What is the best crayfish bait? Anybody?...Please!

[fullstringer98]

I have heard around the site that squawfish work as a great squawfish bait, anyone think differently If so LET ME KNOW!:)

[fullstringer98]

ANYBODY? Any ideas at all?

[tnj8222]

Anything will work for craws even hotdogs or lunch meat. But this could have also went in the other thread lol.

[rockjiggr]

From the research that I have done on the internet recently, the best bait for crawfish is oily fish. Not just any fish, oily ones like salmon, trout, tuna, mackerel and the like. Any fish will work but it is best if it has lots of fat content. This comes from a couple of different commercial crawfishing people so I assume that this is the best information available.

I have also read that there is a commercial crawfish bait product produced by Purina that is similar to a dog buscuit in shape and consistency but is made of processed fish carcasses. My reading tells me that this bait is only effective in warm waters, however, so it may not be viable in the PNW at all except for shallow lakes in late summer.

My own personal experience as a kid says that a good old piece of smoked bacon is just about as good as anything.

I have been saving trout heads and skins from my recent catches and freezing them in ziplock bags in prep for the opening of crawfish season in May. I separate the fish parts by the lake where they were caught because I do not want to cross contaminate the lakes with diseases.

[Rich McVey]

I have heard around the site that squawfish work as a great squawfish bait, anyone think differently If so LET ME KNOW!:)

You after SQUAWFISH or CRAWFISH?

Just under a month (May 1st) till the season opens. I have my traps ready for some Sat morning Crawfishin.Im going to try a number of different things. Bacon sounds interesting, everybody loves bacon. Left over fish parts. Canned cat food is supposed to work too.

[rjn cajun]

AAhhh my topic us cajuns can catch some crawfish. Notice how I spelled it crawfish[wink] Down home in Louisianna we use rotten chicken parts. Don`t matter if it`s cooked or raw but has to be rotten. I know it doesn`t sound any good but the crawfish love it. If you can hold your breath long enough to get the trap in the water you`ll be catching loads of em. This is the only thing I`ve ever used although I don`t have alot of experience up here I can`t imagine it should change all that much.

[fullstringer98]

thats strange because I have heard the opposite, that it needs to be fresh.

[rjn cajun]

thats strange because I have heard the opposite, that it needs to be fresh.

Fullstringer I know it sounds strange and might be. But like I said all the crawfish I`ve ever caught was with the rotten chicken parts but it was also in the south. I`ve never been to any lakes or rivers around here. We used to set traps in the rice feilds down there. In the summer they grow rice and in early spring they flood the feilds and a boy look out. Although it`s alot easier down there cuz you know they are there and plentiful. Good luck whatever you use and let us know how you do.