Crayfish

[Greenheart]

Anyone know where you can catch Crayfish in the wiltshire, somerset or Dorset area. I understand the American red claw variety make good eating. I,ve seen traps advertised on Ebay. I have also been told that there are a few in the river Frome & was wondering if they have made it into the Bristol Avon?

[Portland Pirate]

I have loads of them in my pond. Not sure how they got there in the first place.
You should look for excavations in the river bank. I have noticed that most canals have a good sized population.
Chicken skin is a good method to catch them. Just throw it in on a bit of line, leave it for about 10 mins then slowly drag it in an net the Crayfish.
I am not sure that I would want to eat anything that came out of a canal.

[Greenheart]

I think that you need to keep any that you catch in clean water for a couple of days to flush them through so to speak. Certainly seen a lot on local pub menus lately. Only place i,ve caught them was in Germany. I teased one by dangling a pike spinner in front of it's nose until it grabbed hold. Vicious little critter. Left it in the kitchen sink to scare the wife. Should have heard her scream.

[Omahayank]

GR8 largemouth bass bait too.
Not too many folks around here eat them unless they're from the south. Thats changed a bit since the residents of New Orleans got scattered around the country. Several restaurants now have "southern" dishes on the menus. Including Gumbo and crawfish.

(Crayfish=northerner, crawfish=southerner, mudbug=midwesterner & northwesterner)

[mikey-1001]

If i lived down south (England not new Orleans!!) i would use the signals as a pike bait. The signals shed there hard bodies a few times a year and when they're in there soft form i think that they would kill on a leger.

[Portland Pirate]

I guess that would be the fresh water equivalent of peeler crab.

[mikey-1001]

Yeah, i think it would be mate........the signals are not wide spread up here north of the border ,in fact i dont know anywere that holds them but as they are very widespread down south i take it that if you were of a mind you could trap some and use them as pike bait. Ive heard that on the ouse the chub and perch gorge themselves on the soft bodied signals so i suppose the pike do as well.

[Muzzer]

You can also use crayfish when fishing for smoothound. Even after 6 hours, covered with a damp cloth, then a big hook stuck through them, and dropped over the side of a boat for 30 minutes in deep sea water - they still come up alive and kicking. Great for catching smoothies, and free if you know where to get them. The only thing is you need a licence to move them. The skipper even boiled one when the rest of us were fishing, and he thought it tasted great. I can not give them away, and even the restaurants are not interested.

[Greenheart]

Pity you don,t live closer, I would love some. Maybe our forum Chef Pingu has some recipes for crayfish pies!

[Portland Jon]

Hey Greenheart

There are plenty in the river Brit above Bridport. I saw it once on River Cottage on telly.

Jon