Catching bait?

[ROUGH COUNTRY HUNTER]

will give it a try

 

[catman529]

I have just kind of developed a skill I guess for catching 'dads...most times I can turn over a rock and grab one with my hand....although they do escape sometimes, so a dip net is more effective. Rule #1 keep the net or your hand behind the crawdad. If using a net, I usually use my free hand in front of the crawdad to spook it so it swims backward into the net. Great bait, caught a lot of fish with them, but for some time now I've had a preference for the stonerollers and other minnows caught in a cast net.

 

[Blount County Hunter]

If the creeks not to deep, a foot or shallower is ideal, wear some rubber boots, and slowly turn rocks over and wait for the water to clear, if they are under there and you flip them gentle, 9 times out of 10, they won't flee, put a dip net behind them and use your other hand to scare him into swimming backwards right into the net

 

[catman529]

Just what I do, blount county hunter. Works very well

 

[Blount County Hunter]

Just what I do, blount county hunter. Works very well

Yes it does, I have been doing it since I was 5, guarantee ill out catch a trap by triple the numbers within an hour, than a trap would catch sitting all night

 

[catman529]

yeah I haven't used a trap and don't see a need to unless all the water you have access to is deep. But sometimes deeper water with bigger rocks holds much bigger crawdads, but you don't always want them big unless you're eating them. I get enough success in the shallows just lifting rocks, no need for me to buy any traps. Caught a few bruisers in the shallows too. Rule of thumb for size - bigger rocks usually yield bigger crawfish. So I lift them more carefully because bigger 'dads are more wary.

 

[Blount County Hunter]

Yep, the ideal crawldad for me is a 3 inch softshell that just recently molted, the fish seem to like them better, I'm not a fan of the big 4-6 inchers, never seem to have any luck with the big boys, but I'm not gonna lie, I have pulled some mini lobsters almost 8in long! Out of small creeks

 

[huntingsonny]

wend we were kids,we got a stick tied on some string tied on a chicken liver .they would come out latch on and shake em off in the bucket.

 

[catman529]

I've caught a couple nice fish off of the big crawdads but usually what I catch are 2-3 inches and they work just fine.

 

[Blount County Hunter]

Yep 2-3 inch ones are the best, especially a soft shell crawldad that just shed its hard shell, its like an orgasm in a smallies mouth