Crayfish in a tiny steam.

[FalconFN]

I dropped 4 crayfish traps into a new stretch of water yesterday - I say water, but it is an old brick-lined stream 2 foot wide and less than a foot deep (it didn't even cover the traps).

 

I didn't expect much but the stream runs through a SSSI area in the grounds of an old country house so I if there were crays there I'd like to help get rid of them. I lifted them today to find them heaving with crays with over 100 in 3 small traps, the fourth trap was crushed, probably by deer crossing the stream, so nothing in that one. I couldn't believe there were so many in such a small stream and dread to think what damage they have done to the native creatures that should be in that stream.

 

Hopefully I'll be able to make at least a small dent in the population before the year is out and get a good supply of crays for the freezer.

 

 

[bakerboy]

Enjoy your catch and may it be the first of many.

I look forward to my first trip out on Cray's I am a little late this year.

 

You may well get asked about licences etc, it has all been discussed before.

[FalconFN]

Oh yes, I'm fully EA licensed and I will report number and weight of catch after I cook 'em. With the traps being visible above the water I made sure the EA tags were on top and clearly on view. The estate manager wanted to know how I got on as he's concerned about them so I'll have to tell him the bad (for him) news.

 

Enjoy your outing, hope it's successful.

 

ATB

[TIGHTCHOKE]

I accept that the licencing debate has been done before!

 

A couple of questions though;

 

1. What do you bait the traps with?

 

2. Does the freezer storage affect the flavour and texture of the meat?

 

3. Any chance of some pictures of your catch?

 

Thank you

 

T.C.

[FalconFN]

I use rabbit as bait because it's free and I've got plenty of it, but any meat or fish will do and some use pet food too.

 

I vaccum pack them and haven't noticed any problems with freezing.

 

This is around half of them as they are purging - the others are in a black container so harder to see.

 

 

Here is one of the big ones showing the red underside of the claws.

 

[bakerboy]

The claw meat is really nice.

 

For bait road kill, or anything that will hold it's flavour, bacon washes out of flavour really quickly

 

If you have a local restaurant that uses Crayfish you can expect to get £15.00/£20.00 per kilo, Chinese restaurants are best for this.

In Hertford they have a price per size agreement with the local kids.

If you fancy dropping down to Stevenage during the week we can have a dabble.

[ace_of_hearts]

I have been line fishing for crayfish today near where I live after a tip off from the local fishing tackle shop. Was only out for an hour or so but didn't even get a sniff :(

 

I was just upstream from a wear and the water it clear with lots of lillies and fish that I could see. Any tips? I was using sand eels as bait (left over bait from crabbing at the weekend)

[stubby]

having dabbled in crayfishing, I'll bring up the topic of purging,

it seems the pond caught crays should need purging, as bottom dwellers they, like carp eat mud, but those caught in streams/rivers should not need to be purged

we eat our canal caught crays same day, catch,home,into a bucket of water and salt (which makes them upchuck/empty stomach), then boil

 

seeing falcons picture brings up another thing worth mentioning, your caught crays are best kept in wet sacking (we use old pillow cases) as air breathing, leaving them in water to purge, some will die overnight, as unless your aerating the water, that amount of crays will in effect suffocate

crays in wet sack can be kept easily for upto a week in those conditions, longer if in fridge.

 

and back to purging!! is this just something that other countries tend to do, because they eat the body and that yellow puss looking stuff (supposed to be the best bit) but as we only eat tails (removing black **** line) and tails, is it really necessary, I don't think so.

[holly]

I accept that the licencing debate has been done before!

 

A couple of questions though;

 

1. What do you bait the traps with?

 

2. Does the freezer storage affect the flavour and texture of the meat?

 

3. Any chance of some pictures of your catch?

 

Thank you

 

T.C.

i use chicken wings lasts ages

[FalconFN]

having dabbled in crayfishing, I'll bring up the topic of purging,

it seems the pond caught crays should need purging, as bottom dwellers they, like carp eat mud, but those caught in streams/rivers should not need to be purged

we eat our canal caught crays same day, catch,home,into a bucket of water and salt (which makes them upchuck/empty stomach), then boil

 

seeing falcons picture brings up another thing worth mentioning, your caught crays are best kept in wet sacking (we use old pillow cases) as air breathing, leaving them in water to purge, some will die overnight, as unless your aerating the water, that amount of crays will in effect suffocate

crays in wet sack can be kept easily for upto a week in those conditions, longer if in fridge.

 

and back to purging!! is this just something that other countries tend to do, because they eat the body and that yellow puss looking stuff (supposed to be the best bit) but as we only eat tails (removing black **** line) and tails, is it really necessary, I don't think so.

All good and valid points there, I purge them in 2 containers with one on top of the other, I have drilled holes in the sides and I put them below a hose that constantly trickles water over them so they have oxygenated water and the crud can wash off. Of the last lot all bar one survived.

 

The problem I have is with algae on the crayfish that makes them difficult to peel without getting it on the flesh. It's odd that about half seem to be clean and the others are covered in dark algae, presumably it's because they not hadn't shed their old carapace for a while.