crayfish

uscarper · Apr 11, 2011

ive read that crayfish are a big problem in some lakes there. have you ever used them as bait or is this illegal in England. we use them here in the states.the best ones are the ones that have recently shed their shells and are very soft. carp love them.when they have a lot them shedding their shells at the same time, they quit biting anything else.

geoffmaynard · Apr 11, 2011

Crayfish are an illegal bait in the UK. We were invaded by American signal crayfish which have spread to many waters and our native crayfish are now endangered - so the authorities banned the killing of any crayfish, just in case we can't tell the difference. :wh

uscarper · Apr 11, 2011

wow didnt know all that.can see why you cant use them there now

cg74 · Apr 12, 2011

Geoff, aren't we supposed to dispatch of all signal crayfish, as returning them will supposedly encourage the spread of a parasite that's lethal to the indigenous white clawed variety.

Regards using them for bait, they are a top notch attractant, sadly though due to fact that signal crayfish are extremely cannibalistic, a crayfish based bait will draw more crayfish into your swim.

the indifferent crucian · Apr 12, 2011

That's my understanding, yes.

If caught they may not be returned. Equally one needs an EA licence to go trapping them. I suspect the licence is all about prevention of accidental UK crayfish captures.

The numbers trapped are shocking. My Club has used several people licenced by the EA, they soon lose interest and give it up, it seems. But the returns have been extraordinary. How about half a ton of Signal Crayfish trapped from just a two mile stretch of river?

And next year the same ammount again from the same stretch.

I don't know how fast they can move, but that number of crustacea simply MUST be having an effect, a significant effect, I'd guess, on the food chain in our rivers and lakes.

If there were abundant fish in the rivers, well OK...but there aren't and these animals are likely to be playing a part in that I feel.

Has anyone ever done scientific research to see what they actually eat and what effect it has?

Fishing Gimp · Apr 12, 2011

Dear Sainted One,

Signals eat small fish, fish eggs, each other, water insects, sewage in small doses, decaying fish life, weed etc.

Basically they will eat most things smaller than themselves that will give them the protein thy need to survive; that is why they are successfull.

sagalout · Apr 12, 2011

the indifferent crucian said:
half a ton of Signal Crayfish trapped from just a two mile stretch of river

You'd think there is a commercial venture to be had with those quantities. They were imported in the first place for farming as food, weren't they? Crayfish pellets? Hopefully Mr Skretting is reading this

uscarper · Apr 12, 2011

crayfish will eat almost anything they can get in there mouths.plant material, fish and fish eggs, anything dead on the bottom of lakes or rivers. not sure how many eggs they produce, but its alot. here in the U.S. at least in my area they are big business. they are trapped while in the hard shell stage and kept in large table like trays with water flowing inside these. they are fed and as they grow and shed there shells they are sold for bait. as soon as one sheds its shell they are very vulnerable to other crays eating them,and must be removed from the holding trays. price for 1dozen is around 10 dollars.hard crays are sold to bait dealers for about 5 cents each which keep them for the purpose above. crayfish pellets sounds like a good idea. i use crays mostly for carp and catfish. plus they are good to eat boiled in some cajun spices.

noknot · Apr 12, 2011

A nice Thai Red curry also, Mmmmmmmmmmmm:w

S-Kippy · Apr 12, 2011

Very many years ago there was an article in the back of the ACA review where a guy at Notts Uni was doing some research into the spread of the signal cray & asked for reports from anglers. I sent him a picture of a particularly fine specimen that Big Phil had off the Kennet. It was the first report he'd had of signals in the Kennet !

I took the picture because it was so unusual then. How times change !

quickcedo · Apr 12, 2011

IMO Signal Crayfish have more of an imact on our "infected" rivers than all the Otters and Cormorants put together. We don't see what's going on so largely ignore the problem.
My understanding of the issue with using them as bait is to stop people transporting them to non "infected" waters as the eggs remain viable for days out of water.
One of the best baits for catching Signal Crays is sweetcorn. It's not used for commercial trapping because of the cost. The crays will eat anything

crayfish rob · Jun 24, 2012

the indifferent crucian said:
That's my understanding, yes.

If caught they may not be returned. Equally one needs an EA licence to go trapping them. I suspect the licence is all about prevention of accidental UK crayfish captures.

The numbers trapped are shocking. My Club has used several people licenced by the EA, they soon lose interest and give it up, it seems. But the returns have been extraordinary. How about half a ton of Signal Crayfish trapped from just a two mile stretch of river?

And next year the same ammount again from the same stretch.

I don't know how fast they can move, but that number of crustacea simply MUST be having an effect, a significant effect, I'd guess, on the food chain in our rivers and lakes.

If there were abundant fish in the rivers, well OK...but there aren't and these animals are likely to be playing a part in that I feel.

Has anyone ever done scientific research to see what they actually eat and what effect it has?

Hi. I trap crayfish at 15 lakes in Sussex and Surrey and have been trapping for 3 years and it is quite amazing the numbers there are. At one fishery I took 240 kilos in 2 months. That was about 2 years ago and I am still trapping about 100 kilos a month! If I can help you with yours please email at crayfish@live.co.uk.

bennygesserit · Jun 24, 2012

What do you do with them Rob ? Welcome to the forum by the way ?

crayfish

uscarper

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geoffmaynard

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uscarper

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cg74

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the indifferent crucian

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Fishing Gimp

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sagalout

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uscarper

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noknot

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crayfish rob

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