Bait for crayfish in crayfish traps in summer. What to catch crayfish with - the best bait for crayfish. Making a cone trap

Probably every fisherman has caught a crayfish with a float rod. This underwater arthropod inhabitant grabbed the bait so firmly with one claw that it was easily removed from the water along with the gear.
I usually don’t catch crayfish this way on purpose.

To catch a large number of arthropods, you need to purchase or make your own special device - a crayfish catcher.

You can catch crayfish in this way wherever it lives. Very promising in this regard are those areas of reservoirs where you can find a large number of damaged and dead fish. They catch arthropods throughout the year, pausing only during the molting period of the crayfish.

At this time, the meat of this arthropod is tasteless, and in some regions there is a ban on catching it at this time.

The advantage of catching crayfish on crayfish traps is the high efficiency of fishing, as well as the absence of constant monitoring of the trap.

Choosing a crayfish trap There are several types of clamshells.

The simplest models consist of two hoops covered with mesh. A rope is tied to such devices, which is used to lift the crayfish out of the water.

Hoops do not have to be round. You can use square or oval models with the same success. Open type shells have a significant drawback. Crayfish can easily leave such a trap after eating the bait

, therefore, open crayfish traps require constant supervision, and traps must be checked several times within an hour.

A more complicated shell design is made of several hoops or squares with a fine mesh stretched between them. In this case, the inlet hole should be relatively small. Cancer, after it gets into such a trap, cannot always leave it on its own, even after the bait is completely eaten.

The advantage of using extended models is their autonomous operation. Such a trap can be left overnight and in the morning the arthropods caught in the trap can be collected.

Such traps are most often made of hard plastic. The entire design of such a crayfish trap has small holes that allow the aroma of the bait to spread freely throughout the reservoir and prevent the crayfish from leaving the trap.

The cost of crayfish traps usually does not exceed several hundred rubles and depends on the dimensions of the product, material, and type of trap.

Cancer, after climbing into such a trap, cannot always leave it on its own, even after the bait is completely eaten

Lures

If a small fish is used to catch crayfish, then the air bubble is pierced, otherwise the bait will float up in the crayfish trap and catching crayfish will not be effective

Various natural products are used as bait for catching arthropods. Crayfish is omnivorous, so bread grated with garlic and fresh fish can be placed in the crayfish trap. The claim that crayfish are attracted to the smell of rotten meat is untrue.

Of course, when arthropods experience a nutritional deficiency, they attack any food, even with a strong odor. If cancer has a choice, it eats fresh fish.

When fishing is combined with catching crayfish, the best bait is fish caught with a fishing rod, which is kept in the sun for 2 - 3 hours.

If you manage to catch a large fish, then you can use a fish head to catch crayfish.

If a small fish is used to catch crayfish, then the air bubble is pierced, otherwise the bait will float up in the crayfish trap and catching crayfish will not be effective. An excellent bait for catching crayfish are mollusks that are found in a body of water where arthropods live. The shell of the mollusk should be opened with a sharp knife and in this form placed in shells.

There is no need to additionally weight this bait; the shell has significant weight, which will not allow the bait to float up. To catch crayfish, you can use frozen fish, which you buy in a store: it is thawed and used. Frozen products are not inferior in effectiveness to fresh, just caught fish.

Adding dill to plant baits significantly increases the catch of crayfish; you can use artificial attractants with odors that crayfish like, such as fish and shrimp.

How to catch

Good results in catching arthropods can be obtained on a cloudy day; at this time, the behavior of the crayfish is no different from night outings in search of food.

Catching crayfish with a closed and open crayfish trap differs slightly. An open trap requires more frequent checking of the gear; a closed trap can be left overnight or for a longer time. Cancer will not be able to get out of a closed structure on its own.

To install both types of crayfish traps, select a place with a steep bank. It is advisable that there be some hiding places for the crayfish underwater. You can count on a large catch of crayfish where there are large stones at the bottom of the reservoir, under which the crayfish make their burrows.

