Fishing Forum

I want to do a crawdad party with a few friends soon. How soon can you catch crawdads? I have never tried to catch them this early in the summer, can it be done?
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I don't know when they really warm up, but I've seen them caught through the ice before, so perhaps they really don't have a lull???
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That would be good, I've got cabin fever.
Thanks for the reply!
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[cool][#0000ff]They go deeper and slow down a lot in the winter, but as TKB suggested, they still feed all year. Like most cold-blooded crustaceans, they get a lot more active in warmer water. Once the shallows warm into the 65 to 70 degree range the "mudbugs" can be seen crawling over rocks close to shore, and are much easier to catch...either with a string and chicken leg or in a trap. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I understand there is a good population of 'dads in Settlement. A lot of crawdad munchers like to hit Strawberry in the summer, combining a fishing trip with a crawdad catching fiesta. Great fun for the kids and great eatin' too. The Soldier Creek area, not too far from the Dam is one of the preferred spots. Look for rocky shoreline and you will usually be in the right area.[/#0000ff]
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I had thought about going to Grantsville res. There are (at least there was) some free camp/picnic spots close to the water, where a fire could be built to heat a pot of water.
Looks like I'll have to get some crab boil on the next trip to the store.
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There still are free spots at Grantsville Reservoir. I was there earlier this spring in March and saw no signs of any fees required. Unless of course I just missed the notices or they put some up since then.

Mud bugs are indeed active in the winter. I saw some up close using kenofnsl's underwater camera while fishing Strawberry in December this past winter.
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Thats good to know, so can you catch a lot of Crawdads at Jordenelle?
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[cool][#0000ff]No. There have been no verified captures of crawdads in Jordanelle. Yes on Strawberry and on Deer Creek.[/#0000ff]
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Deer Creek and Strawberry is where all the crawdads are huh.
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Soilder Creek is great for daddys.
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[cool][#0000ff]Actually, there are not many Utah waters without 'dads in 'em. Utah Lake has 'em, Scofield has bunches, Flaming Gorge and Bear Lake have bigguns. And, not only the lakes, but many streams also have good bait-sized crawdads that you can find by turning over rocks.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Jordanelle remains the one big rocky shoreline lake that (SO FAR) does not have a verifiable crawdad population. Too bad. They are great food for smallmouth.[/#0000ff]
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Can you just boil crawdads or is there something else you have to do to them first before you eat em?
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[cool][#0000ff]You can do it plain or fancy. I break off the claws and tails and steam them in beer. But, I also like to boil them in the flavorful "crab boil" spices made by Zatarain. You can find it in the spice section of most markets. It comes in pouches so all you have to do is drop it in boiling water, let it simmer a bit before adding the "goodies" and then boil the crustaceans for only a few minutes. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If you boil crawdads whole, in the shell, not much of the flavor gets into the flesh in the short time it takes to cook them. So, just boiling them in lightly salted water for a few minutes, and then dipping the shelled meat in garlic butter will give you all the ecstacy you can handle. Of course you can add some seasoning to the garlic butter if you like. I always sprinkle some spicy seasoning in it too.[/#0000ff]
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Thanks for the cooking lesson, I can't wait to eat some crawdads. So you always take the claws and the tails off and eat them huh... I guess the rest is just guts
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[cool][#0000ff]Actually, I prefer to keep my bugs alive until I can plunge them in boiling water. But, Utah law says you gotta kill them before leaving the water from which you got them.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]So, I just twist the tails off and then twist off the fin part. That pulls out the "mud" vein. Then, if the claws are large enough to fuss with, I remove those too. I put them in a plastic bag and keep the plastic bag covered with ice. KEEP THEM COLD. They can spoil quickly once they are dead.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If you do have a crawdad boil on the shore of the water where you got them, you can eat them Cajun style. That includes sucking out the stuff in the front part after removing the tail. It is tasty, but not for the squeamish. If you ever go to a big bash down in Loosianna, you'd best be ready to suck the heads or you might find yerself lost in some big swamp. Ever see that movie called "Southern Comfort". Kinda like Deliverance only with some "chanky chank" music in the background. Them folks takes their crawdads serious down there and you'd best know how to handle 'em.[/#0000ff]
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Thanks, ill try that next time I get the chance. So you just throw a chicken leg tied to a string in the water, eh.
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[cool][#0000ff]Any old bony piece of leftover chicken will do. "Parts is parts". Chicken legs are cheap and easy to tie a string to. Oh yeah, use it raw. No extra crispy necessary for buggin'.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]You can also use trimmings from beef or pork. Bacon works great. Great way to use up the pieces of any bodies you have stashed in the freezer.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Actually, fish heads or whole dead minnows are great too. Just be sure you do not have a hook in it if you also have a fishing line out. Otherwise it would qualify as a second pole...not allowable on many waters, even with a two pole permit.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Also, do not use guts or parts from trout. They are gamefish and not legal to use as bait. Carp, suckers, or chubs are all okay.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If you are "fishing" for crawdads, have a long handled net next to you. Whenever you lift the line, with bugs on it, slip the net under them to catch the ones that let go before you can get them to the bank. When you hit the mother lode of crawdads you can sometimes have several holding on to the bait as you bring it up.[/#0000ff]
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That sounds like too much fun. I cant wait to catch some crawdadds.
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I've used leftover KFC chicken and it works GREAT! So just order some KFC on the way out, eat it all but save the bones. Then just tie directly to thoe leftover drumsticks and wings. Just the bone works great, and it doesn't get clobbered to bits by dozens of claws. You can use the same bone the whole time with great results.
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You can buy a big old frozen turkey leg for about a buck
at the big grocery store in Heber. It starts to thaw as
soon as it hits the water and the dads get all over it.
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