Crawdad Colors

[Santana_moretto_fishing]

What crawdad trailers for what times of the year? Also how do you no what color they are at a certain time? i would like a article for this or someone that knows what they are talking about thanks!

[Catt]

I would like a article for this or someone that knows what they are talking about thanks!

Leaves me out

[Master Bait'r]

There was an article on here recently about this.  The basic idea was thus:

 

 

red/orange in the summer when the vegetation is creating lots of oxygen

 

greenish through transition periods

 

blue hues in the times when the weeds are dead and oxygen is low 

[Catt]

Coloration has to do with environment

Google LSU Crawfish for everything ya want to know about mud bugs!

[F14A-B]

Yep, types of crawdads can be regional as well, I could list all my various colorations, Google Crawfish images, you will see hoards crawfish colors, search for your region to know what brand of crawfish are living in your waters. Lots of info on this..

[smalljaw67]

I keep it very simple when it comes to craw trailers, basically in warm water, 60+ I like a Rage Craw or Chigger craw, something with movement but once it gets cold I like the Zoom super chunk and super chunk Jr, colors are simple as well, black, black/blue, green pumpkin and pumpkin, and that will cover just about any situation.

[roadwarrior]

We have a variety of species and colors in this region. Click on a species

from the list and each one is pictured. A general theme seems to be a combination

of brown and green pumpkin, but during the year some of the critters will look

EXACTLY like Rage Tail Falcon!

 

http://iz.carnegiemnh.org/crayfish/NewAstacidea/species.asp?g=Barbicambarus&s=cornutus&ssp=

[WRB]

Most bass anglers only fish 1or 2 different lakes, the most accurate way to know what your crawdads look like where you fish is to catch them alive. After catching them put a crawdad in a clear glass jar and study it. Look at the shell with a magnifying glass, very interesting the dot matrix of colors.

Google how to make a crawdad trap, get out there and catch them! Nearly every creek, stream, river, pond and lake will have crawdads, some native and some

transplanted.

During the 60's to early 70's using live crawdads to catch bass was my primary technique, spent a lot of time catching and fishing bugs. Crawdads change coloration to match their surroundings to some degree and change color when they molt or grow out of the shells. Dying live crawdads with food coloring to make them stand out worked good!

What I determined after decades of fishing jigs is this; 4 basic colors work everywhere: black, brown, green and purple. Adding high lite colors of blue or red.

Tom

[Santana_moretto_fishing]

all great answers thanks!

[Santana_moretto_fishing]

if i just knew the species at westpoint it would be great so i could study it.

[Bassun]

I apologize as this is a little thread creep, but Tom, when you were fishing live craws heavily did you notice a difference in success rates depending on the claws?  I read once, long ago and it escapes me where, that fishing crawdads with only one pincher increased catch rates.  I believe it was targeting smallmouth. 

 

I tested the theory and found that the bigger the pinchers the less successful I was.  If I removed one pincher success did seem to improve, but removing both seemed to have a negative effect.  Realistically, I suspect part of the problem with the larger crawdads was their complete size vs just the size of their claws.  I only experimented briefly over a summer in the local river and creeks. 

 

To be candid, I found the bigger difference came from soft shelled vs hard shelled.  When I was lucky enough to find one with a soft shell, it was consistenly much more effective vs a hard shelled of about the same size.  I also noted, if I remember correctly, that crawdads which had pinchers with blue lining were less effective vs the more muted color varieties.  And whether it's true or not, I'm convinced the blue ones pinch harder lol.

 

Given you fished them for nearly a decade I'm curious how your experiences were.

[buzzed bait]

just google crawfish species in GA.... you may be surprised that whitish green/blues are the dominant color found in our waters....  followed pretty closely by reddish/orangeish/brownish

[Bassun]

The book:  The Crayfishes of Georgia by H.H. Hobbs Jr (1981) is supposed to have a detailed distribution of the crayfish in Georgia.  I'm sure if you find a copy of it at the library you could have a good sample set of species to reference.

[F14A-B]

Don't stress much about what variety, but rather, primary colorations in your region. They will take on different colors like Catt, & Tom also said... In spring, here, egg carriers have orange eggs in the tails, otherwise dark brown tops/ lighter brown/ creme bottoms. Changes with time of year/ environment , rocks, sand, creeks, large water,

Summer, green/ brn. & sky blue/ creme it really can vary.. Why I suggest you google images, or study State papers on it, check you're major university's , should, maybe, be something on crawfish. Or, State Game & Fish. It's a interesting study. No Red craws here, not yet anyway...

[Raul]

What crawdad trailers for what times of the year? Also how do you no what color they are at a certain time? i would like a article for this or someone that knows what they are talking about thanks!