Reservoirs with low oxygen content, dirty water, and a sandy bottom are practically unsuitable for catching crayfish. The depth of the reservoir does not matter when catching crayfish. If there are all conditions for the life of crayfish at the bottom, then they can be found both in deep-sea places and at a depth of no more than 0.5 meters.

At night you can catch crayfish with greater success than during the day. You can leave closed traps overnight and check the gear in the morning. Good results in catching arthropods can be obtained on a cloudy day. At this time, the behavior of the crayfish does not differ from night trips in search of food.

The traps are set from the shore, or a boat is used to set the traps away from the shore. In the latter case, to determine the location of the trap, a large piece of foam is tied to the rope. When catching crayfish from the shore, the rope of the crayfish is tied to a tree or a stick, which is driven into the ground to a depth of 20–30 cm. If several traps are used, the distance between them should be at least 10 meters.

An excellent place for catching crayfish can be areas of reservoirs where water is pumped from one reservoir to another. During operation of the pumping system of such water pumps, small fish are injured and there is always a large amount of food for crayfish in such places.

To fish near water pumps it is not necessary to stock up on bait, you can catch a fish floating upside down with a fine-mesh net, cut it, and secure it in a trap to catch large numbers of arthropods.

Crayfish have a highly developed sense of smell, so all baits used in catching crayfish must emit a smell.
The garlic smell is especially attractive to arthropods. You can check the effectiveness of such aromatization by rubbing a piece of brick with garlic and placing such bait in a trap. After a short time, arthropods will definitely “enter” the crayfish trap, attracted by the pleasant aroma. If the smell is not strong enough, especially for vegetable baits, then they must be additionally flavored with garlic juice.
In all cases, except for the use of shellfish, the bait must be securely attached to the bottom of the crayfish trap. For this purpose, a pocket made of nylon fabric is sewn at the bottom of the trap. It is possible to attach a large bait with an elastic band, and if the structure is quite dense, then you can use a pin for this purpose.
The most favorable time for catching crayfish is from July to December. At this time, the crayfish gains significant weight, and caviar deposits begin to form in females. Almost any bait of animal origin can be used as bait at this time. You can use white bread rubbed with garlic and wrapped in cheesecloth.
When using fresh fish as bait for catching crayfish, it must be cut along the body. This must be done to attract arthropods with the smell of fish meat and blood.
Ponds near poultry farms may be promising places for catching arthropods. Meat production waste often ends up in such reservoirs, and there can be a huge number of crayfish in such places.

In addition to classic fishing for pike, perch, crucian carp, carp or any other fish, many people enjoy an equally interesting activity - catching crayfish. It is no secret that these animals are found in freshwater bodies of water with clean water and appropriate conditions for creating burrows. If you know how and where to catch crayfish, then your next trip to the pond will give you a good catch.

Habitat and life cycle

Crayfish are particularly demanding when it comes to choosing their habitat. They are not interested in dirty, salty or cloudy water. These animals require the same supply of oxygen as representatives of the salmon family, and their full life cycle is possible only with oxygen levels of 5 mg/l for the warm period.

Regular river species breed freely in light and dark water, provided that its acidity is neutral and does not exceed pH 6.5. If the reservoir is depleted of lime, the development of the crustacean organism will slow down significantly. Animals react with particular sensitivity to water pollution. Despite the ability to survive in various conditions, a significant part of the population is found in clean rivers.

When choosing a place of residence, crayfish give preference to areas with a hard and clean bottom, where there is no silt. These animals are not interested in areas with a muddy bottom or near rocky or sandy shores. They “like” shelters with a rocky bottom, where they can build a suitable home.

Crayfish burrows are so cramped that an adult can hardly fit in them. Such sizes allow crayfish to displace larger representatives of the species, and also protect them from potential danger.

