Introduction

[PlanktonBoy]

Originally Posted by Greenheart

Welcome to the Forum Crayman. I've been meaning to buy a Crayfish trap myself as i've heard there's a few in the Kennet & Avon Canal. They taste great fried up with a little chilli, ginger & lime juice....

A few the place is swarming with the things, fished a match there last season and dropped me pork pie in the water there must of been 50 of the things scrapping over me pork pie. Also caught a turtle that day.
Noticed them the other week in our little town river The Anton.
Had a few out from an old pond near me called golden pond, very nice crayfish tales.
Was told a few weeks back though to be carefull because they can carry a deadly desease, cant remember wot it was or how true it is.

[crayman]

Planktonboy, Any more info on were your pork pie was hijacked?, Who controls the stretch

I got my traps off ebay, they are nice lightly fried i have to confess, they are becoming a nuiscance in many waters, i'm hoping i'll find a few on here

Thanks for the welcome, it's a interesting forum, i should get back into fishing

[biggun]

Originally Posted by PlanktonBoy

Was told a few weeks back though to be carefull because they can carry a deadly desease, cant remember wot it was or how true it is.

They carry crayfish plague, thats why you can't use them for bait in fresh water!
Here is a letter a mate of mine a work got from the E.A. about the subject :-




No crayfish can be used as bait for fishing for freshwater fish in
England and wales.

That means whole, alive, dead, liquidised, cooked, raw, bits or any
other combination. The reasons for this are as follows:

1) As you correctly state our own native species is included. The white
claw crayfish is nationally rare and has protection under conservation
legislation. It is actually quite hard for a lay person to correctly
identify a native animal from a non native one.

2) The non native American signal crayfish and several other less known
introductions carry a fungal disease that, if transferred to a water
where native crayfish populations are still present, will cause crayfish
plague to be spread to that population. The plague does not affect
signals but will wipe out any of our own crayfish. Spores remain viable
for many weeks even when frozen or heated and can be transferred in
water containing the signal crayfish as well as the creatures
themselves.

3) The non native species are a nuisance to fishermen, landowners and
most importantly, cause real harm to the aquatic environment where they
live. Signals are bigger, more aggressive and not too fussy in what they
eat. They do change the balance in a river or pond as well as doing a
lot of damage to river banks with their burrows which can cause bank
collapse. Once signal crayfish are present in a river, you will not get
rid of them. You might be able to reduce their numbers if you trap very
carefully and throughly but you wont remove them all.

By making the use of any crayfish illegal, it makes enforcement of this
byelaw possible. I am sure you would agree that it would be a waste of
rod licence holders money if our enforcement staff had to check whether
the crayfish had been processed correctly to ensure that no spores could
be left alive.
It should also make bait manufacturers lives a bit easier as they know
that crayfish can't be used full stop. Some bait makers do use crayfish
but do state this is for the continent and / or Ireland. It is not
illegal to sell you bait containing crayfish but it is illegal for an
angler in England and Wales to use it.

I hope this helps. I have also included a frequently asked questions
sheet for your info.

kind regards

Heidi

Heidi Stone
National Policy Advisor - Fisheries


I hope this helps!

[Omahayank]

Are they saying that even purging them for a week and cooking them well wont kill the fungus?

http://blancher.net/prod0311.htm and http://www.terrybullard.com/

[biggun]

That's what our beloved Environment Agency is saying, yes!

[crayman]

Identifacation is very much like squirrels, once you've seen a native red you will make no mistakes, the Signals are much larger & also have one claw bigger than the other.

[flyman]

HI crayman,
Plenty of cray fish down here in south east wales ,
my local trout lake as been over run with them the last few years.
it is pen-y-fan pond in oakdale run by islwyn anglers.
They are a right pain eating the nymphs and any thing that is small
the water. this time of year is when they breed with females having up
to 5oo young each i think. FLYMAN

[Flatfish]

welcome to the forum room

If you looking for crayfish then Basingstoke Canal is full of them

Justin