How to catch crayfish in winter using a crayfish trap

What do crayfish do in winter?

Successful catching of crayfish in winter requires knowledge of promising places on the reservoir. These animals are not found anywhere, but prefer to live in clean water with a high concentration of oxygen. There is no point in looking for them in polluted places. Crayfish's priority is rivers, but they can also inhabit lakes and underground springs. In the warm season, you can find them at a depth of up to 3 meters, but in the cold season - in the bottom layer, where it is more or less warmer.

The nature of the bottom surface is also very important for arthropods. Excessively silted areas and sandy surfaces will never attract cancer. They are located where it is possible to build a safe home for themselves. Crayfish especially love the clay bottom near steep banks.

The abundance of stones at the bottom is also acceptable for crayfish; you can always hide behind them. Fishing is effective if you find car tires, all kinds of containers, and tin cans at the bottom. This is an excellent place to hide mustaches.

Most often, crayfish come out to feed in the dark, at night. They look for food mainly in shallow areas of the reservoir, but can also be found at medium depths. It would be an understatement to say that arthropods rest during the day. At this time of day, they are busy arranging their home, making it unremarkable for aggressors and representatives of their own species.

Adults feed on everything, their menu is varied. The younger generation often gets only plant remains. The diet of large crayfish contains:

• shells;
• all kinds of insect larvae;
• plankton;
• benthic invertebrates;
• water fleas;
• sleeping fish;
• young animals at the molting stage.

The role of crayfish in nature is great. By eating carrion, they cleanse the reservoir of unnecessary decomposition and carrion. Given this feature, every hunter should always have bait in the form of pieces of spoiled meat.

Catching crayfish in winter using a crayfish trap. Adviсe

Hello, anglers, today’s article is about catching crayfish in winter using a crayfish trap . If you are a crayfish lover, then you don’t have to wait for warm weather to catch these arthropods.

It is clear that in crayfish, like fish, activity decreases in winter. However, they (crayfish) simply descend into holes and to depths where the water has a more stable temperature and does not freeze. And females generally behave quite actively, bearing their offspring. So the catch may not be bad if you follow the tricky instructions.

Active biting in winter in crayfish occurs:

During the day, the chances of catching arthropods are unlikely, although there are exceptions to all rules.

Methods of catching crayfish

To be fair, we note that catching crayfish in winter on a crayfish trap and in summer is practically the same, the only difference is that in winter you can find a place from the ice, and in summer from a boat, for example.

• A very common method is fishing with drags or dredges. It is usually made of strong wire, up to ten millimeters in diameter and has a rectangular shape. A mesh with a fine mesh is put on the manufactured base (frame) and a rope is tied to pull the drag with the crayfish out.
• Fishing with crawfish meshes. This method is more suitable for winter fishing. To start catching crayfish, you need to make a tackle, cut a hole or a small hole under it and lower the device there. Usually it is made of a dome type and the bait is tied inside the tackle.
• Rachevnya. A very simple way. Take a rim of wire of the diameter you need and cover it with a net evenly along the edges, tie ropes to avoid distortion, put bait and lower it into the water. Some people even make two-story ranch houses.
• Spinner. Suitable for places where there is algae and mud. A rod with a rounded end, in the form of a hook, is lowered into the prepared hole and the rod begins to twist. The algae is wound onto the hook along with the crayfish.

These are the main methods used, of course there are others, if you write which ones you know, I will be grateful.

Crayfish baits

It is known that cancer loves rotten meat and fish, a scavenger, after all. But it is in winter that it is better to use bait with fishy odors, preferably sharp and pungent. It is better to cut fish for bait along the ridge. Cancer prefers:

Or the predominant fish in your pond.

Conclusion

Despite the fact that crayfish love depth in winter, you should look for them at different depths. It would be ideal if you set the crayfish trap in shallow water and gradually lower it deeper and deeper, so you can find where the crayfish spend the winter and use this knowledge throughout the winter. Another option would be to install several traps at different depths. Using these simple tips, catching crayfish in winter using a crayfish trap can be very successful.

Where is the best place to catch and look for crayfish?

To be guaranteed to catch crayfish during winter fishing, you should know where to look for them. This:

1. areas with bottom surface anomalies;
2. silted places;
3. rocky shore with clayey soil;
4. bank slopes;
5. deep-sea areas of the reservoir;
6. big writhing.

Fishing for crayfish in winter is possible almost throughout the entire body of water, but it’s not worth wasting time fishing in places with a depth of 1 meter. Arthropods choose deep places where the water cools down last. If crayfish are found in bodies of water where there are no warm springs, their behavior is somewhat different. Males are less mobile, and females are in search of food in order to prepare for spring spawning. Young individuals are most active. To catch large specimens, you need to examine the burrows.