Cancer spends a significant part of its life at a depth of 50 centimeters to three meters. The most convenient points are often captured by adults with an impressive body size. Young animals occupy coastal areas with shallow depth, creating shelters near the coastline.

Considering the animal’s lifestyle, it can be called a real hermit. A family lifestyle is unusual for them, so each representative of the species tries to create their own shelter, not allowing close relatives there. During the day, the crayfish does not leave its shelter, preventing other individuals from entering its hole and closing it with its claws. It goes out to feed late at night or at dusk. Moreover, if the weather is cloudy, leaving your home may shift to noon.

Fishing methods

Since ancient times, crayfish have been caught in a variety of ways. By the way, there are historical facts that confirm the catching of these animals in ancient times. Until the Middle Ages, they were of great value and were used for medicinal purposes. It is known that they were burned, and the resulting ashes were used to treat wounds from the bites of a rabid dog, snakes or scorpions. Boiled animals were also eaten, for example, to combat exhaustion.

There is evidence in historical literature that in Sweden, at the royal court, already in the 16th century, crayfish were considered a special find for culinary purposes. The taste of the meat was highly appreciated by nobles from Finland and other European countries. Representatives of the rural population did not eat the “shell beast” for food, but sold it for a minimal fee to noble townspeople.

Currently, residents of Finland fish for crayfish from July 21 until the end of October. Already in mid-autumn, the chances of catching trophy specimens are sharply reduced, and in late autumn they are completely absent. In addition, according to local laws, the fishing ban begins in October.

In turn, the beginning of the season is a good opportunity to get decent crayfish from the depths of the water. Moreover, the success of such an activity directly depends on the temperature conditions and the methods used. For example, if the end of May and the beginning of summer are accompanied by warm weather, the water warms up to a comfortable temperature, and the food supply becomes extensive, animals may become especially active. Also at this time, many males and females are already finishing their molt, which increases the chances of a good catch.

The likelihood of catching crayfish in the cold summer is reduced, because insufficient temperature slows down the natural molting process.

Using a clamshell

Over the centuries, several basic methods have been used to catch crayfish. Among them:

Catching with hands.
Fishing with bottom gear.
Fishing with crayfish.

The last method is considered the most popular, because it is characterized by a minimum of effort on the part of the catcher and good results regardless of the time of year or weather conditions.

The design of such gear is very simple: it includes a strong frame made of wire covered with a metal mesh, to which a reliable rope is tied. In the basic configuration, the upper part is slightly narrower than the lower part, and as a result, the crayfish cannot escape from the trap and remain there until a person arrives. It’s not difficult to make a good crayfish catcher with your own hands, although most people prefer to buy store-bought items.

As for the principle of operation, it is also very simple and understandable even to a beginner. The animal climbs inside the trap, trying to taste the bait that is there. Once in such a structure, he can no longer get out. If there is a large population of crayfish in the chosen reservoir, then the chances of a decent catch will increase significantly. Based on these features, a crayfish trap can become a very promising tool for catching “shell creatures.”

The right time to "hunt"

During the cold season, from mid-autumn until the end of winter, these animals do not leave their burrows and remain passive. It is not advisable to go out to catch crayfish on crayfish traps at this time.

You shouldn’t expect a serious catch in March or April either, since the animals are just beginning their seasonal awakening from hibernation. In May and June, fishing does not bring good results, because the “shelled” creatures begin to molt and get rid of the old shell, as well as spawn.

In July, a full-fledged fishing season begins, when the results can be very good. After shedding the old shell, the cancer remains active for a long time. Now his main task is to find a source of food, so with the right approach to choosing bait, the fishing result can exceed all expectations.

Baits and lures

The biological description of the animal mentions its predilection for clean, flowing bodies of water with an abundance of places for arranging shelters. To understand where to catch crayfish, you need to pay attention to the main features of their behavior and life cycle. Currently an animal widespread in the following places:

Ponds.
Clean lakes.
Calm rivers.

