How to Deter Signal Crayfish?

[peterjg]

S-Kippy has it spot on. If where you fish there are none of these crayfish be grateful. They are insidious, they are vermin. They dig holes in the bank and weaken it, when whoever owns the banks eventually realise that they have an enormous task and cost to maintain the river banks then they might do something about them?!!! Signal crayfish can make legering virtually impossible.

I roach fish a quiet beautiful stretch of the Kennet, there are some decent roach there. I have had some good catches of quality roach on the leger but other times it is impossible because of the crayfish. After the 17th crayfish (my river crayfish single day record) it does become a little wearing to say the least. On float tackle it is possible to catch 40 roach in a day with around one in seven being a quality roach.

Attracting crayfish out of the swim does work (for a while) by throwing in crayfish bait a bit upstream, what I need is a crayfish bait which is cheap and does not break down too quickly. Any clever ideas?

 

[robtherake]

S-Kippy has it spot on. If where you fish there are none of these crayfish be grateful. They are insidious, they are vermin. They dig holes in the bank and weaken it, when whoever owns the banks eventually realise that they have an enormous task and cost to maintain the river banks then they might do something about them?!!! Signal crayfish can make legering virtually impossible.

I roach fish a quiet beautiful stretch of the Kennet, there are some decent roach there. I have had some good catches of quality roach on the leger but other times it is impossible because of the crayfish. After the 17th crayfish (my river crayfish single day record) it does become a little wearing to say the least. On float tackle it is possible to catch 40 roach in a day with around one in seven being a quality roach.

Attracting roach out of the swim does work (for a while) by throwing in crayfish bait a bit upstream, what I need is a crayfish bait which is cheap and does not break down too quickly. Any clever ideas?

No joy with rubber maggots and the like, Peter?

 

[mikench]

Nobody but nobody,particularly on this forum has a good word to say about these creatures. They are as described and should not be here as we do not have sufficient predator species to keep them in check other than ourselves.

Apparently to obtain a licence is fairly simple( see my link) and if every member of the forum did so and trapped them at every opportunity, not only would we reduce their number, we would relieve the fishing problem in the particular area and enjoy delicious butties in the process!

I have not come across them and as of yet do not river fish. If this changes I will apply for a licence and do my bit. It is simple maths; if every angler caught one crayfish per session just how many would be taken out of circulation? A lot and in a short space of time. If this tirade was relentlessly and persistently pursued matters must improve.

As someone once said even a walk of a thousand miles begins with one step

 

[Peter Jacobs]

Attracting roach out of the swim does work (for a while) by throwing in crayfish bait a bit upstream, what I need is a crayfish bait which is cheap and does not break down too quickly. Any clever ideas?

Try taking tins of cat food and punching several holes in the sides of the tins.

Then attach a length of string and throw into the river, both up and downstream of your swim.

Anglers I know do have a lot of success in minimising the attentions of Signals by doing this, but, thankfully, they are pretty rare on my local rivers.

As for catching them . . . . well around this time of the year they mate and typically produce between 200 and 400 eggs a piece . . . . and the bloody things can live up to 20 (yes 20!) years.

From research it seems that they were only introduced to Finland and Sweden back in 1909 and since then have gone on to infest in 25 countries. They were introduce to GB in 1976 and now are even present in the Isle of Man . . . . . .

 

[peterjg]

Mikench, thanks for your reply but I am afraid that your idea of trapping will not work because on the stretch of the Kennet I fish it is very rare to see another angler ( or anybody else). In the river there must be literally tons of crayfish, some swims are are infested other swims are not too bad.

Peter Jacobs, thanks for your reply. I have tried tins of pierced cat food on strings, it does work but not particularly well. I think that there must be a better way.

