Avoiding the Gangsters

[fishing4luckies]

It's the Crays I'm on about - not the double 'ard east end duo of yesteryear, but the dreaded American Signal buggers that litter our waters.

I'm planning on fishing a couple of lakes over the close season specifically to target some of the bigger (8lb +) Tincas which live there.

The problem is that it's well known that both lakes are also home to large populations of Crays.

I've looked around on the web to see how the Carping fraternity deals with the issue, and with the exception of an overtly complex rig and setup on the Korda website (more engineering than angling) I can't see that anyone yet has found a solution.

It may be a dumb question (the odds are that it is) but can Tincas reliably be induced to feed further up in the water - at least 4 inches off bottom to beat the snappers? If so, then I'd be looking at dangling some suitably enticing bait (wriggly dendra soaked in hemp Oil or something weird like that) under a bobber type float or a chunky waggler.

Thoughts gents please.

 

[chrissh]

Whatever you do there be back time and time again ... I have tried tins of cat food each side of a swim, fishing up of the bottom, there still come into you swim, I even had them climbing up a keep net trying to get in it

 

[rich4930]

I've got a similar problem on my tench lake, but with turtles. Pain in the bum, I've had to stop using prawns (in groundbait at least - on the hook only when I know tench are present), despite getting my 7lb PB on one. I did get some great underwater footage though of one tucking into a fresh ball of groundbait!

My answer though, as I said is just simply avoid meat/fish like bait. I just stick to groats, hemp and corn. Not really happy but it avoids them and the tench still come.

 

[fishing4luckies]

So maybe a crumb based groundbait laced with corn and hemp and then a couple grains of corn on the hook or hair?

I've yet to try hooking hemp. I don't prepare my own (lifes too short!!) but buy it from my local tackle shop - this stuff Crafty Catcher

I'll have a go at hooking some (maybe yet another use for the Anglers Superglue I was given for christmas by a well meaning but slightly mental relative) mg:

 

[barbelboi]

but can Tincas reliably be induced to feed further up in the water - at least 4 inches off bottom to beat the snappers?

When the water warms up tench can be caught at all levels. Not my favourite method for catching them but I've had many a gravel pit tench whilst fishing up in the water and on the drop for carp.

 

[rich4930]

I've yet to try hooking hemp. I don't prepare my own (lifes too short!!) but buy it from my local tackle shop

Personally, I don't buy prepared hemp, money's too scarce!! ;-) I've thought about it but at approx 4x the cost?! And it's not difficult to prepare, just cover with water and leave it 48hrs! Contrary to popular belief you do NOT have to cook hemp. It just has the advantage of making it sweeter, which is admittedly not a bad thing for tench.

I don't use it on the hook either. I used to for roach, but for tench I prefer a big bold bait. There's no denying it's pulling power though which is why I use it in spod mix or groundbait.

Yeah, for groundbait I'd say stick to crumb based. I had a phase of putting soaked cat biscuits through a sieve but of course that's what the turtles and presumably also crayfish just love. In fact, I don't use too much groundbait at all now, just enough kick things off. After that just particles.

 

[flightliner]

Plastic hookbaits could be a start, they work for me.That said my stillwaters dont have any crays.

 

[S-Kippy]

Plastic hookbaits could be a start, they work for me.That said my stillwaters dont have any crays.

Pray they stay like that, Flight. You have no idea what it's like in some waters down here which are literally heaving with the damned things. It's heartbreaking and there is very little you can do about it. Some of my favourite waters i simply won't fish anymore because of the signals. My loss but I just can't fish through them.

And some of them are bloody hay-uge ! Like chuffin lobsters.

 

[robcourt82]

I once read an article from a carp mag where the guy said to sterilize the rig in boiling water before casting out and not to touch it with your hands after its been sterilized. I've never had the need to try it but I guess if you used a plastic hookbait and it was sterilized there may be nothing to attract the crays attention. Think it was Dave Moore the nutrabaits guy who wrote the article.

 

[peter crabtree]

If crays are there they will be there whatever measures are taken to eradicate them. In the SE where I live they are present virtually everywhere.
Any smelly baits, groundbait etc and they will be on it.
I now accept they are out of control and there's precious little can be done.
I have however learnt to live with them and can often recognise the silly pulls and twitches they give on quivertips and floats. I will always lift ( polite name for strike) at any movement whatever and if I land one I stamp on it and dispose of it in the nearest litter bin as it is illegal to return them to the water dead or alive!
IMO there is no bait they won't have a go at so there's no solution except fishing up in the water or grin and bear it....

 

[flightliner]

Skip, I saw my first, and hopefully my last on the river rother last summer. I was quivertipping and was catching lots of small chub then pulling out for a recast saw this awefull creature hanging from my hook.
I knew it straightaway and stamped on it well away from the riverside.
I hope I never see another --- loathsome creatures, ugh !!!!!

 

[fishing4luckies]

I've just got off the phone to an old mate who's a keen angler down in Dorset and we were discussing the crayfish problem.

He told me a great story about how his late father used to keep a pigs head in the chest freezer in their garage and when fishing a known infested water would chuck it in tied to a length of rope about a metre or two away from where he wanted to fish.