When setting up shelters, crayfish prefer areas with a rocky bottom, where they can reliably hide from possible dangers. The main share of the crayfish diet is occupied by food of animal origin, or rather, dead carrion. The smell of such prey attracts him in a special way. At the same time, the opinion that cancer feeds on decomposed fish or animals is erroneous. He will try to find fresher food.

But in order to arouse the animal’s interest in the bait and provoke it to swim into the crayfish trap, it is necessary to slightly cut the fish carcass and rub it on the walls of the metal structure. As a result, this will give the latter a special smell and attract crayfish from a great distance. Often the bait is flavored with Borodino bread and garlic. The last ingredient is of incredible interest to the creatures.

The bait that will be placed in the trap can be used:

Fish meat.
Animal meat.
A frog.
Insects.

When it comes to the freshness of bait, many people have differing opinions on this issue. Some argue that rotten-smelling foods attract crayfish better than fresh ones, while others take a completely opposite position.

In any case, there is no definite answer, because everything depends on the preferences of prey in a particular reservoir at a certain time of the year. If the food supply of crayfish is extensive, then they are unlikely to react to rotten meat. If the diet is limited, then the animals will not be particularly picky.

A good bait can be a mollusk that lives in a local reservoir.

Seasonal characteristics of luring

Depending on the time of year, the baits used should differ from each other. For example, in the spring, fish meat is good, or rather, fresh fillet or small fish, which is cut in several places and emits a special smell. An excellent bait would be ordinary crucian carp, gobies or other small fish. You can catch it yourself or buy it frozen. Before using the bait, it must be brought to the appropriate state until the aroma appears.

In summer it is difficult to attract crayfish with anything, because during this period the range of food is so diverse that the animals begin to fatten. To increase the chances of a decent catch, it is necessary to use animal or poultry meat, offal and any other ingredients with an intense odor as bait. The purchased product is pre-aged for some time under the scorching sun.

To catch a large number of crayfish, it is not necessary to place a lot of fish in the crayfish trap. 1-2 small individuals will be enough, because the goal is not to feed the crayfish, but to lure them to the smell of food.

In this case, in addition to carrion, any living creature living in the reservoir is also used. These can be snails, small frogs and other creatures.

After choosing the right bait, it needs to be properly prepared and presented. Otherwise, the expected effect will remain in dreams. If the option in the form of cut dead fry is used, then it must also be cleaned of offal with an air bubble and scales. Such actions significantly increase the chances of productive crayfish fishing.

When using meat products from an offal set, there is no need to cut them, because the specific smell is present initially. To avoid premature consumption of the ingredients used, it is better to wrap them with gauze or a rag.

As for the suitable type of clamshell, you can choose any of two types:

Open. They are considered the simplest designs that can be easily made from available materials. Even a beginner can create an open crayfish trap without spending a lot of time on it. It consists of a round or square frame and a metal mesh, reminiscent of a colander.
Closed. Such traps are effective in a wide variety of conditions, but the manufacturing process takes much longer than in the previous case.

Catching crayfish with crayfish is really interesting. But the process will bring the expected success only if important subtleties, rules and recommendations are taken into account before entering the reservoir.

Crustacean meat is considered a delicacy. Their most accessible representative is crayfish. It lives in most fresh water bodies with clean water. Almost no one catches or breeds crayfish on an industrial scale. In most regions, they are prohibited from being caught during certain periods of the year. The only permitted equipment for recreational fishing is a crayfish catcher. Crayfish just won't get into it. They need to be lured.

What baits should I use in the crayfish trap?

Many fishermen noticed that someone was quietly eating their bait or slowly but surely moving across the surface of the reservoir. The culprit in most cases could be common cancer. Crayfish are generally considered to be scavengers. This is true, since crayfish themselves do not hunt, but eat already dead inhabitants of the reservoir. Long-decomposed meat is less attractive to cancer. He will prefer a recently dead fish, or even an exhausted dying fish, to meat that will decompose within a few days. Contrary to the traditional idea of crayfish's preferences as a scavenger, it happily consumes plant foods, which amount to up to 90 percent of its diet.