Robtherake, no I have not tried rubber maggots but will give them a go. When legering I am trying for the bigger roach using mini boilies, hard 8mm pellets, sweetcorn or big bits of flake - unfortunately all baits so far get mullered by the smaller roach or crayfish. Though I have managed some quality roach so far on the leger. Interestingly I have had little succes when float fishing hemp (it works so well on the Thames) but the Kennet roach definately prefer floatfished wheat to hemp?

Keep the ideas coming - when/if I find a good way of avoiding the signal crayfish I will report back.

 

[no-one in particular]

I have not come across them and as of yet do not river fish.

The first time I came across them was in a lake, it was a little commercial more or less a few holes in the ground but they were all infested with them. They live in lakes as well, I suppose they got there by birds or something,, cannot think they travel overland or do they travel at night?; sorry Mike for the bad news, hope it don't happen to you .

---------- Post added at 06:51 ---------- Previous post was at 06:45 ----------

Keep the ideas coming - when/if I find a good way of avoiding the signal crayfish I will report back.

Would legering with a long hook length and a piece of cork ball holding the bait up in the water work, keep varying the hook-length until the crayfish cannot get to it. I imagine fish would dive on this as they have not much chance of getting food on the bottom. A piece of flake or a pellet fished like this, finely clouded ground bait, fine blitzed with a few pellets/bolies/sweetcorn in it to attract fish up in the water (nothing for the krays to get hold of)-dunno if it would work, plastic maggot or sweetcorn seems a good idea......Just thinking aloud.... I think I would try it as a bit of experimentation.......Also that cloud ground-bait would wash down the river before its hits the bottom quite a long way down I would think attracting the krays quite a long way downstream with its scent but where it is entering the river might draw fish up well away from them; would they scurry down there thinking there was a load of food, maybe not mix it too fine, fine enough for nothing for them and break up on entering the water but heavy enough fine particles to hit the bottom well downstream..

The small dykes round my way get dredged with a bloody great bulldozer and a long arm with a big scoop on the end of it, they rip everything out and leave it on the bank side, weeds mud the lot; they do it once a year I think. I don't like it because I think they over do it but I imagine a lot of crayfish would come with it if they were in there. Would have to employ a hoard of stampers to stamp on them, what a great job or just collect them and put them in sacks but I prefer the former.(I would make it my career) Could they do that on the Kennet?

 

[mikench]

I hope so too Mark. I do understand the severity of the problem if not the impossibility of it but if we do nothing it will only get worse. Approved nets and persistent netting must help and they are delicious to eat!

 

[no-one in particular]

I hope so too Mark. I do understand the severity of the problem if not the impossibility of it but if we do nothing it will only get worse. Approved nets and persistent netting must help and they are delicious to eat!

I think your absolutely right and I looked at a couple of those links you put up, they were very interesting over a range of subjects, worth another look later. The problem is although the one article I read said it was not a lot to do, it was enough to deter many I would have thought. The process of gaining a licence through the EA was a bit convoluted and then the buying or making of traps etc. I would if I had krays in my waters and quite a lot might. However, will enough do it to make a big difference?
If it was a free for all then it would more likely happen but the EA are too concerned about native crays, people treading on each others territory etc. Native crays are being looked after in some waters, once the krays are wiped out the waters could be repopulated with natives, I think they are being too careful which is not solving the problem and it is big enough for them to relinquish normal reservations and controls but the chances of that are slim..
Eating them has never caught on in this country, why I don't know, the old British reserve, but if all the TV cooks took it on maybe more would.
I think we are stuck with this one, why we still think re introducing or introducing new species is a good idea with these examples is beyond me; why do these people have to play at being god with nature. However, in this case my hope lays with science, some disease or virus that kills them but does no harm to other wild life. I think this will be the only way to solve the problem for good.

 

[mikench]

I agree with everything you say Mark. I am sure if the EA used common sense and allowed a little more indiscriminate trapping more would do it. I have never seen our native variety and they are being wiped out now so if some are casualties of a concerted netting operation, then sad, but remediable by restocking.

