This was brought up a few weeks ago and no one seemed to know yet. I'm hoping that has changed. I want to take my kids out to catch a few next weekend. Anybody been yet? How did you do? Any other lakes worth trying?
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The berry fishing is ok nothing to write home about yet I did notice one spot i was in, in a cove in the narrows a bun of crawdads right against the shore so i would imagine they are comming shallow around the lake but i was not anywhere but the narrows so cant tell you for sure. oh when will the cutts light up is the real question.. hope this helps
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I was at Strawberry and could see about 8-10feet down next to the shore and their was crawdad's everywhere.
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I took a couple of young grand kids last Saturday. Went to Renegade to avoid crowd. Used cooked chicken legs and thighs and butterfly nets (light enough for small grand kids). Caught several hundred right after dark. Could have caught many more but the four year old thought he was tired. I just toss the chicken a foot or less off shore in the water and the crawdads come to it right after dark. Some of them were small but there are plenty of them.
The four year old also l landed an 18 inch cut which we promptly (to his dismay) released. He keeps calling and want to know when we can go again.
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Thanks to all for the help.
pgenho- Do you just use a light to watch your chicken? That sounds like alot of fun! I don't know who would have more fun, me or the kids!
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Yeah, I walk with a lantern and they handle the net. Of course every now and then I have to net one,
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I am not a crawdad catcher, but I noticed a couple of huge ones near the soldier creek ramp a couple of weeks ago. (Not sure if thats any help)
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I've always wanted to try eating some crawdads but i have never known how to prepare them
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I just take the tail off and then boil it in water. Then dip in butter or other sauce of choice and go to town. They are really good I think!
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Well i love lobster and if they're anything like that i'm sure i would like them. I'm a fan of all the shelled types.
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[cool]Crawdads/crawfish are excellent to eat, but a little bit of work to prepare them. I boil them in Zatarains Crab Boil, available near the seafood section of your grocer. There's great directions on the back. Also, there's great recipes all over the internet (including this website on the fish recipes board) just google "how to cook crawdads."
I'm gonna take my kids up there soon.
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[#500000]Add a little green tobasco to the dipping butter.......Mmmm, I better take my grandkids up as soon as the water settles down from the fourth of July power squadron......WW.[/#500000]
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Thanks, we might try it tomorrow if the boss (wife) says its a go. I will post how we do.
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If you put them in fresh water with a little salt in it (before you cook them and while alive) they clean themselves out a lot. Several changes of water is great. Them you just drop them in boiling water with lots of Old Bay or some crab boil. You can boil corn with them if you want.
And yes they are a little work but they do taste really good.
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If im not mistaken, you're not suppose to transport them live tho. Can get in BIG trouble. Am i right?
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yes. suppose to be dead. harder to head uncooked. so...cook on site or kill and ice good.
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I take the grandkids. They love it and if I'm going to take some home I just tear the big ones tails off, after doing the twist thing with the flippers and devaining them and put them straight on ice. They transport well and you can cook them at home at your leisure. The trick is to devain them first and straight on ice. They are very good. I ate them first in Ark. And they did the salt water purging thing. They really muddy the water. I'm excited to get the kids out. Good times for grandpa and grandkids.
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Yea suppose to kill them here first. But just do the salt water trick at t he lake if you are going to be there for a while until they are all clean than just remove the kill and Ice.
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We didn't get to the berry until about 6:00 last night, and left by 8:30. The kids had a blast! We ended up with 70 crawdads, and could have done much better if we knew what we were doing. The kids want to go again tonight so we might do it again. I'm at the inlaws, so can't post pics, but will when I get home. Highly recommended for anyone with kids.
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70? You didn't do very well, but I'll bet it was fun. Did you chase the kids with them?
Lets see if I can help.
I use chicken backs. They are like $.30 a pound if you ask the meat cutters. I save mine all year from "whole cut up" chickens. You can poke a hole in them and tie them to a string easy.
I put about 20' of line on each back. I throw that out as far as it will go and then move 20' down the bank and throw another out till I have my 5.
I use a fairly long stick to lift the bait from the bottom. If you drag the bait the dads let go. If you lift the bait to about 2' below the surface they will hold on.
Then I place my net below them and scoop up.
Most times I fill a 5 gal bucket in about 2 hours.
Then I do the purge thing with the salt. 5lbs for 10 gal of water in a 30 gal tub.
As I remiove the dads from the purge, I grab the 3 middle fins of the tail and with a twisting/pulling motion remove the spinal cord from the dad. It is now dead and can be placed on ice.
I don't let the dads actually touch the ice. I put some news paper between them and the ice.
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