Crayfish rarely moves long distances from its burrow, but if there is not enough food, it is able to cover distances of up to 250 meters in search of food.

The basis of the diet is:

algae and aquatic plants;
fallen leaves;
shellfish;
worms;
insects and their larvae;
tadpoles;
dead inhabitants of the aquatic world.

Only bait with a strong odor can lure crayfish from long distances, so the following baits are placed in crayfish traps:

Fresh fish meat. For a strong smell, fresh meat is dried in the sun for several hours, after which it is cut so that the meat comes out and placed in a crayfish trap. Sometimes scales are removed from fish to enhance the smell. It is better to catch fish in the same reservoir (roach, crucian carp).
Canned corn, peas. The smell of sweet canned corn is very attractive to cancer.
Bread with garlic. Pieces of rye bread are cut and chopped cloves of garlic are placed in it. The surface of the bread crusts is also rubbed with garlic. The garlic bread can be toasted a little in the oven. You can wrap it in cheesecloth to prevent it from getting soft and being eaten by fish.
Mollusks, snail larvae from a local reservoir. They are collected near a pond or near the shore.

Choosing bait depending on the season

In the summer, the crayfish feeds on fresh plants and algae, and in the winter on fallen leaves. As a rule, it emerges from its burrow or shelter in the form of snags to feed at night. But it can move around a reservoir in search of food during the daytime, if the potential bait has a strong odor attractive to it, and there is little plant food in its habitat.

In the spring, when there is no plant food at the bottom, the best bait will be animal food rich in proteins. Fish meat, fillets, small fish would be the right choice.

In the summer, with the appearance of vegetation, you can use meat, as well as vegetable aromatic baits in the form of canned corn or peas.

In autumn and winter, the water temperature decreases, and, consequently, the rate of spread of odors in the reservoir. Therefore, the best bait would be rye bread with garlic, canned corn, or stale meat.

Best time to fish

During the main winter months, crayfish are practically not caught, as they are inactive and do not come out of their burrows. In the first spring months it begins to move, but is caught very poorly. Egg separation begins in May, after which a month is spent molting. At this time it is difficult to catch.

How to catch more fish?

I have been active fishing for quite some time and have found many ways to improve the bite. And here are the most effective:

Bite activator. Attracts fish in cold and warm water with the help of pheromones included in the composition and stimulates its appetite. It’s a pity that Rosprirodnadzor wants to impose a ban on its sale.
More sensitive gear. Reviews and instructions for other types of gear can be found on the pages of my website.
Lures using pheromones.

You can get the rest of the secrets of successful fishing for free by reading our other articles on the site.

Active crayfish fishing begins in July and continues throughout the summer and autumn, until December.

DIY crayfish baits

To successfully catch crayfish, you must not only choose bait, but also prepare it correctly if necessary.

To prepare meat bait, you can use store-bought fish fillets. It must be defrosted and left to dry for several hours, as it contains a lot of water.

Freshly caught fish must be cut. It is preferable to remove the scales, pierce and squeeze out the air bubble. Make transverse cuts along the body so that the smell comes from a larger area of the fish carcass.

You can dry the bread a little and rub the entire surface with garlic. You can make cuts in pieces of bread into which to insert pieces of chopped garlic. It is better to wrap the bait in gauze to preserve it.

Attaching baits

Shells can have different designs. When casting, the bait should be inside the crayfish trap with the expectation that it will not fall out and the crayfish will not be able to reach the bait from the outside. To do this, the bait must be in the lower part of the crayfish when it falls to the bottom. Attach the bait in the following ways:

tie the bait with fishing line or wire to a net or frame;
placed in a mesh bag;
secured with an elastic band;
using a pin, etc.

When making a crayfish, you can knit a pocket for the bait in advance.

