Crayfishing

[bakerboy]

After our outing of last weekend, Billy went home and ordered some nets.

They arrived yesterday and Billy was out last night , not too much success at first , and then a telephone call to me to enquire if he could use the spot we had been to at the week end.

As I have said before Billy is polite and thoughtful, this call was not necessary as it was a public place.

A bit later I spoke with Billy and he had had some success 7.30pm-8.30pm, just as we were speaking, a catch, the last words I heard from Billy amid much excitement were "look at the xxxxxxx size of that " billy's mate could be heard whooping in the background.

I have not heard from billy since that call lets hope that billy ate the Crayfish, and it was not the otherway around

[Dunkield]

What sort of numbers can you expect to catch where you go Terry?

 

I saw the article of one Hugh Fernley's programs, this couple lived on the Kennett which was essentially ruined by crayfish.

They had a bloke from the EA there, and he said they would need to catch hundreds a day just to stay on top of the population :blink:

[bakerboy]

What sort of numbers can you expect to catch where you go Terry?

 

I saw the article of one Hugh Fernley's programs, this couple lived on the Kennett which was essentially ruined by crayfish.

They had a bloke from the EA there, and he said they would need to catch hundreds a day just to stay on top of the population :blink:

My record, accompanied by my then 8 year old grandson who has the ability to be in the wrong place a the right time despite being no where to be seen moments earlier, is 108 in 1 hour using 4 x 12" nets. I would say that using the same nets, and good smelly bait 100 an hour is achievable during the warmer months.

Ask your local fisherman and they will tell you where to go, most probably give you a lift there as well

Edited August 11, 2011 by bakerboy

[PhilR]

Terry, did you use the grandson as the smelly bait? :o

[Billy.]

12 was the bag for an hour's work. I didn't get a photo in the end, so apologies...

 

The 4 year old salmon out of the freezer worked a treat.

 

Now I need to go and find me a good stretch of water and repay the favour Tel

[twitchynik]

Where did you go Billy? Might be worth speaking to Verulam Angling Club to see if they know of any hotspots as they have a lot of fishing rights around the Lea and Ver near us.

[bakerboy]

Terry, did you use the grandson as the smelly bait? :o

Hi Phil how are you.

How the grandson has never been in the water I will never know, he has to be the clumpsyist boy ever (apologies to handlebars who son he is, Timmy) very good shot though and good company.

I may have a new permission coming on, I find out more next week 3000 acres.

 

Speak again soon no doubt.

[Billy.]

Where did you go Billy? Might be worth speaking to Verulam Angling Club to see if they know of any hotspots as they have a lot of fishing rights around the Lea and Ver near us.

 

I popped over to Terry's neck of the woods, as I didn't really know where to go near us... Hence the grovelling call to Terry last night, asking if he'd mind if I fished his spot

Edited August 11, 2011 by Billy.

[docholiday]

After our outing of last weekend, Billy went home and ordered some nets.

They arrived yesterday and Billy was out last night , not too much success at first , and then a telephone call to me to enquire if he could use the spot we had been to at the week end.

As I have said before Billy is polite and thoughtful, this call was not necessary as it was a public place.

A bit later I spoke with Billy and he had had some success 7.30pm-8.30pm, just as we were speaking, a catch, the last words I heard from Billy amid much excitement were "look at the xxxxxxx size of that " billy's mate could be heard whooping in the background.

I have not heard from billy since that call lets hope that billy ate the Crayfish, and it was not the otherway around

 

 

You sure it was the size of the cray he was talking about, Had my suspisions about that Billy

[camokid]

cray twins.

 

im with bakerboy they are delish little critters

 

http://i51.tinypic.com/2nv9dl4.jpg

 

would like to get into it a bit more just finding them local

[bakerboy]

cray twins.

 

im with bakerboy they are delish little critters

 

http://i51.tinypic.com/2nv9dl4.jpg

 

would like to get into it a bit more just finding them local

Nice picture

[Billy.]

You sure it was the size of the cray he was talking about, Had my suspisions about that Billy

 

[Teal]

This was the biggest crayfish that I managed - we named him Megatron (RIP). We always just used string with a weight on the end and bacon tied to it a few centimetres up, each person would run 5 or 6 lines and keep an eye on the strings until they start twitching and then gently haul them in. A net is ideal as they will often do an escape response when they are being lifted out of the water.

[Billy.]

This was the biggest crayfish that I managed - we named him Megatron (RIP). We always just used string with a weight on the end and bacon tied to it a few centimetres up, each person would run 5 or 6 lines and keep an eye on them for when they start twitching and then gently haul them in. A net is ideal as they will often do an escape response when they are being lifted out of the water.

 

I'll give the sting bit an go He looks a whopper

[bakerboy]

This was the biggest crayfish that I managed - we named him Megatron (RIP). We always just used string with a weight on the end and bacon tied to it a few centimetres up, each person would run 5 or 6 lines and keep an eye on the strings until they start twitching and then gently haul them in. A net is ideal as they will often do an escape response when they are being lifted out of the water.

Meal for one by the looks of it.

I found they dropped off the string and that a fishing net was required to hand at all times to catch the ones that tried to get away .

Looks like you caught enough for a good meal, is it a recent picture?

Terry

[Teal]

Meal for one by the looks of it.

I found they dropped off the string and that a fishing net was required to hand at all times to catch the ones that tried to get away .

Looks like you caught enough for a good meal, is it a recent picture?

