fenfowler Posted July 17, 2004 Report Share Posted July 17, 2004 Hi there fellas i was wondering if any fishermen from around the Peterborough area can tell me if there are any Crayfish in the river NENE or any of the drains in the fens.If so do you know if you can take them or do you need permission from the environment agency. Also is there a closed season for them?Thankyou for any information on this subject. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nilly71 Posted July 17, 2004 Report Share Posted July 17, 2004 Not around that way, but as far as i am aware only our own crayfish is protected. They are a lot smaller than the American crayfish. If use a net trap, holes of around 1" should be used. I think our crayfish are around 2" long and the American pests are around 4" or more. Hope this helps. Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimdfish Posted July 18, 2004 Report Share Posted July 18, 2004 The whole question of american signals is still a bit of a grey area. It is illegal to take them out of a river, but it is also illegal to return them from the river from which you caught them??. I do not think that any angling club or even an EA baliff will mind you taking them. You are most unlikely to encounter any british crays in Peterborough as the last few pockets of them live in the lake district and scotland. If you are planning on catching some the best way I found was to get a plastic barrel with a tight fitting lid, drill lots of holes in this to allow the flow of the water and cut out the centre of the lid and put in a wire funnel. Put in a mackerel but first wrap it up in a bit of chicken wire, this stops the crays from ripping it up too quick and devouring the lot. Put it into the water and submerge. Tie a rope to the bucket with a tin can tied to the other end. This acts a marker for easy retrieval. If poss onlytrap them in fast moving water. I have found all the crays are cleaner this way and look more appetizing round the barbie. Great eating and if allowed on your local stretch, cracking bait. jimDfish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammy the bull Posted July 19, 2004 Report Share Posted July 19, 2004 american signal crayfish are and introduced species, probably by the antis. anyway i know in one of the london parks they have to net hundreds every day in the lakes in there because of the damage to fish stocks in the lakes. not only do they do this but they carry a parisite that kills our own indiginous species. and as far as im aware its not illeagal. anyway i dont know any bailiff who would want to keep them, as they serve no purpose in our waters. pike do the clear ups of dead fish.......although according to mr hugh fairnly whittingstall{river cottage series} they are very good eating. bit like mini lobster he reckons and he knows his food alright !! good idea is to do a search for crayfish traps on google !! good luck mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elma Fud Posted August 31, 2004 Report Share Posted August 31, 2004 I was lead to believe that to actively hunt for crayfish you needed a licence from the Enviromental Agency. How you obtain a licence from the EA, I havent got a clue... I dont think crayfish licences cost that much, just a few pounds. As stated earlier, it is illegal to return crayfish to a river. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete evans Posted September 6, 2004 Report Share Posted September 6, 2004 i catch crayfish in the thames at oxford with an australian yabbie pot, they are a bit fiddly to prepare but taste great. i'll put a picture of pot in photo forum pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimdfish Posted September 6, 2004 Report Share Posted September 6, 2004 All I do is boil. take the tail, claws are fiddly but you do get a good return, remove black line out of tail meat and that it. No fiddliness. Do it outside if you can. STB I think crays were introduce when commercial farms flooded Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurcherboy Posted September 6, 2004 Report Share Posted September 6, 2004 Thanks for the pics pete, keep your address secret, there are weird people here re lawfull removal etc. etc. LB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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