Catching crayfish in winter using a crayfish trap

What do crayfish do in winter?

Successful catching of crayfish in winter requires knowledge of promising places on the reservoir. These animals are not found anywhere, but prefer to live in clean water with a high concentration of oxygen. There is no point in looking for them in polluted places. Crayfish's priority is rivers, but they can also inhabit lakes and underground springs. In the warm season, you can find them at a depth of up to 3 meters, but in the cold season - in the bottom layer, where it is more or less warmer.

The nature of the bottom surface is also very important for arthropods. Excessively silted areas and sandy surfaces will never attract cancer. They are located where it is possible to build a safe home for themselves. Crayfish especially love the clay bottom near steep banks.

The abundance of stones at the bottom is also acceptable for crayfish; you can always hide behind them. Fishing is effective if you find car tires, all kinds of containers, and tin cans at the bottom. This is an excellent place to hide mustaches.

Most often, crayfish come out to feed in the dark, at night. They look for food mainly in shallow areas of the reservoir, but can also be found at medium depths. It would be an understatement to say that arthropods rest during the day. At this time of day, they are busy arranging their home, making it unremarkable for aggressors and representatives of their own species.

Adults feed on everything, their menu is varied. The younger generation often gets only plant remains. The diet of large crayfish contains:

• shells;
• all kinds of insect larvae;
• plankton;
• benthic invertebrates;
• water fleas;
• sleeping fish;
• young animals at the molting stage.

The role of crayfish in nature is great. By eating carrion, they cleanse the reservoir of unnecessary decomposition and carrion. Given this feature, every hunter should always have bait in the form of pieces of spoiled meat.

Where is the best place to catch and look for crayfish?

To be guaranteed to catch crayfish during winter fishing, you should know where to look for them. This:

1. areas with bottom surface anomalies;
2. silted places;
3. rocky shore with clayey soil;
4. bank slopes;
5. deep-sea areas of the reservoir;
6. big writhing.

Fishing for crayfish in winter is possible almost throughout the entire body of water, but it’s not worth wasting time fishing in places with a depth of 1 meter. Arthropods choose deep places where the water cools down last. If crayfish are found in bodies of water where there are no warm springs, their behavior is somewhat different. Males are less mobile, and females are in search of food in order to prepare for spring spawning. Young individuals are most active. To catch large specimens, you need to examine the burrows.

If the average temperature in the water is within 2–3 degrees, then you need to look for crayfish in areas where the temperature is a couple of degrees higher. In winter fishing there is a rule: the warmer the water, the more active the underwater inhabitants. A modern gadget such as an echo sounder will help the ice fisherman. Thanks to it, it is possible to quickly study the bottom surface, determine the water temperature, and underwater objects.

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Choosing the optimal time

Catching crayfish throughout the year is determined by the habits of these aquatic inhabitants. Accordingly, in order to accurately determine the time and place suitable for fishing, it is necessary to study the preferences of mustachioed inhabitants of reservoirs (Figure 3).

It is advisable to carry out fishing taking into account the following features:

1. Crayfish prefer to accumulate near steep river or pond banks, since it is much easier for them to obtain food in such areas than on a flat bottom.
2. Choose rivers and ponds with weak currents, as crayfish do not live in places with strong water currents.
3. Try to go fishing in rivers and lakes with clay or rocky bottoms. Crayfish simply cannot build burrows on sandy or muddy soil.
4. Try to go fishing at night, as the mustachioed underwater inhabitants go hunting precisely in the dark.

Figure 3. Crayfish prefer to settle in clean reservoirs with a rocky bottom
. In addition, it is recommended to fish different layers of the water column, since crustaceans can get food both in shallow water and at great or medium depths. To do this, it is better to install several crayfish traps at different depths at once, so that you have the opportunity to determine which part of the reservoir gives the largest catch.

