Anyone familiar with crawdad traps?

[Ohioguy25]

I ordered this one from Frabill off amazon https://www.frabill.com/torpedo-crawfish-trap, so far I’ve used a hot dog and a can of cat food with holes punched in it as well, left it overnight submerged in 3 ft of water near a rocky shoreline of a small river. It’s a spot where we usually catch them by hand so I know they’re there. Yet there wasn’t a single crawdad in the trap the next day, just one clinging to the outside of it.

 

Am I using the wrong bait or presentation? I just kind of set them inside the trap, would suspending it so it hangs in the middle with fishing line help?

[TnRiver46]

Well first off, as with any trapping, have to try more than once. Crawfish trapping anywhere north of The gulf is somewhat futile, you might catch two or three here and there, might catch a dozen Every now and then. My buddy, one of the best trappers I know (I’m also a professional trapper) fell down a YouTube rabbit hole of people trapping crawdads and became obsessed. He tried really hard and didn’t do much damage. We always catch some with minnow traps but catch more with our hands. I had another buddy that became obsessed with it and would catch a few here and there in a muddy lake bottom but a otter usually found the trap and destroyed it 

[WRB]

How deep are you placing the trap?

I trapped crawdads as a youngster using a home made trap with 1/4" hardware wire rolled into a 36" long tube about 12" in diameter. Fold 1 end down and the opposite end into a funnel with a 3" hole. The best bait was fish heads or bacon.

It may take a few nights for the crawdads to locate the trap, check it everyday.

Tom

[Deleted account]

I use sunnies in the traps, and use what the tackle shops around here sell as killie traps, which are very similar to minnow traps. Try to make the openings sit horizontal as much as possible, and place around rocks and other cover. Clearing a spot might be a good idea too. Some places hold a lot, and some a little, and some will be better than others. Try different soak times, and spots. Also, if the trap has large enough mesh, and the bait is up against it, they will just eat through it without going in at times. 

[scaleface]

Never trapped them but seined bunches of them .

[Catt]

This is some of the funniest stuff I've read recently!

 

Google Louisiana crawfish farms ?

 

 

[GReb]

Most people use beef melt. If using Shad or other fish you need to cut the bladder so they’ll sink. 

 

Also most people down here place traps vertically or at least a 45 degree angle with the tops extending out of the water. 

[Catt]

Traditionally crayfish traps in most countries are baited with fish. Swedes use sunfish, shiners and herring while Louisiana Cajuns often entice the crawfish with gizzard shad and pogies (menhaden). A commercial crayfisherman on the West Coast catches his crayfish with salmon heads and other oily fish

[J._Bricker]

The commercial crawdad fishermen in the delta use tilapia to bait their traps. Cheap and easy to find in the grocery store...

[Troy85]

We always used beef melt, then find the nastiest looking brownest swamp water we could and put our nets there.  I haven't done in probably 20 years.  It was fun most of the time, unless you pull up your net and you got a big ole snake chomping on your melt(I'm not a big fan of snakes).

[Ohioguy25]

2 hours ago, GReb said:

Most people use beef melt. If using Shad or other fish you need to cut the bladder so they’ll sink. 

 

Also most people down here place traps vertically or at least a 45 degree angle with the tops extending out of the water. 

What is beef melt?

3 hours ago, WRB said:

How deep are you placing the trap?

I trapped crawdads as a youngster using a home made trap with 1/4" hardware wire rolled into a 36" long tube about 12" in diameter. Fold 1 end down and the opposite end into a funnel with a 3" hole. The best bait was fish heads or bacon.

It may take a few nights for the crawdads to locate the trap, check it everyday.

Tom

How did you secure/position the bacon? Raw or cooked?

[Catt]

Place your trap(s) in shallow grassy areas the depth doesn't need to be more than 12-18". 

 

You don't necessarily need to be in a creek, stream, bayou, pond, or lake. 

18 minutes ago, Ohioguy25 said:

How did you secure/position the bacon? Raw or cooked?

 

Raw & tie it to the bottom with string.

[WRB]

^^^^this^^^^

Cut about 3"-4" long secure it string or wire.

Tom

[GReb]

1 hour ago, Ohioguy25 said:

What is beef melt?

Cow spleen

[Deleted account]

1 hour ago, GReb said:

Cow spleen

Yum.

[Ohioguy25]

1 hour ago, GReb said:

Cow spleen

And where do I acquire this?

2 hours ago, Catt said:

Place your trap(s) in shallow grassy areas the depth doesn't need to be more than 12-18". 

 

You don't necessarily need to be in a creek, stream, bayou, pond, or lake. 

 

Raw & tie it to the bottom with string.