If the average temperature in the water is within 2–3 degrees, then you need to look for crayfish in areas where the temperature is a couple of degrees higher. In winter fishing there is a rule: the warmer the water, the more active the underwater inhabitants. A modern gadget such as an echo sounder will help the ice fisherman. Thanks to it, it is possible to quickly study the bottom surface, determine the water temperature, and underwater objects.

Lures

To attract crayfish to the fishing point, bait is used. In general, they are not much different from summer ones. You can catch the mustachioed inhabitants of a reservoir using:

• Raw fish (bream, roach, silver bream). The bait is cut into small pieces and placed in the trap. Thanks to the specific smell, arthropods quickly begin to “pull up” to the working area.
• Meat. It must be fresh chicken. It is also cut into small pieces.
• Bakery products. Rye bread with garlic perfectly attracts crustaceans. It is enough to make a depression in the bun and place a clove of garlic squeezed through the garlic clove into it. The only disadvantage of this bait is that it gets wet quickly when it gets into the water. To minimize this moment, the crumb is wrapped in nylon.

Other products such as:

• canned green peas with dill;
• sunflower cake;
• household food waste;
• canned fish or meat;
• grasshoppers purchased at a pet store;
• pork liver;
• beef udder.

Lures for catching crayfish

Most people think that crayfish feed mainly on carrion and rot. This is a misconception. The bulk of the cancer's diet consists of plant foods, and only a little animal food. Crayfish rarely feed on carrion, and only as a last resort.

Therefore, larvae, tadpoles, frogs and fresh fish, especially roach, are excellent baits. Pet food placed in gauze shows good results. Regardless of the presence of ice and snow, the diet of these crustaceans does not change.

News: Perch rewinder

How to catch crayfish in winter

There are different ways to catch crayfish from a hole in winter. To choose a worker, you need to delve into each of them.

Winter crayfish and fishing with them

Catching crayfish with crayfish from ice is considered the most effective way. They are distinguished by their versatility and ease of use. The main thing is to make a hole of the appropriate diameter. You can catch baleen with both open and closed type crayfish traps.

The first type is a simple design that can easily be assembled with your own hands from available materials. It is enough to put an iron mesh on a metal or wooden circle to get something like a colander. To deliver and remove the winter crayfish, use a strong rope fixed to a ring. The length of the cord is selected depending on the working depth.

Closed type traps are characterized by increased reliability and efficiency. Cancers cannot get out of them on their own; they have no chance of getting out. Externally, the shell is similar to a cylinder with several stiffening ribs.

The principle of catching crayfish in winter using a crayfish trap:

1. Prepare bait in the form of fish, bread and garlic. It is worth using different bait options in several traps.
2. Lower the shell to the bottom.
3. Tie a rope from it to a peg installed next to the hole.
4. Mask the hole and protect it from freezing with straw and branches.
5. Check the hole after an hour. If the trap is an open type, then the number of checks should be increased. If there is a catch, it needs to be removed and bait added.
6. Place the shell back into the water.

Scraper

With the right approach, achieving a rich catch using a drag net is not so difficult. Using this trap is equally effective both on a reservoir with calm water and with a current. Use the trap before the freeze-up begins, 50 m from the shore.

This rectangular structure, made of metal wire with a diameter of 1 cm, looks like a bag woven from mesh. A strong cord or rope is attached to the top.

The algorithm for catching arthropods is as follows:

1. Cut fish, beef udder, and any suitable bait into small pieces.
2. Load pieces of bait into the trap.
3. Cast into the water.
4. Drag by the rope to the shore.
5. Seize the catch on the shore.

Winter fishing rod

It is often possible to catch crustaceans using float gear. For many, this method is more interesting than others. Catching crayfish in winter with a fishing rod requires active action and dynamic movement.

In general, the rod for the mustachioed inhabitants of the reservoir is the same as for catching fish. Just instead of the usual single hook, use a tee, from which the crab cannot get off. You can catch prey without a hook; just wrap the meat with fishing line and throw it to the fishing point. The mustachioed fish will grab the bait with its claws and begin to pull it to the depths. The hunter needs to react in time, make a confident hook and bring the catch out of the water.

Rachevnya

This cylindrical mesh device is made from a metal hoop and a thin rope tied to it. The diameter of the hoop is half a meter. Previously, it was made from willow twigs, but in the modern version it is durable wire with a special coating.

The trap is lowered and raised using cords that are connected to each other by a knot. There is a weight in the center of the trap; the bait is fixed to a net stretched over a hoop. A good catch is also obtained when using an improved design, where there is an additional metal hoop. The bottom of the trap is connected to the upper hoop using a woven mesh.

Hand catching

Winter fishing with crayfish, crayfish and dragnets is always effective if properly prepared. But you can catch mustachios with your hands, but it’s better to do it at night. During the cold season, this method is quite extreme, and is not suitable for everyone. It is optimal to use crayfish traps and crayfish when the reservoir is covered with ice.

