Guest 420FLYFISHIN Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 Im just wondering if any of you use crayfish patterns in lakes? We have a very delicious infestation of them in our lake that i would like to capitalize on the during the morning/day/evening when im out looking for large trout. Im wondering on a few things: 1. how deep is too deep? we catch them in the shallows at midnight but i have seen them quite a few feet (6-8) down crawling along the weeds during the day. In a lake that reaches 8m in the middle will they still be there or will they stay to the edges? 2. will you cast a pattern that is the size of a full grown or a small juvie pattern? 3. do the larger lake rainbows eat the larger crayfish or is there a size at which the shell is too hard? 4. what are your favorite patterns, do you use a soft rabbit strip for the claws or a feather with the center clipped? Thanks Jeremy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowbonehead Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 Born and raised here but my dads parents owned a lodge on Lake of the Woods so I spent summers guiding and fishing for smallmouth with a fly. Bass prefer young crayfish in the moult stage as this makes them much more palatible to them. Crayfish moult 5-6 times in their first year and less as they get bigger. I had good luck with rusty brown wooley buggers in size 2-6 with slight variations in color. I would imagine trout would prefer similar sizes but have not fished a lake that had both....BC? We used to cast to the shallows and crawl the buggers back across the bottom(weed guards are helpful or tie your buggers clouser style but be prepared to hang up now and then) Hope this helps.. sounds like a fun lake! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 420FLYFISHIN Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 Its always a great time, i have not tried them on bass yet either but there is a lake not to far with some ok large mouth fishing. When trying a molted cray patter do you just make it lighter in color than a hard shell version? there is not too much hard debris in the lake that a good tug wont get you out of...90% of the time.... buy them or tie them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverDoctor Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 I'll most likly tie some for a Bass trip to BC again this summer. Post em when I do em, don't have any left over from last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowbonehead Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 Tie them as they are fairly simple, greens and browns and mixtures of both do the trick and remember to keep them down on the bottom for the most part as the crayfish try to stay under cover after molt as they feel vulnerable. let us know how you make out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 420FLYFISHIN Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 if i dont catch anything on cray fish patterns i will take out my vengeance on there population in the night!!!!! good god do they ever taste amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishinglibin Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 I did not realize we had them in our fisheries, let alone that theyare also good to eat. How big do they get and how do you catch them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 420FLYFISHIN Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 the larger ones are about the length of your hand and if they are smaller than my palm i chuck them back for next year or if they have a clutch of eggs. to catch them you can set out minnow traps with the opening stretched out a bit or my favorite is after you are a few drinks in, you all pile into a boat with a very long handles net and a big bucket with water in it. every ones has head lamps and you just putter about in the shallows netting them from behind. check your local regs on how to legally catch them as traps are not allowed in some areas and some places only allow hand catching ie, no nets. the best crays to eat come from spring fed ponds/creeks and as they are scavengers you should check the water quality before indulging. After you have enough you boil them and toss them in a pot with butter and seasoning salts. I dont suck the heads...just putting that out there... we have got a few while walking around in the shallows fishing buring the day but that is just dumb luck. They are most active at night in a full moon when they come out to forage for food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 420FLYFISHIN Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 i should add that if it is a new moon then dont go out and just go to bed to fish early. if you cant see, they cant see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monger Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 I would think a grey pattern would work...crawdads are often pale after molting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 420FLYFISHIN Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 ours have an olive-light brown shell so i was going to add some cream/khaki to it and hope that lightens it out in color Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowbonehead Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 I did not realize we had them in our fisheries, let alone that theyare also good to eat. How big do they get and how do you catch them? I do not believe there are any in our rivers with the possible exception of the milk as it flows south into the Mississippi drainage. I think we are talking BC waters? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 420FLYFISHIN Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 red deer system has lots and a few of the lakes aswell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBBrownie Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 I've found them in fairly large numbers in the North Sask in Edmonton as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjthom2 Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 red deer system has lots and a few of the lakes aswell Where have you seen them in the Red Deer system? I've never seen one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 420FLYFISHIN Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 below Dixen dam and farther south to where a few rivers meet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverDoctor Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 As a young boy in Ontario we made many a meal of crayfish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowbonehead Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 red deer system has lots and a few of the lakes aswell Read up on it a bit They are native to the Beaver river system(who knew not me) and may have been illegally introduced to other rivers. In all waters other than the Beaver they may be caught and kept but must be dispatched immediately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dschultz1 Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 You might want to check out this website for a pretty good crayfish pattern. I've used the eyes-n-tubes patterns as yabby flies and they work pretty good on rainbows and browns in lake jindabyne. http://www.eyes-n-tubes.com/fly-patterns Cheers Darren Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcubed Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 I do not believe there are any in our rivers with the possible exception of the milk as it flows south into the Mississippi drainage. I think we are talking BC waters? And the Bow is seeing some.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jksnijders Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 They're in the lower Bow near the Grand Forks and above for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcubed Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 I caught one by southland dog park this year... Friend at DFO was freaked out, ASRD didn't care Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 420FLYFISHIN Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 ASRD doesn't care because they know they cant do anything about them. But trout love them when there small. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harps Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 SRD in Lethbridge cares about the crayfish expansion.Still a bad thing. Was discussed here a couple of years ago:http://flyfishcalgary.com/board/index.php?showtopic=3509&hl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 420FLYFISHIN Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 yep, too bad the only way to really get rid of them is to wipe out the entire watershed with a poison or something....or put bass in Alberta...just sayin', it would be more fun than all these trout. j/k Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.