# Crawfish



## tjr (Jun 16, 2010)

Does anyone on here catch large amounts of crawfish on N. Utah reserviors? I have seen people using traps and getting large amounts in Strawberry and Willard. I need a few pounds of crawfish at the end of this month and am willing to pay good money for whomever can supply some. Multiple sources welcome. Thanks.


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## tjr (Jun 16, 2010)

Or trade. It may not be legal to sell that catch and I want to stay on the bright side of the law.


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## cliff spab (Dec 5, 2010)

vernon has a huge supply. Last summer i had a total of 124 after an hour or so


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## sinergy (Mar 6, 2008)

Have some fun and go out and catch some crayfish. All you need is some raw chicken I prefer use smaller bits like chicken wings tie on about 20 or 30 feet of inexpensive nylon rope, throw it out let it drop to the bottom and slowly drag it back in. Your chicken wing will be covered in crayfish. 

We use to do this over off the shore in Soldier Creek Res they make for a great Cookout


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

The traps have to be left for hours to really fill them up, the drumsticks on the string is much more fun for quick action.


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## tye dye twins (Mar 8, 2011)

Do crawfish make good bait at waters where they are found? I lucked out and found a crawfish trap at Rockport a few weeks ago. Might just be better eatin but if you do use them as bait what part is best? Can't wait to catch my first crawfish. Seen tons pulled out of strawberry by others on the shore.


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## sinergy (Mar 6, 2008)

tye dye twins said:


> Do crawfish make good bait at waters where they are found? I lucked out and found a crawfish trap at Rockport a few weeks ago. Might just be better eatin but if you do use them as bait what part is best? Can't wait to catch my first crawfish. Seen tons pulled out of strawberry by others on the shore.


From my understanding and I could be wrong (got to check the proc) but the use of live bait is Illegal in Utah. Now If they where were dead Im guessing the the head since most the Bass baits Ive used imitate the head and claws.


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## tye dye twins (Mar 8, 2011)

I know that use of live bait is illegal. Do the craw baits just work on bass or do the trout eat them as well?


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## Grandpa D (Sep 7, 2007)

In waters like Jordanelle, crawdad patterms are great for Brown Trout.


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

I dont think you can sell crawfish to another individual, but I believe you can "donate" it to another person. You will want to check the proc to be sure. But you should take the time to go catch them instead, they are a hoot to catch!

Some time ago I was told to use a can of cat food with holes poked in it to attract crawfish, and that it would last longer than other baits because the crawfish couldnt get to the cat food and eat it. But I couldnt ever catch any on that method.

I always had the best luck with raw chicken though. It was strong enough to tie down with out the fear of it tearing and being stolen by a crawdad.


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## Cooky (Apr 25, 2011)

There are a bunch of crawdad sellers on the internet. They all promise next day live delivery. You can even order a “party pack” that includes the cooking spices and napkins with crawdads on them. Very expensive. I don’t know how it can be legal in Utah. Some of them do have pre-cooked tails also, that has to be okay. With any luck they have it all figured out and you can get some crawdads one way or another.


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## tye dye twins (Mar 8, 2011)

What are some methods to killing it qiuckly once you catch it? I imagine you would need a small rock but where do you whack it?


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## Cooky (Apr 25, 2011)

I have always dropped them in boiling water liberally dosed with crab boil. Check out the other crawfish post under Warm Water Fishing, there are easier ways. The first time you try pick one up you'll probably end up wanting a really big rock.


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## sinergy (Mar 6, 2008)

Cooky said:


> There are a bunch of crawdad sellers on the internet. They all promise next day live delivery. You can even order a "party pack" that includes the cooking spices and napkins with crawdads on them. Very expensive. I don't know how it can be legal in Utah. Some of them do have pre-cooked tails also, that has to be okay. With any luck they have it all figured out and you can get some crawdads one way or another.


The Illegal transportation to live fish or bait in Utah refers to transporting them to or from a lake or a body of water in Utah. Buying them off the internet is a whole different story trust me the ones you buy off the internet you want alive.


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## crimson obsession (Sep 7, 2008)

East canyon res has a ton of the little buggers. We set out a trap on the east shore a few years ago and left it over for one night and the trap was FULL the next morning. For trap bait we used fish guts and it seemed to do the trick. Good luck! Nothing like a good crawfish jumbo mmmm.