He'd drag it out at the end of the days fishing, put all of the attached Crayfish (sometimes 20 or more) into a bag, take them home and boil them in stock. The mangled pigs head would go back in the freezer ready for the next trip and his old man would sit and watch the football while sucking the meat from the Crayfish tails.

A good yarn, probably a bit apocryphal (as all the best are) and probably not a bad solution to the problem.

I can't help but wonder what comments I'd get if I turned up at the local club lakes, set up my gear and then lobbed a lump of dead pig into the swim.

Maybe, just maybe I'll try it and let you all know.......uke:

View image in gallery​

 

[thames mudlarker]

It's the Crays I'm on about - not the double 'ard east end duo of yesteryear, but the dreaded American Signal buggers that litter our waters.

I'm planning on fishing a couple of lakes over the close season specifically to target some of the bigger (8lb +) Tincas which live there.

The problem is that it's well known that both lakes are also home to large populations of Crays.

I've looked around on the web to see how the Carping fraternity deals with the issue, and with the exception of an overtly complex rig and setup on the Korda website (more engineering than angling) I can't see that anyone yet has found a solution.

It may be a dumb question (the odds are that it is) but can Tincas reliably be induced to feed further up in the water - at least 4 inches off bottom to beat the snappers? If so, then I'd be looking at dangling some suitably enticing bait (wriggly dendra soaked in hemp Oil or something weird like that) under a bobber type float or a chunky waggler.

Thoughts gents please.

Grrrrr......can't stand the poxy things, used to get plagued by em when I was on the river Lea for a good number of years and the only true way of avoiding em was to leave the leads at home and go trotting

You mention about fishing at 4" off of the bottom, by all means try this when float fishing but if you start getting pestered I'd move the float down so yer now fishing about 1 ft off of the bottom, for tench yea admittedly I'd much prefer to be just tripping bottom but during the warmer weather the tench will surprisingly come up way off of the bottom,

Just give a go mate and try to persevere,

If all else fails I'd then go to another water as a last resort

 

[Graham Elliott 1]

Very used to these things on the Kennet.

And would adopt Peters method re bites. Generally a short pull then a drop back as they let go as against proper bites

However not foolproof but a way to try is to use my new tench favourite locally here.

Small strawberry boilies and pop up fake corn combined. Balance neutral as well.
This can be hair rigged with a float as well as ledger.
Combined with loose feed of both items (real corn) it reduces pick ups. Bites are proper sailaways

 

[mikench]

I've just got off the phone to an old mate who's a keen angler down in Dorset and we were discussing the crayfish problem.

He told me a great story about how his late father used to keep a pigs head in the chest freezer in their garage and when fishing a known infested water would chuck it in tied to a length of rope about a metre or two away from where he wanted to fish.

He'd drag it out at the end of the days fishing, put all of the attached Crayfish (sometimes 20 or more) into a bag, take them home and boil them in stock. The mangled pigs head would go back in the freezer ready for the next trip and his old man would sit and watch the football while sucking the meat from the Crayfish tails.

A good yarn, probably a bit apocryphal (as all the best are) and probably not a bad solution to the problem.

I can't help but wonder what comments I'd get if I turned up at the local club lakes, set up my gear and then lobbed a lump of dead pig into the swim.

Maybe, just maybe I'll try it and let you all know.......uke:

View image in gallery​

Steady on that pic is putting me off my bacon butty!

 

[jasonbean1]

If your ledgering for the tench I would use a simple helicopter maggot feeder rig with fake baits. Cast regularly and not too accurately, this will spread the crayfish out and allow fish to feed over the baited area and not have to compete with the crays in a tight area.

Ground bait, worms and pellets will make matters worst, if you want to put additional feed in, use a small spomb and spread hemp, casters, corn and dead maggots around.

if your float fishing pretty much the same but loose feed with a catapult.

Try various cocktails of balanced fake baits or just plain double fake maggot.

I've had a fair bit of experience at this and all you can do is damage limitation.

As always with tench fishing make sure your fishing where the tench are...watch at dawn for where they are rolling.

 

[thecrow]

I have never had to worry about crays in any still waters I have fished thankfully but was just wondering if them being in a swim could be an attracter to bigger fish? Easy pickings with them in one place no having to chase them about. If they are in a water I cant see fish ignoring what is a good source of protein.

 

[cassey]

View image in gallery​

Don't know about the Crays that's more like the God Father.

When I fished the Southern Carp Pits we never found a complete solution, I don't think there is. Short Zig rigs with floaters helped (out of reach until the buggers learn to stand on each others backs). I felt zigs worked better with a drip feed of loose bait going in but that attracted the crays. Moved bait position and baited again etc. This worked for a few hours then repeat the move.

Learn to love them, they are very tasty :w

 

[greenie62]

I have never had to worry about crays in any still waters I have fished thankfully but was just wondering if them being in a swim could be an attracter to bigger fish? Easy pickings with them in one place no having to chase them about. If they are in a water I cant see fish ignoring what is a good source of protein.

Sounds like a good reason to stock stillwaters with big chub! mg:
That'd be a way to clean-up the Crays!

 

[thames mudlarker]

Sounds like a good reason to stock stillwaters with big chub! mg:
That'd be a way to clean-up the Crays!

Absolutely mate and big perch