Crayfish nets etc

[neillfrbs]

are they in the river avon .

[stubby]

are they in the river avon .

there's no directory telling you where they are, YOU need to go check it out, a piece of string and a bit of bacon, do not tie string to a stick as that is then classed as a rod, for which you would need a license as its classed as fishing, you go to each water source near you, do a test with your bacon, if and when you lift out a crayfish, you have found your spot, then apply for tags, its really simple

[spanielchris]

Just go on the environment agency web site & down load the form. ( you also need a maps for where you intend to trap). If they are happy for you to trap that river/lake then they will send you consent forms & tags for your traps. YOU MUST HAVE THE LAND OWNERS PERMISSION AS WELL!!!

Edited April 17, 2014 by spanielchris

[stubby]

YOU MUST HAVE THE LAND OWNERS PERMISSION AS WELL!!!

this is a bit of a grey area, as if it's council owned, they will never give permission in a million years, but the only people that patrol these areas are water bailiffs and if you have tags, that's all they are interested in, look on the councils signs at the side of river/pond/lake etc, it'll say things like, no fishing,no boating,no swimming, well your not doing any of those things, your trapping, the boards mention nothing about trapping

plus, if anyone was ever to approach you and try removing you and your catch from that place, ask first for their full name and address, why? because you have permission because of those tags, to not only trap, but also transport crayfish, THEY DO NOT, so if they wanted to remove your sack of crays, they are committing an offence, if they wanted to tip them back in, THEY ARE COMMITTING AN OFFENCE

twice I have been out trapping, and the police have turned up due to complaints that we are fishing, you stay calm, pull out your printed permission to trap crayfish that comes with your tags, explain that your trapping not fishing and its pest control as they are non native to the uk, they smile, take your name/address and go away

[spanielchris]

this is a bit of a grey area, as if it's council owned, they will never give permission in a million years, but the only people that patrol these areas are water bailiffs and if you have tags, that's all they are interested in, look on the councils signs at the side of river/pond/lake etc, it'll say things like, no fishing,no boating,no swimming, well your not doing any of those things, your trapping, the boards mention nothing about trapping

plus, if anyone was ever to approach you and try removing you and your catch from that place, ask first for their full name and address, why? because you have permission because of those tags, to not only trap, but also transport crayfish, THEY DO NOT, so if they wanted to remove your sack of crays, they are committing an offence, if they wanted to tip them back in, THEY ARE COMMITTING AN OFFENCE

twice I have been out trapping, and the police have turned up due to complaints that we are fishing, you stay calm, pull out your printed permission to trap crayfish that comes with your tags, explain that your trapping not fishing and its pest control as they are non native to the uk, they smile, take your name/address and go away

Both my paper permission & plastic tags clearly state " Ensure you have landowners permission before trapping"

[neillfrbs]

there's no directory telling you where they are, YOU need to go check it out, a piece of string and a bit of bacon, do not tie string to a stick as that is then classed as a rod, for which you would need a license as its classed as fishing, you go to each water source near you, do a test with your bacon, if and when you lift out a crayfish, you have found your spot, then apply for tags, its really simple

thanks stubby will have a go at that .

[stubby]

Both my paper permission & plastic tags clearly state " Ensure you have landowners permission before trapping"

yes, I'm not saying they don't have that on them, I'm just offering my advice as someone who has caught crays for a season or two

another bit of advice is, a pair of scissors cuts that bottom statement clean of the tags not that I'm suggesting you should alter tags in any way

[Dekers]

Ok, my tags and permit have turned up, drop nets and traps.

 

My traps have also turned up .... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/15-7-Height-Fish-Crawfish-Crayfish-Carb-Folding-Fishing-Net-Trap-Dark-Brown-/161140791330?pt=UK_SportingGoods_FishingAcces_RL&hash=item2584bd5822 exactly like this but from a UK supplier!

 

They are rubbish, all had nets torn but most commonly stitching around the zips was already fallen apart, I'm not clever at sewing but they were cheap, so I spent about 2 hours stitching them back together. I had a feeing if I returned for replacement they wouldn't be any better, such is life, I'll not be investing in any more of these!

 

Typical, other plans and commitments will keep me away from the water for several days now, so I'm not sure when everything will get its first outing!

[FalconFN]

They are total rubbish (I don't want to say I told you so but, I told you so), I have just got some Swedish crayfish traps and they work well, bit pricey though.

[stubby]

Ok, my tags and permit have turned up, drop nets and traps.