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## JCR (Sep 17, 2007)

I tried my crawdad trap at the 'Berry and it literally filled up in an hour. However, the chicken legs are so much more fun. But if you want a cookout it's good to throw out the traps a good 20 feet and leave them while fishing with the chicken legs about ten feet. Then when you're done fishing with the legs, pull in the trap, and have a feast!


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

How big were the crawdads up at the Berry? I hear they are pretty darn big over there


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

Bax* said:


> How big were the crawdads up at the Berry? I hear they are pretty darn big over there


It is probably the best spot to get them, but they are not huge. We go after them every year, the easiest place is teh Berry Bay from the dock, but most are small; the kids love the fast action. Hawes Point has bigger ones, but you don't get as many when you have to pull them in instead of pulling the string straight up.


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

Thanks for the insight Huge!

For the longest time we just got them at East Canyon and also Scofield, and they were decent sized but I keep hearing they were pretty big at the Berry.

Im aching to get out and cook some up!


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## drsx (Sep 8, 2010)

I just caught a bunch from Starvation Reservoir. Check 'em out, best way is to keep them alive and then drop them in boiling water until their red look at the my photos


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## JCR (Sep 17, 2007)

Bax, There are some pretty big ones at the 'Berry. Most range from about 3-4 inches long, but there are times when you'll get one about six or seven inches long.


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

Those look like they have good size to them


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

I like the smaller ones better, especially for crawfish ettouffee. 

Boil them alive in crab boil. Let them cool and then break them in two and then suck the heads out....all that fat and yellow whatever it is.

Then peel and de-vein the tail for etouffee. Some don't de-vien, like the muddy flavor.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Crawfish Etouffee (say "A 2 fay"):

viewtopic.php?f=50&t=8318&p=247582&hilit=etouffee#p247582

The best crawfish recipe there is. From The Farm Royal resturant in Beaumont TX.....30 years or so ago......uh...maybe Port Aurthur TX....wish my memory was better.


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## hoghunter011583 (Jul 21, 2008)

This is so funny to read how you guys up here catch crawfish!! Down South we set out dozens of nets with beef melt in them and catch them like crazy. To see that you count the actual numer caught and not the pounds caught is just a culture shock for me!! I have to admit I can't wait to go out and try to catch some on a chicken wing but I'd much rather set out 50 nets and bag 100 pounds in a good morning and boil them up!! 
So how do you guys cook them up here. 
Don't think I'm making fun of you Utes, I rarley find something that you guys do up here that makes less since than in the South so when I do I have to enjoy it, that is why I moved after all!! The grass really is greener on the other side!!


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

hoghunter011583 said:


> This is so funny to read how you guys up here catch crawfish!! Down South we set out dozens of nets with beef melt in them and catch them like crazy. To see that you count the actual numer caught and not the pounds caught is just a culture shock for me!! I have to admit I can't wait to go out and try to catch some on a chicken wing but I'd much rather set out 50 nets and bag 100 pounds in a good morning and boil them up!!
> So how do you guys cook them up here.
> Don't think I'm making fun of you Utes, I rarley find something that you guys do up here that makes less since than in the South so when I do I have to enjoy it, that is why I moved after all!! The grass really is greener on the other side!!


Hey Hoghunter, since it sounds like you come from an area that crawfishin' is a bit more common, would you mind throwing up some of your recipes?

I have always been taught to boil them with some Old Bay seasoning, and then dip em in garlic butter like you would a lobster... but I bet they would be good with a little batter on their meat and dipped in some sort of aioli


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

hoghunter011583 said:


> This is so funny to read how you guys up here catch crawfish!! Down South we set out dozens of nets with beef melt in them and catch them like crazy. To see that you count the actual numer caught and not the pounds caught is just a culture shock for me!! I have to admit I can't wait to go out and try to catch some on a chicken wing but I'd much rather set out 50 nets and bag 100 pounds in a good morning and boil them up!!
> So how do you guys cook them up here.
> Don't think I'm making fun of you Utes, I rarley find something that you guys do up here that makes less since than in the South so when I do I have to enjoy it, that is why I moved after all!! The grass really is greener on the other side!!


