Crawfish in Cache

[alexaedita]

Simple question - where to catch them in Cache Valley? Is Hyrum any good?
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[wiperhunter2]

Just about any lake in the State has them, some have greater numbers of them but I'm sure you could catch them at Hyrum. Rocky shore lines seem to have the most.
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[CVfisher]

Throw a trap off the dam at Hyrum, it will fill quickly.
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[alexaedita]

Thanks for replies.

What do you guys recommend for trap bait? Chicken liver? What else?
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[CVfisher]

i just use chicken legs - they are cheap...
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[alexaedita]

And the last couple of questions...

Is it too early in the summer to try catching them?
Are overnight traps allowed?

Thanks
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[CVfisher]

There are plenty to catch right now. I won't leave a trap unattended anymore, as I have had a couple taken.
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[CoyoteSpinner]

Not too early. I wouldn't leave a trap overnight either, unless I was camping nearby.

Hyrum definitely has them.
Caught this bugger by the Benson Marina.
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Rocky areas, even if they do call them mudbugs.

You can do chicken parts on a string, or a trap. But a crawfish trap will do better than a minnow trap.
You can take a tin of catfood, puncture some holes, it'll seep out the sweetness that draws them in.

[alexaedita]

OK good people. I like how you stepped up to help me out and explain a few things.
I also wondered about regulations on them.
It's pretty clear to me you can't transport them live. How do you guys put them to sleep? Some old buddy of mine has recommended using salt to kill them quickly and also that helps to "cleanse" them apparently.

Is that a legitimate claim?
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[kyLURE]

I have Purged them in salt water before and it did not kill them. I had around 1/2 a cup of salt to a gallon of water. Maybe that was not rich enough IDK. Sometimes we will just pull the tails and claws off and take them home. I also used a method i seen on youtube which is stab them in the head with a sharp knife behind the eyes. Then put them directly on ice. That was a really quick death but not the funnest.

I think they should amend this law. I think they are already in every body of water around here anyway. For me, half of crawfish eating is the experience and that involves cooking them whole. Even sucking the head sometimes. This is impossible to do by the book unless you do it at shore but even then for best results you want to let them purge in salt water for a while so that added even more complication to the process.
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[alexaedita]

Why do you say it is impossible to do it by the book?
You can still stab them , put them on ice , purge them with salt and cook at home as whole. Can't you? Am I missing something?
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[kyLURE]

Well from what i understand the crawfish use the salt water to "flush" their system, which they can not do if they are dead. Opposed to just rinsing them off with saltwater. But I could be wrong on the reason for purging...[]
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[alexaedita]

I see your point. Well, I am willing to bet half the people who trap them are probably transporting them live anyhow. The law is idiotic for sure. But half the laws are that way, so what's new.
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[Tin-Can]

Been a couple times I've caught crawdads down in the south end shallows that were bigger than the fish I was catching at the time.....
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[alexaedita]

South End Shallows? Can you be more specific, may be a map screenshot?

I went to Benson Marina another day, put some canned sausage in the trap , left it for couple of hours , not a single one crawled in.
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[SkunkedAgain]

I don't think there are a ton at the Benson marina, but we have started seeing them, which we never used to... So I think they seems to be a growing population, but most likely not prime habitat for them...

I'd like to know more about cooking them? I've tried them on scout camps, by catching a few and throwing them directly in boiling water, no purge, and I've got to say I wasn't impressed with the flavor, but i'm sure I don't know how to cook them... So I'm open to directions on how to prepare them... I love shrimp and lobster, and expected the crawdads to be somewhat similar... was very disappointed... but I know technique is everything.... Any suggestions??? Thanks J
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[alexaedita]

Crawfish is one of them food items that will require quite a bit of dressing if I might call it that, to taste right.
The key ingredients you want to add to your boiling water are: garlic, dill ( a lot of it, fresh or dried)bay leaf, onions and beer. These items are essential to your boil. There are plenty of seafood spices available that will add certain flavors or marinades that can by added in into the boil. It sure depends on the taste of yours. Average boil time is 20 min.

In Salt Lake City, by the Maverick Arena, there is a place called "Bucket's O' Crawfish".
It's Louisiana style and they add corn and sausage and bunch of other stuff if you wish. It is by far one of the most decent places to eat crawfish on the West Coast. Well, in Utah for sure.
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[CoyoteSpinner]

Yup, gotta spice up the soup. Gives ya reason to pinch the tail and suck the head.
But yeah the like purging allows them to puke up their guts, clear out the intestines. That's good.

Maymoe's in Logan serves up some good crawdad boils, corn, taters, and all the sides (gator too, if you catch it)

They are having their last Crawfish boil on June 22nd.
Tell James I sent ya, he'll take good care of you (and ask him about fishing, he'll take REAL good care of you!)

[url "https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=maymoes%20posts"]Maymoes[/url]
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[alexaedita]

Nice tip, I'll give it a try.
Where does he get his crawfish from? Local?
If yes, I sure want to talk to him.
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[SkunkedAgain]

Thanks for the info. I'll give Mamoes a big thumbs up as well. Love their food but haven't done a boil yet. Have to try the one next weekend. Later J
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