Traps can be open or closed. Closed ones are more practical; it is more difficult for cancers to get out of it.

They are lowered to the bottom carefully; the structure should lie completely on the bottom and not hang on the grass. Crayfish traps can be installed 20 - 30 meters apart. They need to be checked no earlier than three hours later, but it is more profitable to install them in the evening and check them in the morning.

The result of crayfish hunting largely depends on the bait chosen. The arthropod inhabitants of water bodies are not so simple, and they cannot be attracted by ordinary food. A good bait for crayfish should exude a bright aroma and correspond to the food they are accustomed to.

The diet of crayfish is varied. They feed on food of plant and animal origin. They do not disdain carrion, for this they are nicknamed “orderlies” of reservoirs. But rotten food can only lure hungry crayfish, which live in scanty water areas or in very cold water.

Plants make up about 90% of the crayfish menu. The rest is aquatic life. They love to eat mollusks, tadpoles, worms, insects, larvae, small fish or carrion of large individuals. Among plants, they happily eat algae, water lilies, horsetail, elodea, nettles, pondweed, and fallen leaves.

Photo 1. These crayfish were attracted to the trout's head.

For meat, a poultry carcass or a piece of beef is suitable. It may also be stale. Mollusks, frogs, and snails are caught in the same reservoir where it is planned to catch crayfish. Worms are used in rare cases when there are no other options. They are placed in a piece of thin gauze to prevent them from spreading.

The most effective plant baits for crayfish are:

dill;
garlic;
makha (cake);

Attention! Peas and corn are boiled, steamed, or a canned product is used. Crustaceans are attracted to the smell of garlic; it can be added to other foods.

When choosing what bait to catch crayfish with, you should consider the season. In the summer, when it’s hot, the best option is a piece of liver, meat or chicken giblets. To enhance the smell, you can add a little fish oil to them. In spring, vegetable bait or fish are suitable. It is first cut along the ridge, turned inside out and left to spoil in the sun. With the onset of cold weather, it is better to lure crayfish with rotten meat or peas.

Habitat also plays a role. For hunting in reservoirs with muddy bottoms, bait made from spoiled fish is suitable. This is a common food for crayfish living in such conditions. They will crawl into the crayfish trap without suspecting anything. If the bottom is covered with a lot of vegetation, then it is better to choose peas or corn for fishing. For fishing in underwater caves or under the shore, bait with a strong odor is used: spoiled meat or garlic mixture. In shallow water you can use shellfish, worms, and corn.

Recipes

The best homemade bait for catching crayfish is different for each fisherman. But there are universal, time-tested recipes.

Garlic

Ingredients:

Rye bread;
garlic.

Garlic is grated or cut in half and crushed. With the second option the aroma will be stronger. The bread is cut into pieces and lightly fried in oil. It is permissible to use the product without frying. Garlic is crushed inside the bread and rubbed onto the crust. You can make garlic balls. To prepare them, I pass the garlic together with the loaf through a meat grinder, and the resulting mass is rolled into small balls. To prevent them from becoming soggy in water, they are placed in nylon or gauze bags.

Photo 2. Bread with garlic - delicious!

From the top

Ingredients:

cake;
bread;
dill.

The compressed sunflower seeds are cut into medium pieces. Rye bread and dill are added to them. It is advisable that the dill be fresh. But you can also use dried. Mix everything thoroughly and place in gauze.

Fish. Before preparing the bait, fish are caught from the reservoir where the crayfish live. Fresh frozen from the store will also work. An incision is made along the ridge. The air bubble from the carcass is squeezed out or punctured. The scales need to be picked, but it is better to remove them from the crucian carp. Large fish are cut into pieces, and small fish are used whole.

Hepatic

Ingredients:

beef liver;
flavoring (shrimp) or fish oil;
chicken entrails.

The liver is left in a warm place for 1-2 days to allow it to spoil. Then it is cut into small pieces and covered with flavoring or sprinkled with a small amount of fish oil. Add some chicken entrails or skins. The bait is wrapped in gauze.