Hog

All good points but I'm not sure if the nets are legal in Utah. If they are, my guess is one would need a commercial or some sort of bait license. Back home we caught all the crawfish we wanted using minnow seines. We got them while seining minnows for sportfishing bait or to run catfish lines.

When I first moved here I found it odd that the locals only used fishing rods for catfish. Where I come from we used bank poles, trot lines, jugs, or traps. But those methods are all illegal in Utah.

The differences in fishing methods and tackle from where I come from and here are dramatic. A fishing license in Illinois was good for up to 200 hooks; in Wyoming my fishing license is good for 2 poles (6 for ice fishing on some lakes) I can buy a 2, 3, or 4-pc cane pole at home but not a fly rod. The bait shops have leeches....uh they don't even have bait shops here. Geeze, we managed our fisheries by throwing too-numerous small fish, like largemouth, crappies and bluegills in the weeds.

And try to have a conversation with these Utah guys about fishing for gar, yellow bass, chain pickerel or freshwater drum. Mooneye; not many mooneye fisherman here. But I will say this, these Utah guys have the same passion for fishing as we do and when they get on the water they are very good at what they do.


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## Grandpa D (Sep 7, 2007)

And try to have a conversation with these Utah guys about fishing for gar, yellow bass, chain pickerel or freshwater drum. Mooneye; 

Here in Utah,
Gar is where you keep the car. Yellow Bass is Bass that has gone bad.
Pickerel is preserved cucumbers and mooneye is what we did out the school bus windows.
I thought this was supposed to be about fishin! -()/-


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

:shock: 



:mrgreen: 



Hey, I left out alewives


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## Grandpa D (Sep 7, 2007)

Alewives?
Doesn't that have something to do with them Polymigamists from down South?


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Grandpa D said:


> Alewives?
> Doesn't that have something to do with them Polymigamists from down South?


Polymigamist? isn't that some sort of mayfly larva? :mrgreen:


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

Grandpa D said:


> And try to have a conversation with these Utah guys about fishing for gar, yellow bass, chain pickerel or freshwater drum. Mooneye;
> 
> Here in Utah,
> Gar is where you keep the car. Yellow Bass is Bass that has gone bad.
> ...





Grandpa D said:


> Alewives?
> Doesn't that have something to do with them Polymigamists from down South?


Wow, Grandpa D is going off! Good job. :O||: Keep em coming!

Of course, no conversation with a Utard fisherman is complete with out the discussion about going down to Lake Powell to catch "strippers" and up to Willard to get a few "whippers". Right after they have told you about hitting Utah lake and landing another Blue catfish.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Blue Catfish In UTAH!!!!!! yer kidding me


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## Grandpa D (Sep 7, 2007)

If you choke a Channel Cat, it might turn Blue. -_O-


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## hoghunter011583 (Jul 21, 2008)

Ok this is getting out of hand!! It is almost 1 am and I'm not about to post all my recipies and fishing methods for crawdads's but I promise I will this weekend. I'll post a bunch of down south stuff that you guys can laugh at this weekend!


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

I'd love to hear a few simple recipes. Maybe something spicey?


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## hoghunter011583 (Jul 21, 2008)

So I'll post a more detailed recipe list over on the recipe side but just for starters here is my favorite.
Boiled crawfish is my favorite, I'll take it over shrimp or crabs.
We use a 30 gallon pot and like a whole sack of crawdad's so you'll have to adjust for the amount you have.