To find crayfish, arm yourself with a flashlight. They light the way along the coastline. When an arthropod appears on the horizon, it is picked up either by hand or with a net. You should enter from the tail section without removing the flashlight. This technology is relevant until the freeze-up begins.

Catching crayfish in winter using a crayfish trap

Catching crayfish in winter can be very rewarding. In the cold season, the largest crayfish are often caught, which are very pleasant to catch, because a large crayfish really has “something to eat” and they are great to eat with beer or just in a friendly family atmosphere at dinner.

The best way to catch crayfish in winter is to catch crayfish with crayfish traps. This is the easiest and most effective way to catch crayfish both in winter and summer. Catching crayfish with a crayfish trap in winter is not much different from catching crayfish in summer. So if you caught crayfish on a crayfish trap in the warm summer season in open water, then there will be nothing difficult for you in winter fishing.

In winter, the crayfish moves slightly deeper, to where the water temperature is more stable, although it can also be successfully caught in shallow water in winter. The activity of crayfish in winter decreases slightly, so they can be caught throughout the winter. We will look at how to do this correctly later in the article.

How to catch crayfish on crayfish traps in winter

In order to catch crayfish in winter using a crayfish trap, you will need to make a wider hole in the ice so that the crayfish can fit through it. The width and length of the hole will depend on the size of the shell. For winter catching crayfish, you can use crayfish of any format; these can be pyramid crayfish, long cylindrical, short, or any other shape.

When fishing with pyramid crayfish, the holes can be made small, just large enough for the crayfish to fit through in diameter. And when fishing with large long crayfish, you will have to punch a hole either along its entire length, or so that you can insert the crayfish vertically and then lay it on the bottom.

Long cylindrical shell

If you decide to punch a hole along the entire length of the crayfish catcher, then it is best to tie a stick along the entire length to the fully straightened and ready-to-use crayfish catcher. The stick can be broken off from any dry tree, right on the shore of a pond. Then it will be easier to lower it evenly into the water so that it becomes as needed and all the holes in the crayfish trap remain open, and the crayfish can freely climb into them.

Then a fresh fish is placed in the crayfish trap, which it is advisable to cut into two halves lengthwise so that the crayfish will smell it faster, and tie it to the bottom of the crayfish trap so that it remains in its center. If the crayfish is long and has several separate compartments, then the fish is placed in each compartment and is also tied to the bottom of the crayfish in the center.

Instead of fish, you can also use chicken or shellfish; crayfish are often attracted to bread with garlic. In the picture below you can see the most popular and effective baits for catching crayfish.

Best bait for crayfish

Depending on the number of crayfish in the reservoir, the crayfish trap can be checked once an hour, once every few hours, or even left at night or for a day. If there are a lot of crayfish in the reservoir, then you can collect crayfish every hour, updating or adding bait. And if within an hour there are no crayfish in the crayfish trap or their number is small, it is better to give more time to the crayfish or even come for the crayfish trap the next day.

Where to catch crayfish in winter

It is best when the bottom of steep banks is muddy or clay. This is the kind of bottom that crayfish prefer. But if the bottom is rocky, then it is not necessary to look for a steep bank. Crayfish love to hide behind rocks and such places are also very promising for catching crayfish in winter and summer.

The depth of catching crayfish can be completely different, from several tens of centimeters to several meters. Therefore, you need to look for crayfish at different depths. Try setting the crayfish trap for a couple of hours in shallow water, then in a deeper area and compare the result. Better yet, use several crayfish traps at different depths.

The best time to catch crayfish in winter is evening, night and morning, since crayfish is a nocturnal predator and usually rests and hides in shelters during the day.

Well, that’s basically all you need to know about catching crayfish in winter using crayfish traps. More information about catching crayfish in the article on catching crayfish with crayfish traps, and if you don’t find the information you need or have something to share, be sure to leave a comment. Good luck catching crayfish - no tail, no claw?

Is there a ban on catching crayfish?

There is also a ban on catching crayfish, as well as on fish. These are different times for each specific region, but there are bodies of water where you can hunt them all year round. Fishing is prohibited absolutely everywhere when females are busy breeding. Violation of this prohibition will result in a fine. Certain standards also apply to the size of crayfish; you can catch individuals 9–10 cm in size.

Crayfish are a favorite delicacy of many, especially appreciated in winter, when catching occurs in extreme conditions. To catch it, they use crayfish traps, drag nets, and crayfish nets. The bravest ones hunt them without any gear at all, with their bare hands. To quickly attract the mustachioed inhabitants of the reservoir to the fishing point, they use bait that is appetizing to them. To increase your catch, you should prepare several bait options. The main thing is to lay the trap in decent volumes, so the crustaceans will have more incentive to attack it.