please update this post.

[The Quadfather]

FYI, this year's regs allow for no size, sex or catch limit on non-native crayfish species. There are however some important notes to this change. You can't transport the non-native crayfish alive and they need to be separated from your native catch. If you can't identify a native from and non-native crayfish you'll want to do some studying. I know for certain that Pine Lake in Issaquah has non-native crayfish but I don't know if they have made their way into Sammamish yet. I plan on doing my part to cull the invaders. So if anyone finds a lake with non-native species, please update this post.

Here is a link to some photos and info. for identification of Native vs. Non Native craws.

http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/ans/identify/ht ... ington.pdf

Notice that the native craws. have smooth shells, especially along the claws, compared to the non native one which has a lot of bumps and things on the claws.

['OL GREY DOG]

WELLL???.....1 of the hottest threads i've seen in here in a long time...
(cept a buncha nonsence abouta green fish)..'n now nuthin?????...
where's the pics of pots stuffed full or of a buncha poor lil bugs all pretty 'n red in a pile on a tablecloth ???

[fear_no_fish]

Not sure if these were said but

Lake Stevens, Snohomish county
Cranberry lake, Skagit
Pass lake, Skagit
Flowing lake, snohomish
Cowlitz river

[Deka]

Hi,

Would it be possible to make a sticky of the resulting list of lakes and rivers?

I beleive that this would be a very nice bit of information that could be easily accessed.

Deka

[fishnislife]

Oh WOW, back from the dead. It's amazing to see that I started this thread 3 years ago and it is still in good use and around. Great suggestion Deka. I will tell you that I have learned so much from this thread and information contained in it. I hope others will do the same and continue to add to it.
Thanks for the resurrection.





fishnislife

[gheeni]

Aldrich Lake in mason co. has crayfish.

[fullstringer98]

do the lousians crayfish taste better than native signal, because i live right by Pine lake which I have heard is loaded with them. trapperarne.com a GREAT and very useful site.

[Anonymous]

I'm guessing their taste/flavor comes from what THEY eat, not from what part of the country they are FROM.

[fullstringer98]

:chef: Sammamish Slough is loaded with them.

[Jay K]

This thread has got me all pumped to try some crawfish trapping. Still a little confused re: the regs - they aren't very specific about the type of float or non-necessity of a float to mark your traps. Thinking of ordering a few more traps (5 per angler) and then rigging 'em legal. I wonder who sorts 'em while in the boat or on shore cause you gotta release females w/ young/eggs immediately, as well as keep the natives and non-natives in separate containers. Will be hard to do in a kayak for me - much less have two containers in play.

[G-Man]

A couple of tips. Build yourself a a quick size gauge so you can quickly sort through your catch. If you plan to leave your traps unattended, this means the rope is not attached to your boat or in your hand, you need a proper float for each trap. You can use any color float as long as it is a proper float with you name and information permanently marked on it. What is a proper float you ask? If it has a cap or a lid and holds air, it's not a proper float. Lastly, keep a second container handy in case you pick up non-native crayfish. There is no size or catch limit on them so take them all and kill/boil them when you get to shore.

[Rich McVey]

Float. Must be durable like plastic coated foam floats, typically something retail. I have used regular pressed styrofoam ones before on non current areas. Bleach bottles dont cut it.

Will be up to you to sort them. I wouldnt let a female (craw) or a baby touch the boat. Pick the winners out and dump the rest ASAP.

[Jay K]

Just picked up four more traps (for a total of 5) and some floats. Excited about catching some crawfish. Concerned about unscrupulous individuals pulling my traps, so I'll drop 'em at/around sunset and pick 'em up crack of dawn.

Here's a question for you:

You're only allowed 10lbs of native signal crayfish per outing; Any estimates on how much 10lbs consists of in a 5gal bucket? I'd hate to be in violation, but it's hard to "weigh" your catch while out on a kayak.

[Stacie Kelsey]

The season is first Monday in May - October 31. You'll want to bring some sort of system to weigh because you can be sure that if you checked the Officer will have a way to weigh them.

[Rich McVey]

Old bathroom scale or you can use your fish weiche scale if you can hang the bucket from it. I have an old spring loaded one that goes up to 25 lb. It gives me a good indication of what I have. BUT... I have never gathered close to 10 pounds either.

I'm taking a second bucket for NON-native crays.

NONNATIVE SPECIES: "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."

Check page 134 of the regs for more info. http://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/00957/wdfw00957.pdf

Crayfish Chowder
Crayfish Gumbo
Dipped in Butter...
:chef: