Crawdads active at Strawberry yet?

[senkonate]

Hello everyone! My kids have been asking me to take them crawdadding.

Do you know if the crawdads are active around the shore at Strawberry yet?

Thanks!
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[pastadler]

They seem pretty active. There were quite a few of them up around the edge of the launch ramp this weekend.
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[muirco]

Where on the lake do people set crawdad traps with a buoy from a boat? [fishin]
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[Jedidiah]

Not a lot of point in it, crawdads stick close to shore.
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[RockyRaab]

I can't agree with that. I have only fished soft water there once, but if you let a jig and chub chunk hit the bottom, you'd have small tugs within seconds, and then you could reel up a 'dad all the way to the surface. Big ones, too. That was in 25+ feet of water a good ways from shore.
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[Jedidiah]

It will depend on where you are, really it's more of a temperature thing. So if you're on a deep lake where the water is under 50 degrees under the thermocline and 50+ above, they will tend to stick closer to shore. The shallow bays get inundated with crawdads this time of year because they get above 60 degrees so fast.

Btw, the forum's timestamps seems to have changed , it says I posted at 11:30 when it's actually 12:30.
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[wiperhunter2]

[quote Jedidiah]
Btw, the forum's timestamps seems to have changed , it says I posted at 11:30 when it's actually 12:30.[/quote]

Looks like 12:27 to me, if your talking about your last post.
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[Jedidiah]

That's weird, and it's still doing it....on my PC and my phone both.

Kinda thought about the thermocline explanation later and realized that 25 or even 40 feet could easily be above the thermocline and Strawberry. Either way though, I can fill a bucket in 2 hours with two chicken legs on 10 feet of twine and I could never get more than 4-5 crawfish in a trap, not really sure why.
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[Itcntogofishin]

I usually hit them around end of June through October. They become very active when the water temp is above 50 degrees. If interested in eating them anytime before end of June produces a bunch of egg layers and molting bugs. They are edible but not as tasty as those who have finished the process. You can drop traps about anywhere and do well it is a matter of experimentation. Try mud creek area. Hopefully that helps.
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[wiperhunter2]

It is likely your forum settings, that are causing that problem. I'll write something up for you and send it to you in a PM.
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[fatherfisher1]

[quote Jedidiah]Either way though, I can fill a bucket in 2 hours with two chicken legs on 10 feet of twine and I could never get more than 4-5 crawfish in a trap, not really sure why.[/quote]

Exactly what I've experienced. I buy chicken leg quarters, leave them out in the hot garage overnight, tie 15' of line on each one and space them about 10-15 feet apart along the shoreline. For a two - three hour trip, I'll never have a moments rest going from one line to the next, pulling in sometimes up to 15 at a time, all while getting 5 or 6 in the trap the entire time.

Love them crawfish!
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[Majja]

A buddy of mine hits mudcreek up a lot when he is using traps. I am not sure what depths but I know he prefers the evening and night time and just uses his kick boat to go around and check traps. I think he stays in about 25 feet.
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[Roosterman]

When I was stationed at Holloman Air Force Base New Mexico there was a small mountain lake called Caballo up near Ruidoso. I would use the following method to catch coolers full. We had a woman janitor in my building from Taiwan who loved it when I would bring her crawfish. She'd cook them & all the Airmen in my building would have us a "crawfest'.

To catch them I'd use a raw chicken back tied to a long piece of heavy nylon twine or parachute cord. Holding the end of the line securely in one hand (or tie to your belt loop), then take hold of the cord a few feet from the piece of chicken with the other. Cowboy lasso-style, twirl the bait over your head to gain momentum then release it (hold on tight to other end), sending the bait out into lake about 20' or so then let it soak for a while. After about a half hour wade into the water up to your knees with a fishing net on the end of a long handle. Slowly retrieve the line hand over hand. When you just begin to see the gob of dads latched on the chicken, reach out with your net and gently dip it underneath the gob to scoop them up. Empty clicking little monsters into an ice chest with a few inches of ice in the bottom then repeat the process. Before long you'll have a chest full.
[center]Crawfish Preparation Instructions[/center]
[center]Credit: The Crawfish Master[/center]
[center](BEER DRINKING IS OPTIONAL)[/center]
[left]This recipe is intended to serve approximately ten people or two Wasatch Cajuns. The official name for cooking this feast is a “Crawfish Boil.” It is usually best to invite a few friends over and make a day of it.[/left]
[left]
[/left]
[left]Equipment Needed
One [url "http://www.cajuncrawfish.com/cajun-cookware/pots.html"]large boiling pot[/url]
[url "http://www.cajuncrawfish.com/cajun-cookware/pots.html"] Wire basket insert for pot[/url]
Lid for pot
[url "http://www.cajuncrawfish.com/cajun-cookware/pots/outdoor-propane-burner.html"] Outdoor propane cooker[/url]
Large tub or two ice chests
[url "http://www.cajuncrawfish.com/cajun-cookware/cookware-stir-it-up/cajun-seafood-stirring-paddle.html"] Stirring paddle[/url] (or similar tool)