Terry

I was trying to find more photographs of it, but I think they were on my old phone :( I usually went with a few friends, so not sure of exact totals each but we accumulated several "tons". I haven't done it since last year. It's amazing how different stretches of a river/stream can have different levels of productivity, even a matter of 50 yards can house vastly different numbers of crayfish, not entirely sure why the difference. I was mostly crayfishing in Gloucestershire, but also near Oxford city centre, I know an handy mark which I have had some good numbers from. If anyone near there wants the locations let me know.

 

I imagine it is a slower method than with drop nets, but having laid traps for them at the same time as fishing with a line, I find it more rewarding as it tends to be fairly constant action when the lines are down, and like every form of fishing when the line starts being tugged you get a bit of a rush. We either used a cheap shrimping nets (good reach + less disturbance and also amusing to try and get 3 or 4 crayfish on the same line in), or a proper fishing net (more width) enables you to scoop them as they break the water surface (this is when they are most likely to let go). The main trick when lifting them is to do it slowly and gently, as they are less likely to let go them.

 

He was a big one, although I have to admit the one to his right was the smallest catch of the day by some way

[bakerboy]

The main trick when lifting them is to do it slowly and gently, as they are less likely to let go them.

 

Try telling that to an eight year old

 

But great fun all the same.

[huntsman]

?My lad has just asked me hey dad, do you need a licence for crayfishing,??

what happens when you are trying to catch crayfish without a valid licence

 

Please be aware there are 2 species in the uk

 

LOOK HERE fine .............

Edited August 12, 2011 by huntsman

[Billy.]

?My lad has just asked me hey dad, do you need a licence for crayfishing,??

what happens when you are trying to catch crayfish without a valid licence

 

Please be aware there are 2 species in the uk

 

LOOK HERE fine .............

 

I did a thorough check on this, as I managed to get the thumbs up from the River Ver water bailiff to fish all that river.

 

You need a licence if you want to use a net which you'd walk away from and they'd get trapped, but if you use a drop net, which just lays flat at the bottom and catches them by the crayfish being stood on top of the net (so they are never actually trapped until you lift them) is legal.

 

What is completely illegal is to rerelease any non-native crayfish back into the wild or keep them alive in an enclosure that they can potentially escape from.

Edited August 12, 2011 by Billy.

[bakerboy]

I did a thorough check on this, as I managed to get the thumbs up from the River Ver water bailiff to fish all that river.

 

You need a licence if you want to use a net which you'd walk away from and they'd get trapped, but if you use a drop net, which just lays flat at the bottom and catches them by the crayfish being stood on top of the net (so they are never actually trapped until you lift them) it's legal.

 

What is completely illegal is to rerelease any non-native crayfish back into the wild or keep them alive in an enclosure that they can potentially escape from.

That is exactly what I had been informed.

Well done Billy for clarifing the postion.

[bakerboy]

?My lad has just asked me hey dad, do you need a licence for crayfishing,??

what happens when you are trying to catch crayfish without a valid licence

 

Please be aware there are 2 species in the uk

 

LOOK HERE fine .............

Use drop nets and stay with them and you will be fine (not fined)

Always double check with your local water bailiff.

No licence is required for this pastime, just be sure that if asked you can identify the 2 differing crayfish, although catching a native English White Clawed Crayfish will be a major scoop, (and very unlikely in most rivers and canals) your local fishermen will be your best guide as to where to go to catch the Signal Crayfish.

[Dan73]

They look fantastic - I am a member of a small trout lake syndicate and we have hundreds of the bu99ers (the yank ones, not the native ones) in the lake.....which we are encouraged to trap.

 

- tell me, how are you killing then cooking them?

[bakerboy]

They look fantastic - I am a member of a small trout lake syndicate and we have hundreds of the bu99ers (the yank ones, not the native ones) in the lake.....which we are encouraged to trap.

 

- tell me, how are you killing then cooking them?

Purge them overnight, can be few hours if required, and then drop them into boiling water 3/5 minutes according to size.

Easy and a Bl%dy good meal

[Roly]

Purge them overnight, can be few hours if required, and then drop them into boiling water 3/5 minutes according to size.

Easy a.nd a Bl%dy good meal

Hi Terry hope you are well.

From my numerous years on Verulam Angling Club fisheries committee the crayfish hotspot was always their Riverside Road fishery in St Albans which was running alive with the bloody things. As they burrow into the banks this was also causing major bankside erosion, they supposedly come in from the Ver which flows into the lake and the nature reserve next door. At their peak you could expect 6-800 crayfish every few days! Not sure of the situation now as not been involved for a few years now, but you would never be able to eradicate them as the young could easily avoid the nets.We used to find the young burrowed into the pierced cans of cat food they used to bait them with. Sweetcorn is quite effective as well. Happy hunting.

Cheers

Lee

[bakerboy]

Hi Terry hope you are well.

From my numerous years on Verulam Angling Club fisheries committee the crayfish hotspot was always their Riverside Road fishery in St Albans which was running alive with the bloody things. As they burrow into the banks this was also causing major bankside erosion, they supposedly come in from the Ver which flows into the lake and the nature reserve next door. At their peak you could expect 6-800 crayfish every few days! Not sure of the situation now as not been involved for a few years now, but you would never be able to eradicate them as the young could easily avoid the nets.We used to find the young burrowed into the pierced cans of cat food they used to bait them with. Sweetcorn is quite effective as well. Happy hunting.

Cheers

Lee

Thanks for that Lee, I will give it a go.

I hope you are well.

We will have to get out again soon (pigeons), in fact very soon, let me have some date's when you are free.

 

Cheers

 

Terry