What do you mean tie it to the bottom? I threw a hot dog in there that sat directly on the bottom and it didn’t get touched and drew no crawdads in 

[Walkerhuntfish]

In crawfish season down here get get beef melt in frozen blocks at grocery store. Melt is a fast attraction for set nets which are manned constantly. The blood will run out of it fast and the draw is over. When we fish them commercially we put cut shad or pogie like Catt said but we also put commercial pellets in trap. The pellets are fish meal and corn based. That attracts then but the fish keeps them in trap. Now I can’t see the trap you are using I’m not sure if they can escape but they will leave the pillow traps we fish. Like Catt also mentioned find grass because crawfish eat just as much vegetation as much as they do meat if not more. Any kind of submerged grass or reed root type area will draw them. I’m not use to catching a few. We catch hundreds of pounds a day raising 100-350 traps a day. The biggest advice I can give it to try to position the trap where your bait cannot be reached from outside the trap and crawfish feed like fish. Cold water is a slow bite and warmer will increase feeding. 

[Catt]

2 hours ago, Ohioguy25 said:

I threw a hot dog in there that sat directly on the bottom and it didn’t get touched and drew no crawdads in 

 

Probably needs mustard & Mayo!  ?

 

Read @Walkerhuntfish answer closely!

 

[Ohioguy25]

10 hours ago, Catt said:

 

Probably needs mustard & Mayo!  ?

 

Read @Walkerhuntfish answer closely!

 

What do you mean tie it to the bottom?

12 hours ago, Walkerhuntfish said:

In crawfish season down here get get beef melt in frozen blocks at grocery store. Melt is a fast attraction for set nets which are manned constantly. The blood will run out of it fast and the draw is over. When we fish them commercially we put cut shad or pogie like Catt said but we also put commercial pellets in trap. The pellets are fish meal and corn based. That attracts then but the fish keeps them in trap. Now I can’t see the trap you are using I’m not sure if they can escape but they will leave the pillow traps we fish. Like Catt also mentioned find grass because crawfish eat just as much vegetation as much as they do meat if not more. Any kind of submerged grass or reed root type area will draw them. I’m not use to catching a few. We catch hundreds of pounds a day raising 100-350 traps a day. The biggest advice I can give it to try to position the trap where your bait cannot be reached from outside the trap and crawfish feed like fish. Cold water is a slow bite and warmer will increase feeding. 

If I don’t feel like messing w fish guts will bacon work? 

[Sam]

18 hours ago, Catt said:

This is some of the funniest stuff I've read recently!

 

Google Louisiana crawfish farms ?

 

 

Where he should have started in the first place.

 

Just remember, to be successful with your crawfish traps, you need alligators, nutria, water moccasins, frogs, beavers, bass, catfish,and all kinds of shore birds that eat crawfish.

 

Just put them out with the Louisiana suggested bait; wait three days; put on your waders, and take a covered bucket with you plus fresh bait and go get 'em.

 

P.S.  Watch out for gators and snakes.

[Catt]

4 hours ago, Ohioguy25 said:

What do you mean tie it to the bottom?

If I don’t feel like messing w fish guts will bacon work? 

 

Tie it to the bottom...ya know with string & make a knot.

 

Never tried bacon

 

But like Walkerhuntfish stated ya don't want them to be able to reach the food from the outside.

[rowyourboat]

I was expecting to see different stuff in this thread.  I though it meant like craw colored lipless baits hahaha

[Mobasser]

8 hours ago, Sam said:

Where he should have started in the first place.

 

Just remember, to be successful with your crawfish traps, you need alligators, nutria, water moccasins, frogs, beavers, bass, catfish,and all kinds of shore birds that eat crawfish.

 

Just put them out with the Louisiana suggested bait; wait three days; put on your waders, and take a covered bucket with you plus fresh bait and go get 'em.

 

P.S.  Watch out for gators and snakes.

Sam, I agree 100%. No crawdad in the world is worth getting chomped by a gator, or bit by a cottonmouth!  Good advise for the crawdad hunters down south!

[scaleface]

3 hours ago, rowyourboat said:

I was expecting to see different stuff in this thread.  I though it meant like craw colored lipless baits hahaha

Me too . Crawfish Rattle Traps .

[WRB]

Use a piece of raw bacon cut it or fold it in 1/3rds or about 3" long and tie the bacon to the inside bottom of the trap so the crawdads must enter the trap to get to it. You can use fish heads or whole fish tied to the bottom of the trap, your choice. Crawdads are scavengers but they prefer fresh raw oily meats. 

You have had expert commercial advice from 2 members, my advice is what worked for me using something that is readily available, bacon and fish heads.

Tom