So purge the crawfish really good, all day is best and change the water a lot, get them clean. I am forgetting that where we used to catch them the water looked like really strong chocolate milk so you prolly should be good with just an hour or 2.
Season your water that your going to boil them in with (zatarain crab boil if you can find it). If you can't find that use salt, cayenne, and some kind of seasoning like Tony Chachere's. Then you want to add garlic, onions, mushrooms, sausage and some people add celery but I don't. I cut the sausage up in like 2 inch long pieces but everything else just chunk in whole.
You want that water WAY to spicy, salty and seasoned than you think it should be. I think they crawdad's are only going to soak up about 30-50% of how the water tastes so if the water tastes about right your crawfish are going to be bland!! Now that does mean all of the rest of the food is going to be hot like the mushrooms and stuff so if you are worried about that you can either cook them first and then ad more seasoning after they are taken out of the water or you can cook them in another pot. The onions and stuff don't ad flavor to the crawfish they are just a side item you eat with the dads.
So bring that water to a rolling boil and the dump you dads in it and cover it. Let the water come back up to a boil and soon as it boils let it go for like anywhere between 30 seconds and 2 minutes unless you have big massive dads in which case you might push 3 minutes. The cook time is so hard because up here I've notice the altitude messes with things so you are going to have to play it by ear and it is going to be something that you just keep track of and figure out. 
Once you let them boil for a few minutes, turn the fire off, take the lid off and if you can figure out how to do it, take the whole pot of boiling water and place it in a bigger pot of ice water (slush). You want the dad's to cool off as fast a possible which causes more seasoning to be pulled into them rather than just letting them cool off over time. Once you get them cooled enough just let them soak for between 30 - 60 minutes, taste them from time to time and once they have taken in enough seasoning your ready to eat. I like to play it safe and go less time on the cook time and then once they have cooled and stopped cooking if I need to I can boil them again if they are now cooked enough. If you cook them to long it will make the tails fall apart and very hard to eat!!
I dip them in a ****tail sauce and pig out. I think the sausage is just as good as the dad's!!


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## StillAboveGround (Aug 20, 2011)

Make yourself a simple little crawdad trap with scrap welded wire...
by folding welded wire back on itself and folding the cut ends over to make a short box (8x8 or 10x10 2-3 inches high) that's open on one side...
Zip tie a chicken neck or drumstick inside the basket and chuck it in the water... Don't forget to tie a string on it...
Pull it in fast, most dads will be trapped inside, some will hang on to the outside (tie string to the open side)... 

Also easy to DIYOS (Do it your own self) a double funnel ended trap if you have plenty of wire.

Dads must be cleaned on site, can't transport live...

Introduce to boiling water and Zatarain's and be careful your tongue don't beat your brains out...


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## Steveb (Sep 11, 2007)

Does Recapture near Blanding have crawfish?


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## FlyfishingChimp (Sep 16, 2008)

Ok it might be to late but here are the facts about some stuff talked about just because i wanted to know also:

As far as I can find spread out in the wildlife regulations, no you can't sell any wildlife for commercial use with out a permit. 
Private selling you might need a permit also or just detailed records of sale. Someone else read the regulations ad see what your understanding is.

R657-13-12. Bait.
(8) Use of live crayfish for bait is legal only on the water where the crayfish is captured. It is unlawful to transport live crayfish away from the water where captured.

R657-13-15. Taking Crayfish.
(1) A person possessing a valid Utah fishing or combination license may take crayfish for personal, noncommercial purposes during the open fishing season set for the given body of water.
(2) Crayfish may be taken by hand or with a trap, pole, liftnet, dipnet, handline, or seine, provided that:
(a) game fish or their parts, or any substance unlawful for angling, is not used for bait;
(b) seines shall not exceed 10 feet in length or width;
(c) no more than five lines are used, and no more than one line may have hooks attached, - except when an angler possesses a valid second pole permit in which case two hooked lines may be used. On unhooked lines, bait is tied to the line so that the crayfish grasps the bait with its claw; and
(d) live crayfish are not transported from the body of water where taken.

and of Course there is this page for your information: 
Crayfishing for fun and food
http://wildlife.utah.gov/fishing/crayfish.php


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## Narient (Jan 9, 2011)

Thanks, Chimp. I was just going to point some of these things out. 

Takin a flock of Generation Hand-My-Life-To-Me-On-A-Silver-Platter Boy Scouts up to Strawberry for a camping trip on the 21st. Gonna introduce them to the joys of hittin the 'dads.  

If any of ya'll wanna come along and join in the fun, pm me and we'll discuss the details.


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## hardman11 (Apr 14, 2012)

Ive used craws to catch everything from trout to carp


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## HunterTanner (Feb 4, 2012)

caught about 60 with our hands up at Strawberry in a few hours, also used a trap with some freezer burnt deer meat


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