Can´t help you, I do not belong to that exclusive and very select group of people that know what they are talking about.

[Verisimilidude]

Most bass anglers only fish 1or 2 different lakes, the most accurate way to know what your crawdads look like where you fish is to catch them alive. After catching them put a crawdad in a clear glass jar and study it. Look at the shell with a magnifying glass, very interesting the dot matrix of colors.

Google how to make a crawdad trap, get out there and catch them! Nearly every creek, stream, river, pond and lake will have crawdads, some native and some

transplanted.

During the 60's to early 70's using live crawdads to catch bass was my primary technique, spent a lot of time catching and fishing bugs. Crawdads change coloration to match their surroundings to some degree and change color when they molt or grow out of the shells. Dying live crawdads with food coloring to make them stand out worked good!

What I determined after decades of fishing jigs is this; 4 basic colors work everywhere: black, brown, green and purple. Adding high lite colors of blue or red.

Tom

 

This!

 

Fair warning though, it's illegal to transport Rusty Crayfish as they're an invasive species (In some areas).

[Sam]

There are over 400 species of crawfish in the USA.

 

It is impossible to give you the exact color changes unless you know the crawfish species.

 

There are 29 species in Virginia, alone and each has different coloring as the year progresses.

 

Over in Louisiana and along the Gulf coast there are the Red Swamp Crawfish that are reddish, rusty red or brilliant red in color during the year. These Red Swamp crawfish are more aggressive than the native Virginia species.  These crawfish like non-tidal rivers, ponds and lakes as they don't  like current.

 

May I suggest calling your Georgia game and fisheries and ask them for the crawfish specialist. I am sure that individual can give you the correct data you are seeking.

 

One other suggestion, contact the University of Georgia Marine Science Department and ask the receptionist to connect you with the individual who knows about Georgia crawfish.

 

Maybe one day you will study marine biology and help us poor bass fishermen improve our skills.

 

Good luck and keep what ever you find out to yourself.

[Raul]

There are over 400 species of crawfish in the USA.

 

It is impossible to give you the exact color changes unless you know the crawfish species.

 

There are 29 species in Virginia, alone and each has different coloring as the year progresses.

 

Over in Louisiana and along the Gulf coast there are the Red Swamp Crawfish that are reddish, rusty red or brilliant red in color during the year. These Red Swamp crawfish are more aggressive than the native Virginia species.  These crawfish like non-tidal rivers, ponds and lakes as they don't  like current.

 

May I suggest calling your Georgia game and fisheries and ask them for the crawfish specialist. I am sure that individual can give you the correct data you are seeking.

 

One other suggestion, contact the University of Georgia Marine Science Department and ask the receptionist to connect you with the individual who knows about Georgia crawfish.

 

Maybe one day you will study marine biology and help us poor bass fishermen improve our skills.

 

Good luck and keep what ever you find out to yourself.

Does this mean that you are not a member of that select and exclusive group of people who know what they are talking about Sam ? Dang ! What a bummer.

[bigbill]

In my small ponds, small lakes the natural crawls have black backs with red sides. Now in the rivers there a light tan or beige color. I use the rebel BIG CLAW crawfish cranks in the ponds and lakes. In streams we use the rebel tiny craw crank the shallow diver. The hottest crank craw color has been the chartreuse. The BIG CLAW CRANK dives to 10' but it's a floater too so it can be used in a topwater presentation too.

For trailers on jigs my jig is a 3/8oz football jig in green pumpkin.

I use the uncle Josh pork chunk trailer in green pumpkin. Fishing from shore around points and dropouts it seems to work for me just hopping the jig with short hops.

At one of my favorite rivers the housatonic there is one area that's in falls river that's full of empty craw bodies.

I mean the shoreline and shallows is littered with them. This area is a heavy wooded forest too. I have no clue what animal can do this.

[desmobob]

At one of my favorite rivers the housatonic there is one area that's in falls river that's full of empty craw bodies.

I mean the shoreline and shallows is littered with them. This area is a heavy wooded forest too. I have no clue what animal can do this.

 

In my neck of the woods, mink do this.   There is a stretch of river that I fish where there is a slate quarry along the bank.  The quarry's huge waste piles of slate chunks run right down to the water's edge and provide good habitat for the mink.  The streamside rocks and shallow water are usually littered with crayfish remains in these areas, and I often see minks popping in and out of the slate plies along the stream.

 

Tight lines,

Bob

[boostr]

All I know is up here in the Spring the water is clear, and I've seen them wandering around They are greenish, so I use a blue craw color, and towards the late summer early fall the water seems darker, and I'm killing it on the black and blue.