Crayfish traps

Can any one tell me where i can obtain crayfish traps and what baits to use for them?

I believe you need a special licence to fish for crayfish .........

yep you do need a licence eddie specially applied for through the E.A.

Thought so
There was a thread about it on here not too long ago wasn't there?

copied from the EA site

Regulation is needed:

(a) to protect our native White-clawed Crayfish;

(b) because the traps and fyke nets commonly used to catch crayfish are "Fixed Engines" as defined by the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act (1975); unless authorised by byelaws, the use of these instruments to catch crayfish is an offence under Section 6 of SAFFA (1975). Therefore, while fishing for crayfish is legal, unless crayfish traps are authorised by byelaws, their use is illegal, even where they are used within a site registered as a fish farm.





Live baits and baits

It is an offence to use crayfish (alive or dead) as a bait at any time.

the thread was around last october or november

These are Red Signal Crayfish.Do i need a liscence for them?

Hi Michael

Regardless of specie you must have an EA consent to trap crayfish. The form is available at www.efishbusiness.co.uk/formsandguides/FR2.pdf

Normally the consent is issued as a formality if yiou live in an eara which is plagues with Signals.

You can buy traps from Collins Nets Ltd, Goods Yard, West Bay, Bridport, Dorset DT6 4EW Tel/fax 01308 427352. Talk to Nigel Collins, he will know precisely what you want. Their latest price list shows them at 20 traps for ?150 or 10 traps for ?100. These are the cylindrical traps which we have been using at our club for the best part of twelve months. They also have the Tetra trap at ?108 for 12.

As bait you can use almost anything. We started with dead fish, then moved to fish based boilies, now we use Halibut pellets as they last so long in the bait box and do not smell as bad as rotting fish when clearing the traps.

Mike
Secretary SAA

you need to know the difference between the 2 species as well michael it is illegal to remove our native ones even with a licence.
if you get it wrong and they catch you then it's big fines time.

One further point on this - if you're using them on club or private waters you'll need either the club’s or owners consent as well as an EA license.

Phil

The agency will only grant a licence to the riparian owner or controller of the fishery anyway. If there are white clawed crays present they will not issue the licence to anyone.

Use of traps without a consent is a criminal endeavour under the Countryside and Wildlife Act.

Michael if you do not control the fishery, then leave well alone!!

This little gem might help anglers pestered by crayfish when fishing but won't exactly trap them.

Get a large tin of cat food.

Puncture the lid and side at an angle.

Thread some strong string through the two holes.

Puncture both sides and base several times (a screwdriver or braddle does the job).

That's two parts vodka, plenty of ice and topped up with fresh orange juice. (Don't know the cocktail recipe for a 'braddle' though!)

If you are margin fishing, lower the tin into the water about five yards or a bit more from where you intend to fish your baits.

If you are fishing a bit further out then you can chuck it into the swim, again away from your baits.

I suppose you could even send it out on a bait boat (the mind boggles!)

The pesky crayfish are attracted to the tin of cat food and leave you and your baits in peace .... clever eh?

Most important - remember to remove the tin and take it home with you after fishing.

Two problems however.

1. Some waters don't allow tins.

2. Big fish tend to like eating crayfish (that's why they are growing so fat on certain waters) and they might be attracted to your tin of cat food 'miles away' from your baits!!!

Well, I thought it was a good scheme, until I thought about it!

Seriously, it does work and solves the problem in some instances.

Can the same be applied to mitten crabs?

the cray is plagued by them. we find them in almost all the debris we clear our of the river.

do chub eat smaller mitten crabs? we have seen the Cray chub packing on the pounds in the last two years.

I can't say for certain but coming from a Sea Angling background there are not many fish in the sea that will not eat a soft back crab.

As all hard back crustacia crabs and crays included need to shed there shells to grow this is when the larger ones are most risk. The larger chub will be able to handle the smaller ones at any time.

Try a crushed mitten tied to the hook with bait elastic. Works at sea.