Crawfish and walleye.

[SCUMFROG]

Ok here's a question for all. I would like to know if walleye eat crawfish? we caught one this weekend walleye fishing a rock hump. Did some asking around and people have been catching them all the time on that hump. Would a walleye eat one? I would think so, bass do, pike do why not a walleye. And do they sale rigs for using live ones, can you use live ones?

[Borch]

Answer there is a definite yes. Some eyes target crayfish as a primary forage during parts of the summer. I've found many of them in the stomachs of eyes over the years.

Borch

[SCUMFROG]

How can I catch them? (crayfish.) And is there a rig that you use.

[huskiesplayer15]

I think you only use crayfish from the lake you are fishing, check the regs though, buy a trap from frabill and throw it off your dock, we have always tail hooked them behind a split shot and yo-yoed on the bottom, did they work? for the time and hassle i didnt think they worked, but to each his own, plus on vermillion you can catch them dragging a rap on the bottom of the lake.
Best Fishes
Chris

[SCUMFROG]

Who sells traps? Gander? Fleet farm? were?

[MT Net]

I know Fleet Farm has those cylindrical crayfish traps, and I think Gander has them as well.

Drop some breakfast suasage in it and soon you'll hae a basketfull.

We also use ice fishing jiggig sticks from the dock. Simply hook on some deli meat from your sandwich, drop to the bottom and wait. Soon, they will clamp on and you slowly haul them up into a bucket. Fun for the kids!

[ChuckN]

I bought mine at Wal-Mart. Only place I could find a minnow trap. I catch a lot of crayfish in it. I leave bread (wrapped in cheesecloth) inside the trap. Change it daily.

[SCUMFROG]

So if I put a trap out before I go to bed off the dock with bait in it, I should have plenty to fish with buy morning? What is the best bait to use?

[redhooks]

One of my favorite crankbaits for the boundary waters area is a Rebel crawfish-cast or troll it catches walleyes, bass and pike. A must for every tackle box!!
tightlines!
redhooks

[SCUMFROG]

I have 2 of them. I'm going to try using live ones maybe thiw weekend we'll see.

[Walt Sobchak]

Make sure to check in with a report, I'll be interested to hear how you do.

Walt

[AaronM]

I have used crayfish before for walleye fishing reefs...They definately wont outproduce anything else you could use, but the size did seem to be a bit larger when the odd one hit. Anyways the best way to catch crayfish I've found is by hand at night. When it gets black outside, they move into the shallows to feed (I've seen them numbering into the hundreds when they do this), and its pretty easy to pick 'em out. Besides using them for bait (on the lake you catch them on) they're pretty dang good to eat.

FF

[This message has been edited by fishingfrenzy (edited 07-29-2004).]

[huskiesplayer15]

you can only use them in the lake they are caught in, and you can only have 25 pounds in possessionm too.
Best Fishes
Chris

[Borch]

Walt,

I read the same study. And although I agree that as a whole walleyes don't target crawfish, I have found pcokets of fish that do. Although I don't use real live crayfish to fish for these fish but rather cranks or jigs that imitate them. Real crayfish are tough to fish with and tougher to obtain. Give me a crawfish colored crank or jig anyday of the week.

Borch

[Walt Sobchak]

For what it's worth, I've been reading the In-Fisherman walleye book series and they are of the opinion that for the most part walleyes don't feed on crayfish. They didn't really know why but just said that experience showed that crayfish are never really a primary forage for waldos like they are for bass.

[B-bear]

I read somewhere once that the smell and taste of a night crawler (to a fish?) is somewhat similar to that of a crayfish. So maybe a spinner rig with an orange and/or light green color would imitate it????

[SCUMFROG]

Well I need to find some thing that works. Little fish are ok but I'd like to catch something of some size. I know there is big walleye in our like. But they don't show themselfs to often.

[This message has been edited by SCUMFROG (edited 07-30-2004).]

[Guest]

SCUMFROG,

Something I read once was that Walleye would eat a Crayfish only during the molting phase when the shell is soft.

What I'd try for the BIG 'Eyes is a nice fat Leopard Frog--Walleyes love them...

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Chells

[Borch]

Scumfrog,

This weekend is full moon. If I where targeting bigger eyes I'd be oout after dark pulling cranks. If the water is clear and with it being full moon I'd opt for lure that woould provide some flash(clown, chrome, silver, etc.

I hope to be oout doing the same at some point this weekend.

P.S. This bite just heats up as it get later into the fall.

Borch

[SCUMFROG]

Oh I can't use frogs the wife would kill me. Our lake is stained with iron. So noisy baits work well. And the night bite isn't that good from what I understand.

[Walt Sobchak]

Borch,

So, does that mean I've run into pockets of walleyes that feed on rainbow trout, fire tigers, and clowns?

Don't take that the wrong way, I just can't help being a smart-a$$ sometimes. Anyway, my point is I think a crankbait painted like a crayfish still looks more like a minnow to a fish. Now, if you're catching walleyes on a jig and plastic craw that may be a little different story.

And I totally agree with you about the fall night fishing. My biggest 'eye was in October trolling at night, only 8 lbs, but still my best. We were trolling in 6-8 ft. of water and as soon as the moon came up over the trees we just started hammering them.

Walt

[Chris Haley]

I think the size of the crayfish is the key!!! I've caught walleyes that have had their stomachs full of crayfish. The thing is that they looked to be young of the year crayfish, only 3/4in in length. How a guy would catch those, I don't know. I have yet to see full grown crayfish in the belly of a walleye, but have seen the small ones in so many I couldn't count em.

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Bemidji Area Lakes Guide Service
(218)759-2235
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[uglystick007]

What color are the crayfish that have been eaten?
The fishing was kinda of slow last week and I was using the "Wally CAM" to look around saw lots of crayfish waving their big white claws but no walleyes.
So I was curious about the color of the claws also.

[Tonka Boy]

On many northern lakes with high rock content, walleyes feed on crawfish often. This past June for instance, every single eye I caught (in Canada) was spitting out full grown crawfish. Not just one here and there, I'm talking mouthfuls.

After years of pulling green rigs on ML, I talked with some pros during a tourney. They explained to me that ML walleyes LOVE crawfish and they always use red or orange to imitate them. I have since changed, as have my results.

They may not be the best bait out there, but walleyes do eat them when avail.

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Tonka Boy

[Borch]

Walt,

I guess I wasn't clear(wouldn't be the first time). Not only do I catch walleyes on crawfish imitating lures. I've caught walleyes full of crawfish too. Big craws, little craws and craws in between. These are shallow fish that I believe spend most of their life in less than 12 ft of water. On a side note, I've also caught a lot of walleyes with bullheads in them. Even in water that don't have high populations of bullheads. There ain't not way I'm live bullheads for bait for fishing walleyes.

Personally I'd like to see a school of walleyes feeding on clowns. Seems like a good use of clowns to me.

Any baitshops carry live clowns?

Borch

[This message has been edited by Borch (edited 08-06-2004).]