Crawfish, Crayfish, Crawdad, Mud Bug!

[SHELLFISH]

Here is something I've never seen posted about here!

I like eating these that I get at the local Chinese Buffet.
I have had them fresh too at a feast in Florida and they taste a whole lot better fresh and spiced!
I have added a couple of links from You Tube to look at.

Anyone else here ever eaten any of these and has anyone here gone and caught them yourself? There are seven species here in CT and you can catch them in a minnow trap. I've gotta give this a go!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzFTjNIcjuc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps7mqQrAmbE&feature=related

That sure looks like some good eats to me!

I just called the CT DEP about Crawfish.
"They are considered a bait species and you need a freshwater fishing license to catch them".
CT has got it's hand in your pocket all they can!

[Crab Shack]

Yep....very tasty...had them in Paris and a few towns in Louisianna...yummah!       Mike Row did a show about crawfish fishing once on "Dirty Jobs" 

[jdroat]

Yep, went to a local creek with about 6 inches of clear water in a sopt with very little current. When you see a nice big one, sneak up behind it with a net. Put the fishing net behind it slowly, then take a stick and put in front of it. They see the stick and swim backwards into the net. Also catch a bunch when we rake the creek bottoms for hellgramites. Steam em up, pop off the tails and dip in drawn butter. Just like lobster.

[jack1747]

Yup, love them.. Been awhile since we had any.  Awhile back a farmer by us built a stream fed pond just for raising crawdads.. Taste like a cross of Shrimp and Lobster to me.  Every now and then I see'em for sale steamed in grocery stores but have only had them fresh..

[captaincrab55]

Yup, love them.. Been awhile since we had any.  Awhile back a farmer by us built a stream fed pond just for raising crawdads.. Taste like a cross of Shrimp and Lobster to me.  Every now and then I see'em for sale steamed in grocery stores but have only had them fresh..

I saw some @ Mars last Saturday..     They were already cooked, farm raised and imported from CHINA...

[Dreampixels]

 

[Robb]

eat them atleast once a week. i kinda have an advantage though, living here in south La and all. there are 4 places within 3 miles of my house that boil and sell them fresh daily.

[SHELLFISH]

Nice! I've never been to that part of the country; I've been everywhere else.
Gotta make the trip down some time.

I like all of the cajun / creole food!
I'd like to try it where they know how to make it right!

[dfran]

I catch 100's of em every summer but always use them for smallmouth bait in the Susky.....they luvem almost as much as stone cats.

[threesuns1]

My brother ran a crayfish farm in South Carolina years back around Sumter, when we visited him he would aways do a boil. It was by far the best seafood I have ever had.  If I recall correctly he boiled half ears of fresh corn, potatoes(Gore's Spelling), two sacks crayfish, several bags of spice in a very large round bottom wok looking thing. Add a little dipping butter, a couple neighbors, several beers and good conversation what an evening.  I have yet to match those crayfish. Dam, now I'm hungry!

[robc22]

I know it depends on where you are fishing but i wonder how many traps you would have to fish to catch a good meal??

[Robb]

boiled some saturday, mmmmmmmm!!

this was one sac(about 40lbs) for my gf, myself and a friend, and had plenty left over. heres what i added:

1 1/2 containers of Zatarains Crab and Crawfish boil
2 sacks of small red potatoes
2 bags of onions(peeled and cut in half)
lemon juice
1 pack of garlic
1 pack of whole broccoli(for me, talk about good)
6 lemons

talk about good! it was by far the best boil i've ever done.

[Stevo]

I catch 100's of em every summer but always use them for smallmouth bait in the Susky.....they luvem almost as much as stone cats.

We used to catch 'em every night on the susky when we where up there and use them for bait the next day! Smallies love 'em, Don where you fish the Susky at? We used to camp right where the Juniata runs into the susquehannah

[dfran]

We used to catch 'em every night on the susky when we where up there and use them for bait the next day! Smallies love 'em, Don where you fish the Susky at? We used to camp right where the Juniata runs into the susquehannah

Steve,

I fish quite a bit north....in and around Tunkhannock, Meshoppen, Mehoopany,...20 or so miles north of Wilkes-Barre. Great smallmouth, walleye, and Musky fishing.