Fishing clubs could take up the initiative with some of the fees used to buy nets for use by members on club waters. It may be possible for a club to become licensed. I will look out for smaller scale nets which one can take with you as you would a landing net. As you set up you place a few in the water around your swim suitably baited. Hopefully these would distract the little blighters from your bait, catch a few and bit by bit reduce numbers. A concerted effort at egg laying time would be beneficial.

Perhaps the PASC( the body we can join- I think I have it wrong) can lobby the EA to enable clubs and thus their members to be licensed. No doubt some tree huggers will support the cause of crayfish to the detriment of everything else!

 

[peter crabtree]

, cannot think they travel overland or do they travel at night?;

I once saw a TV show, which featured Roger Daltrey of the Who on his fish farm in the south of England. He also farmed Signal crays for food. He mentioned that when these creatures first became popular as food many farmers introduced them to their waters. He also mentioned that at that time farmers didn't realise they could travel across land and infest other waters.

We all have an alternative method to avoid crays if they're a problem.

Get the float gear out!

 

[mikench]

With such a range of attributes it makes one wonder why such little research was carried out before we introduced them! When will we learn about non native invasive species.... Crayfish, cane toads, Himalayan balsam; the list goes on!!

 

[steve2]

Never understood why you need a licence to trap a pest don't need one the trap rats and mice.

 

[mikench]

It does defy belief and I feel sure that it cannot possibly be policed. Let us wage war on the b*****s!

 

[rayner]

I'm in where can I find any locally to Sheff.

 

[Peter Jacobs]

Never understood why you need a licence to trap a pest don't need one the trap rats and mice.

The main reference point I think is that the EA will not give a license to trap in any venue where our natural white crayfish are present.

By licensing, and demanding the exact location where you hope to net the Signals, (a requirement on the license application form) the EA can better protect our native species. You need to provide a national grid reference for both the upstream and downstream limits of where you hope to fish.

The EA also by licensing are able to manage the type of traps/nets used to ensure no unnecessary damage to our other indigenous species.

It is also worth noting that even with a license you will also need permission from the landowner and any relevant angling clubs.

You can find the application form here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploa.../file/287562/Application_to_trap_crayfish.pdf

 

[mikench]

Thanks Peter. The EA in effect are allowing our native species to die whilst the invasive one proliferates.! It seems obvious to me that we should have a captive breeding programme for the native species as we do for the water vole, and reintroduce when the Signal crays have been decimated/ removed/ reduced.

Otters, herons , pike and eels are their natural predators! Is it coincidence that while certainly eels and otters decline the Signal crays thrive!

 

[rayner]

The main reference point I think is that the EA will not give a license to trap in any venue where our natural white crayfish are present.

By licensing, and demanding the exact location where you hope to net the Signals, (a requirement on the license application form) the EA can better protect our native species. You need to provide a national grid reference for both the upstream and downstream limits of where you hope to fish.

The EA also by licensing are able to manage the type of traps/nets used to ensure no unnecessary damage to our other indigenous species.

It is also worth noting that even with a license you will also need permission from the landowner and any relevant angling clubs.

You can find the application form here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploa.../file/287562/Application_to_trap_crayfish.pdf

Thanks Peter but I'll wing it.
Surely if the EA can't be bothered to check licences a few randomly placed reggie traps will be too much trouble.
Apparently they are in the local rivers, one or two places have flat banks.

 

[mickrigney]

Yes Rayner they are in the River Rother. Apparently some whizzkid decided he wanted to make a quick buck and stocked his ponds with "Reggie" with the intention of selling them to restaurants but he got fed up with that venture and the crays escaped into the Moss Brook a lovely little trout stream and ultimately worked their way into the Rother which runs into the Don which runs into the Trent!!!! Nuff said.

 

[flightliner]

Rayner, caught one at catcliffe this summer, horrid things!!!.

 

[robtherake]

I don't understand why the fish aren't disposing of them - are they simply too numerous?