Ingredients Needed
Fresh mushrooms
4 lemons
3 lbs. [url "http://www.cajuncrawfish.com/grocery/spice/fruge-cajun-seafood-boil-1-lb.html"]Fruge’s original seafood boil[/url]
Six-pack of cold beer
30 lbs. Of[url "http://www.cajuncrawfish.com/crawfish/crawfish.html"] live crawfish[/url]
8 small onions
8 small potatoes
8 ears of corn
Fresh garlic
Maybe a second six pack of cold beer

[#bf0000]Note: I recommend rinsing your crawfish quite well before cooking them (see step 2 below).[/#bf0000]

Instructions
1. Fill a large pot half full with fresh water & place on your outdoor propane cooker. Heat water to a rolling boil.

2. While you wait for water to boil, rinse the crawfish with fresh cool water. You do not need to “purge” them with salt--rinsing will do just fine. An easy way to do this is while they're still in the cooler put the garden hose (culinary water) into the cooler turned on light pressure. Push the hose to the bottom of the cooler and let it run, fill the chest and let it flow over the sides until the draining water is clear.

3. Drink a beer & give one to a friend.

4. Add about 1 lb of Fruge's Original Seafood Boil to water. Let the boiling water mix it well for a minute or so. Another option is to use Zaterain's Crab Boil Seasoning.

5. Time to drink another beer. Send the designated driver to the store for some more beer.

6. Peel & drop in onions (halved), potatoes and smashed cloves of fresh garlic. Let this cook, keeping an eye on the potatoes. (Check for doneness by stabbing with a sharp knife or fork. If it goes in easy, it is cooked. Hint: Do not overcook potatoes. Its best to slightly undercook them because they will continue to steam and cook in the ice chest. You don't want to end up with mashed potatoes.)

7. When the potatoes are almost done, add the corn and mushrooms. After they have cooked, lower the fire on the burner and remove the basket. Place the vegetables in a small clean ice chest. Time to drink another beer.

8. Turn the heat up on the burner. Add more spice to the water. (About 25 oz. Save about 1 lb of spice for later.) Take the lemons (halved) and squeeze the juice in the water. Then add the lemons to the water. When the water comes to a boil, place the crawfish into the basket and put the basket in the pot. (Be careful - it's very hot!) Put the lid on the pot and enjoy another beer.

9. When the water comes back to a rolling boil - keep a very close eye on this part (time it) - let it boil for 2 minutes and turn off the fire. Let the crawfish soak for a few minutes and then remove. Hint: Kill the boil by adding cold water or a bag of ice. Then let the crawfish soak. Most of the crawfish will sink to the bottom and fill with spicy water (JUICES).

10. Remove the Crawfish from the pot and pour into an ice chest while your friend sprinkles the remaining seasoning. Mix this well and let steam for 5 minutes. Use more or less spice to your taste.

11. You can dump everything on newspaper on a table or serve it out of the ice chest. Food stays hot in the chest… your choice.

12. Now it's time to really drink beer and eat. The vegetables are for those guests who cannot figure out how to peel the crawfish. At least they won't starve.

Enjoy! [/left]
[left]

[#ff8000]The above recipe is derived from the web site: [/#ff8000][url "https://www.cajuncrawfish.com/how-to-boil-crawfish.html"]https://www.cajuncrawfish.com/...o-boil-crawfish.html[/url][/left]