[Stevo]

Steve,

I fish quite a bit north....in and around Tunkhannock, Meshoppen, Mehoopany,...20 or so miles north of Wilkes-Barre. Great smallmouth, walleye, and Musky fishing.

So lets plan a float for smallies!

[EastonCrabber]

Go out on someones dock at night and shine a flashlight in the water ( where the water is clear enough to see bottom) just get a net and scoop them up. My family owns property in northern MN and we do it alot and catch hundreds of them a night steam em up the next morning

[Jigginjohnson]

I catch 100's of em every summer but always use them for smallmouth bait in the Susky.....they luvem almost as much as stone cats.

Yea but the stonecate are AWESOME SM and Walleye bait in the Susky. Well almost as good as the Hellgramites-JJ

[jdroat]

I agree but we throw the stonecats away when we go for hellgramites. Only bc we only have one bucket. Hellgramites are the best bait by far I've used for any river fish. How do you get them? My dad and I use a seine net below or in some rapids and the other guy uses the potatoe rake just above to rake the [shiz] out of the rocks, then when the mud clears pick up the net and pick out the hellgies. We live near Sunbury/ Lewisburg and they atre wonderful.

[Dreampixels]

I agree but we throw the stonecats away when we go for hellgramites. Only bc we only have one bucket. Hellgramites are the best bait by far I've used for any river fish. How do you get them? My dad and I use a seine net below or in some rapids and the other guy uses the potatoe rake just above to rake the [shiz] out of the rocks, then when the mud clears pick up the net and pick out the hellgies. We live near Sunbury/ Lewisburg and they atre wonderful.

It is my understanding that stonecats are the favorite choice of walleye.

[jrccrab]

Been to that resturant with the lobster going after that beetle. All you can eat seafood, lobster etc.! MAN DID I PIG OUT!

[Jigginjohnson]

I agree but we throw the stonecats away when we go for hellgramites. Only bc we only have one bucket. Hellgramites are the best bait by far I've used for any river fish. How do you get them? My dad and I use a seine net below or in some rapids and the other guy uses the potatoe rake just above to rake the [shiz] out of the rocks, then when the mud clears pick up the net and pick out the hellgies. We live near Sunbury/ Lewisburg and they atre wonderful.

I pick all of my clippers (hellgramites) by hand. I have used the nets, but I do much better picking by hand. Same goes for the stonecats. I lover summer SM fishing. Doesnt get much better. I fish from Falls/Harding down to Wilkes-Barre.-JJ

[Nabbcrab]

God, I love those bugs.  I eat them all the time out of LA and TX.  The Chinese seem to cook them the best if you want them hot!  I've been thinking about catching some locally and cooking them myself.  Coon [arse]'s use a different kind of trap other then a minnow trap.  Anyone know about this?

[snowenloe]

This guy sells some nice traps, here in NW Oregon we can catch some decent crawdads.  The local fishing store has a good selection of traps.

http://www.terrybullard.com/

[lefty87]

haha a couple years ago my friend and i went camping at my uncle's campground in pennslyvania where we spent 4 days just all day boozin, fishing, swimming, and  nights going out to the local bars meeting girls to party with us but we did try something new.  My buddy brought up the ring nets that we use for crabbing and put the heads of the trout or big small mouths that we caught in them, let me kid you not we caught 305 in about a 30 yard section of the creek, it was a blast because you could see them scurrying in from under the rocks and they were monsters their claws would be too big for minnow trap, not the typical ones you see flipping over a rock.  It was a blast.

[Chef Lar]

Hey Lefty, where in Pa. I've been looking at it and thought about doing it. I'm right on the Sus-q and thought about giving it a try. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.