Frog

Crayfish love missing and dried carcasses. The dead frog is cut into two or four parts and the skin is removed. You can pick up dried remains of amphibian bodies near a reservoir.

Pea

Canned peas are mixed with dill and poured into cheesecloth. You can add corn, corn, grasshoppers, canned food, and leftover homemade food to it.

Photo 3. Pea crayfish bait.

Lure attachment

There are two main types of crayfish traps: open and closed. The first ones differ in that they require frequent checking - every 20 or 30 minutes. Closed traps are checked 2-3 times a night. For crayfish of any type, the bait is attached to the bottom.

The fish is secured to the net with a pin or fishing line. If these are pieces in gauze, then fasten the fabric. Small fish are placed whole. The carcass with the bubble removed will not float. When using mussels as bait, you don’t have to fix them at all. They are quite heavy and are not carried away by the current.

Rye bread with garlic is secured with fishing line. If these are balls in gauze, then you can simply tie it to a crayfish trap. The makukha in the form of briquettes is fixed with special clamps, and in bags - with pins or fishing line.

A convenient mounting option is to sew a nylon or gauze pocket to the bottom of the trap, into which bait is placed. The pocket is sewn by hand and fixed to the mesh using fishing line. You can use an elastic band, wire or a special hook. Whatever the method of fastening, it must securely hold the bait and not give the arthropod the opportunity to drag it away. Then the animal will eat the food in the crayfish trap and will not crawl away.

Hunting for crayfish will be successful if you try different options for crayfish bait. Only personal experience will help you develop successful tactics and increase your catch.

In order to catch a lot of crayfish, as in the case of fishing, work is required. You can, of course, catch them with your bare hands, using a float rod or casting a seine.

But the most effective option is to catch crayfish using a crayfish trap. This article will tell you step by step about catching crayfish using this method. You can make a shell yourself or purchase it at a fishing store.

The simplest device for catching crayfish consists of two circles (of different diameters) made of wire, which are fastened together with a mesh, and the inner area of the circles is also lined.

A hole is made in a circle with a smaller diameter through which the cancer will crawl.

What exactly the design of the crayfish will be is not so important; the main thing in catching crayfish is the bait. The cancer does not experience a lack of food in its native reservoir.

Therefore, when choosing bait, it is necessary to take into account his gastronomic preferences, and, if possible, attract him with delicacies.

The most popular bait for catching crayfish is fish

You can use fresh fish caught in the same reservoir. Freshly frozen capelin or saury bought in a store is also suitable for this purpose.

In order for the aroma of fresh fish to spread as strongly as possible, it is necessary to make cuts with a knife parallel to its ridge. There is a misconception that crayfish are attracted to the smell of rotten fish.

Rotten meat can attract cancer only in cold water. In the summer, cancer is much more willing to accept the aroma of fresh fish. He especially likes bream, roach, silver bream, and crucian carp.

The scales of the crucian carp are first removed with a special device.

If the fish is still alive, it is kept in the sun for about an hour, and only then used as bait.

To prevent our bait from floating up, it is imperative to pierce the air bubble of the fish.

And if catching crayfish is carried out in the current, the fish should be secured to the net using a fishing line or a pin.

Well, perhaps we’ve sorted out the fish as bait. Now let's move on to the silver medalists!

Second place in the ranking of the best baits for crayfish - mussels

These mollusks live in almost every freshwater body of water. You can collect mussels near the shore, being careful, as you can cut your hands on the sharp edges of the shells.

To safely collect mussels, you must wear gloves and boots. To open the mussels you need a sharp knife, the blade of which must be inserted between the shell flaps.

The mussels are placed open in the crayfish trap; such bait does not need to be fixed, since the mussels are quite heavy and are unlikely to be carried away by the current. The fresh smell of mussels is very popular with crayfish, which begin to gather from all nearby holes for a feast in your crayfish trap.