 

My traps have also turned up .... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/15-7-Height-Fish-Crawfish-Crayfish-Carb-Folding-Fishing-Net-Trap-Dark-Brown-/161140791330?pt=UK_SportingGoods_FishingAcces_RL&hash=item2584bd5822 exactly like this but from a UK supplier!

 

They are rubbish, all had nets torn but most commonly stitching around the zips was already fallen apart, I'm not clever at sewing but they were cheap, so I spent about 2 hours stitching them back together. I had a feeing if I returned for replacement they wouldn't be any better, such is life, I'll not be investing in any more of these!

 

Typical, other plans and commitments will keep me away from the water for several days now, so I'm not sure when everything will get its first outing!

the reason I use drop nets as opposed to traps, is the legal side of the entrance holes, most e bay traps are made in foreign countries where no such laws exist, but here they must be a certain size to not allow water voles to enter (protected) and if you get caught with such traps, its the high jump

drop traps are also far quicker to use and empty,

 

drop nets

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HOOKZONLINE-CRAB-DROP-NET-with-BAIT-CLIP-ROPE-SAFE-CRABBING-/251431915828?pt=UK_SportingGoods_FishingAcces_RL&hash=item3a8a829134

[Dekers]

 

They are total rubbish (I don't want to say I told you so but, I told you so), I have just got some Swedish crayfish traps and they work well, bit pricey though.

 

You are right, apart from the overall poor quality control the manufacturing materials are seriously poor as well.

 

 

the reason I use drop nets as opposed to traps, is the legal side of the entrance holes, most e bay traps are made in foreign countries where no such laws exist, but here they must be a certain size to not allow water voles to enter (protected) and if you get caught with such traps, its the high jump

drop traps are also far quicker to use and empty,

 

drop nets

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HOOKZONLINE-CRAB-DROP-NET-with-BAIT-CLIP-ROPE-SAFE-CRABBING-/251431915828?pt=UK_SportingGoods_FishingAcces_RL&hash=item3a8a829134

 

They look good!

[islandgun]

 

 

there really is no need to go to all this trouble, keeping them in buckets or trays in a damp sack (we use pillow cases) is plenty enough to keep alive, they breathe air and DO NOT NEED TO BE KEPT IN WATER

keeping this way you can leave for around 4 days, longer if you put them in the fridge, they are cold blooded remember

this will purge the contents of their stomachs, then when your ready to use, wash them through by filling two buckets with water and table salt,(a good handful) and tipping them from one bucket to the other, this makes them up chuck, emptying anything left in stomachs,

 

any of the nets sold in shops for crabs are ok, but if your in an area with plenty of crays, bigger is better, so make your own drop nets from old bike wheels, as for bait, a few whole rabbits, frozen solid, take out on the day your going and chop up with an axe into cubes, it'll slowly melt giving off lots of flavours and blood that the crays cant resist

 

how many tags did you apply for?

use all of them

 

 

 

if your catching small amounts, then boiling on the cooker is fine, large pots in our house take around 6-7 crays, boil until they float (around 3 minutes)

but when you start catching large numbers, the cooker takes forever, so I invested in a gas bottle cooker plate, and imported a proper crayfish boiler from the states

can keep water on a rolling boil and boil around 20-25 crays at a time

can you explain what a crayfish boiler is , size etc, is it big enough for lobsters/ crabs cheers IG

[Berettacocker]

I used the cheap cray nets on line about £4-5 each. I used fish heads as bait( found them better than cat food). Also purge in water for a couple of days( don't taste so muddy). Also last we'll in the large storage boxes with wet hessian sacks over them in the shade. Keep sacks wet and don't fill with water( best way to kill them!) tab Darren

[stubby]

can you explain what a crayfish boiler is , size etc, is it big enough for lobsters/ crabs cheers IG

 

basically a very large pot, you'll see from those pictures, our first 200 were boiled in the kitchen on the stove and it took me ******* hours, so I started watching you tube clips on how the americans do it, they spell it crawfish if you want to try looking, well they use pans from a company called king kooker

 

http://kingkooker.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=3

 

but of course I couldn't find any for sale in the uk, so I found one on e bay, and with the import costs it only came to silly money

watch this video, it'll show you and I give a break down on all prices paid

 

 

the thing I like with this set up, is I can take it with me, crays caught in ponds/lakes should be purged as they can taste muddy, but crays caught in rivers/streams can be cooked straight away, if your place of catching is on a footpath, you always get people stopping to ask what your doing, I always used to offer a few for them to take home, but it's even better if you have some already cooked and a bowl of dipping sauce, it's classed as the poor man's lobster, and yes you could fit a lobster in my boiling pot, they come in many different sizes

 

they are good for deep frying duck in too

[Penelope]

I'd suggest an electric Burco type boiler would do as well.

