CRAWDAD CATCHING ESSENTIALS 101

So, I get quite a few people asking me every month on what I do when it comes to catching crawdads.  I know there are a million different ways to catch them and to each there own.  When I was a kid, we used to catch them in a little irrigation ditch near my house.  And I am pretty sure we just used our hands, (and I still do that from time to time unless they are big, ouch!).

However, there are some basics that people forget when it comes to effectively keeping your catch. You have to keep in mind, crayfish are shellfish.  Shellfish are seafood.  Therefore, we do not bring them home and leave them on the hood of our car.  We do not leave them in our tackle box for several days.  We do not do anything that would be considered "STUPID" when dealing with seafood.  Good preparation in advance will go miles.  Proper techniques will save marriages, tackle boxes, and future catches, among other things. 
STEP ONE:  Bring a good bucket.  A good 5 gallon bucket can be used for all sorts of things while fishing.  It can help hold your bait, It can help your butt when you need a chair (bonus), but it is a good place to put your catch.  However, DO NOT FILL THE BUCKET UP WITH WATER AND PUT YOUR CATCH IN IT!!  DO NOT!  Stop!  Resist the urge!  You are not 5.  You should have more sense than that.  DO put your catch in the bucket.  However,  NO WATER.  Yes I said it right, no water.  You wouldn't put a plastic bag over your head and think, "there is air in there, I can breathe".  You can for a while (very short while), but you would run out of oxygen.  The same is for the crayfish.  When you fill up a bucket, the will suck up all the oxygen out of the water and literally drown in it.

Crayfish can breathe as long as their gills are wet, and yes they can draw oxygen right out of the air.  This is one of the reasons why it is hard to get rid of these little invasive creatures.  Even if the lakes and rivers go dry from time to time, the crayfish can still live.  They have been known to burrow in the mud, (much like toads do), and then return to the water when it comes back.  They will regulate their temperature

Crayfish Burrow

in these holes and they will keep their gills wet from moisture and sometimes from a little rainfall.

So keep your bucket cool, rinse them with a little water from time to time, but do not let them sit in it for very long.  Dump the water off!  Repeat this every hour or so, depending on the weather.  If it is really hot outside, do this every hour.  If the weather is cool, you may not need to do this but once or twice.  If your bucket is not insulated, keep the lid off it and throw a few chunk of ice in it.  It is important to keep them cool BECAUSE THEY ARE SEAFOOD!  This will keep them alive and fresh until you are ready to eat them.  Remember, fresh seafood is best!

Yep, this is the way you want them.  Now let's get CRACKIN!!!

ARIZONA CRAYFISH: NO SUCH THING!

I can't say it enough, crayfish are NOT supposed to be here.  There are NO native species to Arizona.  NONE!!!  I think people believe that since they are in other states, Its OK.  I think people believe that because they are everywhere, they must be natural, Right? WRONG!  What's the big deal?  They are small and seem to just eat garbage off the bottom.  Besides, they taste good in butter.  What real damage can they do? Right?  WRONG AGAIN! 

AQUATIC ALIEN ASSAULT

They might be called aquatic cockroaches, but they don't act like them.  Crayfish are opportunistic feeders.  They will eat what ever is around them.  They will eat plants, fish, fish and frog eggs, tadpoles, hatch-lings, older fish, and they will even eat each other.  Yes, crayfish are cannibalistic.  They are not picky.  They are survivors.  They have their place in the aquatic world, but not in areas where they are not native.  There are no natural predators here in Arizona.  Will Bass, Catfish, Sunfish, and Trout eat them?  Yes, but they are not a natural food source to the state of Arizona, (who knew right?) Just because the fish can and will eat them does not mean they belong here.

OK, yes you can eat crayfish.  Yes in other countries they are considered a delicacy and even revered.  These are areas where they are part of the ecosystem and have natural predators.  There is a balance in all things, but the crayfish should not be here.  They are ILLEGAL ALIENS!!  WE MUST STOP THE INVASION!  Let's get CRACKIN!