What to use for catching crayfish in a crayfish trap: bait, seasons, and fishing techniques

What to use for catching crayfish in a crayfish trap: bait, seasons, and fishing techniques. Crayfishing is a unique pleasure that combines excitement, a tasty catch, and a special atmosphere near the water. The most popular, effective, and widespread method of catching crayfish is using crayfish traps. Although many anglers still catch crayfish by hand, a crayfish trap allows you to catch dozens of crayfish in a single attempt and operates virtually without human intervention.

A crayfish trap is a structure made of strong wire, metal or nylon mesh, and durable rope. The bottom is usually wider than the top—this prevents the crayfish from escaping after it has slid in for bait. You can buy the trap at a fishing store or market, or you can make your own. It's important to remember: in many regions, crayfish traps are considered prohibited or restricted non-sport fishing gear, so be sure to check local regulations before using.

The principle is simple: the crayfish, attracted by the scent of the bait, enters the trap and is unable to escape due to the narrowing of the structure. This is why multiple crayfish can be caught in a single cast.

What do they use to catch crayfish with crayfish traps?

The crayfish inhabits clean bodies of water. It avoids turbid, polluted water and prefers rivers, lakes, and flowing ponds with rocky, pebble, or clay bottoms, where there are plenty of hiding places. The crayfish dislikes strong currents; it prefers quieter areas, such as under snags, rocks, and burrows in steep banks.

Crayfish are scavengers by nature. Their diet consists primarily of animal matter, primarily anything that has already died in the water. This is why crayfish are so strongly attracted to the smell of decomposing organic matter. Fresh carrion is more effective than heavily rotted carrion. To enhance the aroma, the carcass is usually cut open, the abdomen is ripped open, or lightly dried in the sun.

Borodinsky or rye bread with garlic is often added to the bait—the pungent garlic smell is very effective at attracting crayfish.

What bait should I use to catch crayfish?

The most effective baits are divided into several groups:

• Fish is the most popular and readily available bait. Any kind will do: crucian carp, roach, perch, gobies, bleak, minnows, and ruff. You can use fresh, dried, or slightly rotten fish. Before adding, make an incision into the fish, rip open the belly, and remove some of the scales—this allows the scent to spread faster and more powerfully.
• Meat and poultry are especially effective in summer and fall. Chicken necks, heads, gizzards, liver, hearts, ears, giblets, and offal are all suitable. The fattier and more flavorful, the better.
• Frogs are a classic choice for many ponds. You can use a whole small frog or its parts.
• Mollusks—toothless, pearl mussels, and snails—live in the same body of water. These are the crayfish's natural food.
• Garlic bread is especially good in the fall and early winter. Rye or Borodinsky bread is rubbed with garlic and wrapped in cheesecloth to prevent it from going soggy.
• Grasshoppers, worms, and shellfish are additional, but also working options.

There's a debate: is rotten bait better than fresh? The answer depends on the body of water. If food is plentiful, crayfish are picky and prefer fresher scents. If food is scarce, they'll take almost anything, including strong-smelling carrion.

Crayfish bait and seasons

Spring

In spring (April–May), crayfish are just emerging from hibernation. Fresh or lightly dried fish—fillets, whole small fish (crucian carp, gobies)—work best. It's best to cut the fish and dry it briefly in the sun to develop its characteristic aroma.

Summer

In summer, there's plenty of food in the pond, so crayfish become finicky. The most effective baits are animal and poultry meat and offal (liver, stomachs, hearts, ears, and necks). It's also helpful to dry them slightly or expose them to the sun to enhance the scent.

Autumn and winter

In the fall and early winter, crayfish are actively fattening up before hibernation, so they bite greedily. Garlic bread wrapped in cheesecloth works well. Also suitable are stale fish, slightly rotten meat, and offal. During this period, crayfish are less picky.

Features of crayfish bait

To make the bait work as effectively as possible:

• The fish must be cut, its belly ripped open, and sometimes its scales removed.
• There is no need to cut off the offal and meat - they already have a strong smell.
• To prevent the crayfish from eating the bait too quickly, it is placed in a nylon bag, gauze, or a special pocket at the bottom of the crayfish trap.
• Live bait (frogs, snails, shells) also work, but many consider this type of fishing less ethical.

DIY bait

Preparing the bait is an important step:

• The fish is gutted, the air bubble is removed, and it is cut in several places.
• Meat and offal can be left whole or coarsely chopped.
• Garlic bread is tightly wrapped in cheesecloth to prevent it from falling apart in the water.
• All of this is secured to the bottom of the crayfish trap with an elastic band, wire, or in a special mesh pocket.

Types of crayfish traps

• Open type– the simplest design: a round or square frame 50–70 cm in diameter, mesh, and rope on top. It resembles a large colander. Easy to make yourself.
• Closed-type systems are more effective but more difficult to manufacture. They are often foldable for ease of transport.

How to attach the bait

• In a gauze/nylon pocket at the bottom.
• With an elastic band or nylon thread.
• With wire or thin rope.

What time is it to catch crayfish with crayfish traps?

• January–February – crayfish are in their holes, making fishing almost impossible.
• March–April – awakening after winter, the bite is weak.
• May–June – molting and spawning, crayfish are almost never caught.
• July through December is the peak period of activity. After molting, crayfish actively feed, migrate, and gain fat. The best time is August through November.

The dates are approximate and depend on the water temperature, the level of the reservoir, the timing of ice formation and other factors.

Crayfishing techniques using crayfish traps

Crayfish traps are set:

• Near the shore (if the terrain allows).
• From a boat in the deep.

The locations are marked with a buoy—a piece of foam or a plastic bottle. Leave at least 10 meters between the traps. Checks can be made after 2–4 hours.

Conclusion

Crayfish are a natural indicator of water purity. If a body of water contains crayfish, the ecosystem is healthy. Unfortunately, crayfish populations have been declining sharply in recent decades due to pollution, poaching, and uncontrolled fishing, including using crayfish traps.

In many bodies of water in Russia, including northern regions and remote areas like the Putorana Plateau, crayfish survive only in the cleanest lakes and rivers with high oxygen levels and rocky bottoms. Here, they reach a good size and can be especially active in late summer and autumn.

Before heading out to hunt crayfish, consider whether it might be best to leave them alone so that future generations can also enjoy this amazing catch. Crayfish, as we know, aren't exactly filling, but the pleasure from the process lasts a long time.