 

 

basically a very large pot, you'll see from those pictures, our first 200 were boiled in the kitchen on the stove and it took me ******* hours, so I started watching you tube clips on how the americans do it, they spell it crawfish if you want to try looking, well they use pans from a company called king kooker

 

http://kingkooker.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=3

 

but of course I couldn't find any for sale in the uk, so I found one on e bay, and with the import costs it only came to silly money

watch this video, it'll show you and I give a break down on all prices paid

 

 

the thing I like with this set up, is I can take it with me, crays caught in ponds/lakes should be purged as they can taste muddy, but crays caught in rivers/streams can be cooked straight away, if your place of catching is on a footpath, you always get people stopping to ask what your doing, I always used to offer a few for them to take home, but it's even better if you have some already cooked and a bowl of dipping sauce, it's classed as the poor man's lobster, and yes you could fit a lobster in my boiling pot, they come in many different sizes

 

they are good for deep frying duck in too

[stubby]

I'd suggest an electric Burco type boiler would do as well.

 

yup, ok if you have a long extension lead

[Penelope]

Or leccy in the shed

 

yup, ok if you have a long extension lead

[bakerboy]

It is almost time to get out there and start catching them again.

 

Good times ahead, I am happy to take a couple of people along with me if you can make mid week.

 

Stevenage area.

[FalconFN]

I've been out twice this year but not caught as many as I was last year.

[Penelope]

Hopefully the winter flooding has washed the nasty little critters out to sea.

 

I've been out twice this year but not caught as many as I was last year.

[bi9johnny]

any chance of some pics of your traps please fellas as i would like to get some ...... if using a drop net is it placed on the bottom of the river or hung from a branch or something... not sure how a drop net will work over night on a river

[Penelope]

Drop nets are not set and left, but dropped for a while whilst in hand and then lifted after a short period of time, 10-30 minutes for example.

 

any chance of some pics of your traps please fellas as i would like to get some ...... if using a drop net is it placed on the bottom of the river or hung from a branch or something... not sure how a drop net will work over night on a river

[bi9johnny]

Drop nets are not set and left, but dropped for a while whilst in hand and then lifted after a short period of time, 10-30 minutes for example.

 

thanks , just faxed my application through now

[stubby]

Drop nets are not set and left, but dropped for a while whilst in hand and then lifted after a short period of time, 10-30 minutes for example.

 

depending on your location, our little spot we drop in 8 nets around 10ft apart, going up stream, as we drop the last one in, we walk back and lift the first, so total time each net is in the water is maybe 5-10 minutes max, if you scroll back through this post, you'll see pictures of my homemade drop nets

[islandgun]

 

basically a very large pot, you'll see from those pictures, our first 200 were boiled in the kitchen on the stove and it took me ******* hours, so I started watching you tube clips on how the americans do it, they spell it crawfish if you want to try looking, well they use pans from a company called king kooker

 

http://kingkooker.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=3

 

but of course I couldn't find any for sale in the uk, so I found one on e bay, and with the import costs it only came to silly money

watch this video, it'll show you and I give a break down on all prices paid

 

 

the thing I like with this set up, is I can take it with me, crays caught in ponds/lakes should be purged as they can taste muddy, but crays caught in rivers/streams can be cooked straight away, if your place of catching is on a footpath, you always get people stopping to ask what your doing, I always used to offer a few for them to take home, but it's even better if you have some already cooked and a bowl of dipping sauce, it's classed as the poor man's lobster, and yes you could fit a lobster in my boiling pot, they come in many different sizes

 

they are good for deep frying duck in too

Thanks for posting that stubby, it seems to be very similar to the setup I use at the moment gas bottle and large stainless container although your flame looks hotter, I once used a gas ring for melting bitumen, to heat water to steam timbers for a boat which was a powerful flame so perhaps I will look out for one of those, ( I currently boil between 50 and 100 brown crab and 25 lobster a week ) when I was in Australia we used to catch Yabbis ? freshwater crays in small metal traps and very tasty they were,

 

I'd suggest an electric Burco type boiler would do as well.

 

Penelope are burco boilers the electric boilers that were used in the fifties for clothes washing or modern water heaters, ?

good luck and thanks IG