Garlic takes third place

Oddly enough, this vegetable is not a plant that grows in a body of water where crayfish lives.

However, the smell of garlic drives this mustachioed arthropod inhabitant of murky waters crazy. You can conduct an experiment: a brick rubbed with garlic is placed in a crayfish trap and left for 2-3 hours, then the crayfish trap is taken out of the water with a decent catch of crayfish.

It will be even larger if you use rye bread instead of brick, which is also secured in the shell with a fishing line.

In fourth place is makukha

Makukha is sunflower cake, a waste product from the production of sunflower oil. Makukha has a bright, attractive aroma, which is widely used in fishing. Cancers also love this smell very much.

Using makha as bait, you will not be left without a catch. Makuha is sold in pressed form in fishing stores, and it can also be purchased at agricultural markets by weight.

It should also be secured in a clamshell. If it is a pressed briquette, then a special clamp is used for this, and if the briquette has the appearance of flour, then it is placed in a cloth bag.

In fifth place is bait of plant origin

Boiled potatoes, corn, beans and even pumpkin are all suitable for catching crayfish in any ratio and quantity, but it is worth remembering that vegetable baits are less popular with crayfish.

Listed above are the most popular baits for catching crayfish using a crayfish trap. But this is far from a complete list.

When there is no fresh fish, mussels, garlic bread and corn, the cancer eats algae, worms, and all sorts of rotten meat, so if you have run out of prepared bait, you just need to walk along the shore of the reservoir and collect some living creatures, for example: snails.

And you can safely continue hunting for crayfish.

Places for catching crayfish

Places for catching crayfish can also be divided into more catchy and less catchy ones.

The first category includes rivers, ponds and lakes with clean water, preferably running water. Cancer is very fond of reservoirs with rocky bottoms. Also lives in muddy ponds. Let's look at places to catch crayfish, starting with the most preferred ones.

Locations of various pumping stations that pump water from one reservoir to another, for example, to rice paddies.

In such places, small fish are injured by pumping units and become easy prey for cancer. Near the pumping stations you can successfully catch crayfish using a float rod.

And for fishing with a crayfish, this is simply an ideal place. In this case, you don’t have to take care of the bait at all. The most catchy bait, fresh fish, is everywhere. It is enough to simply remove the stunned or chopped fish from the water.

Reservoirs near poultry farms.

Here offal and waste are dumped into the water. Cancer does not bother looking for food in these reservoirs; it can stay in one place and have food delivered to it at home. Therefore, cancer here can be very lazy.

The shell needs to be delivered directly to his nose. But the catch of crayfish here is always large, despite the fact that there is plenty of food, the crayfish, sensing the fresh smell of fish, strives to diversify its diet and stuffs itself into the crayfish traps in huge quantities.

If there are no such structures in your area, then the following rules will help you choose the right place for catching crayfish:

It is best to catch crayfish from a small cliff, and the depth should be within 1-2 m, no more.
The bottom should be muddy or rocky.
It is desirable that the reservoir has running water.

It is also worth paying attention to flooded trees, snags and the mouths of small rivers. If reeds grow near the shore, then the crayfish trap should be placed closer to it, since crayfish love to live in such places.

The mobility of crayfish depends on the illumination of the water. In cloudy, rainy weather, you can catch crayfish throughout the day.

On a clear, sunny day, you should not go out on a crayfish hunt before late evening.

The best time is a warm, dark night, especially the first half. At night, crayfish can be attracted by the light of a fire that is lit on the shore.

Boil the crayfish in a large saucepan - they should not be tightly packed in it. The water is brought to a boil, then salted, spices and lemon are added. The crayfish are immersed in boiling water alive and cooked for about ten minutes.

In conclusion, it is worth noting that for a good catch, it is necessary to follow all recommendations. With the right location, bait, and weather conditions (on a cloudy, rainy day, crayfish are much more active), you are guaranteed a catch.

Happy crayfish hunting!

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