Lures

To attract crayfish to the fishing point, bait is used. In general, they are not much different from summer ones. You can catch the mustachioed inhabitants of a reservoir using:

• Raw fish (bream, roach, silver bream). The bait is cut into small pieces and placed in the trap. Thanks to the specific smell, arthropods quickly begin to “pull up” to the working area.
• Meat. It must be fresh chicken. It is also cut into small pieces.
• Bakery products. Rye bread with garlic perfectly attracts crustaceans. It is enough to make a depression in the bun and place a clove of garlic squeezed through the garlic clove into it. The only disadvantage of this bait is that it gets wet quickly when it gets into the water. To minimize this moment, the crumb is wrapped in nylon.

Other products such as:

• canned green peas with dill;
• sunflower cake;
• household food waste;
• canned fish or meat;
• grasshoppers purchased at a pet store;
• pork liver;
• beef udder.

How to catch crayfish in winter

There are different ways to catch crayfish from a hole in winter. To choose a worker, you need to delve into each of them.

Winter crayfish and fishing with them

Catching crayfish with crayfish from ice is considered the most effective way. They are distinguished by their versatility and ease of use. The main thing is to make a hole of the appropriate diameter. You can catch baleen with both open and closed type crayfish traps.

The first type is a simple design that can easily be assembled with your own hands from available materials. It is enough to put an iron mesh on a metal or wooden circle to get something like a colander. To deliver and remove the winter crayfish, use a strong rope fixed to a ring. The length of the cord is selected depending on the working depth.

Closed type traps are characterized by increased reliability and efficiency. Cancers cannot get out of them on their own; they have no chance of getting out. Externally, the shell is similar to a cylinder with several stiffening ribs.

The principle of catching crayfish in winter using a crayfish trap:

1. Prepare bait in the form of fish, bread and garlic. It is worth using different bait options in several traps.
2. Lower the shell to the bottom.
3. Tie a rope from it to a peg installed next to the hole.
4. Mask the hole and protect it from freezing with straw and branches.
5. Check the hole after an hour. If the trap is an open type, then the number of checks should be increased. If there is a catch, it needs to be removed and bait added.
6. Place the shell back into the water.

Scraper

With the right approach, achieving a rich catch using a drag net is not so difficult. Using this trap is equally effective both on a reservoir with calm water and with a current. Use the trap before the freeze-up begins, 50 m from the shore.

This rectangular structure, made of metal wire with a diameter of 1 cm, looks like a bag woven from mesh. A strong cord or rope is attached to the top.

The algorithm for catching arthropods is as follows:

1. Cut fish, beef udder, and any suitable bait into small pieces.
2. Load pieces of bait into the trap.
3. Cast into the water.
4. Drag by the rope to the shore.
5. Seize the catch on the shore.

Winter fishing rod

It is often possible to catch crustaceans using float gear. For many, this method is more interesting than others. Catching crayfish in winter with a fishing rod requires active action and dynamic movement.

In general, the rod for the mustachioed inhabitants of the reservoir is the same as for catching fish. Just instead of the usual single hook, use a tee, from which the crab cannot get off. You can catch prey without a hook; just wrap the meat with fishing line and throw it to the fishing point. The mustachioed fish will grab the bait with its claws and begin to pull it to the depths. The hunter needs to react in time, make a confident hook and bring the catch out of the water.

Rachevnya

This cylindrical mesh device is made from a metal hoop and a thin rope tied to it. The diameter of the hoop is half a meter. Previously, it was made from willow twigs, but in the modern version it is durable wire with a special coating.

The trap is lowered and raised using cords that are connected to each other by a knot. There is a weight in the center of the trap; the bait is fixed to a net stretched over a hoop. A good catch is also obtained when using an improved design, where there is an additional metal hoop. The bottom of the trap is connected to the upper hoop using a woven mesh.

Hand catching

Winter fishing with crayfish, crayfish and dragnets is always effective if properly prepared. But you can catch mustachios with your hands, but it’s better to do it at night. During the cold season, this method is quite extreme, and is not suitable for everyone. It is optimal to use crayfish traps and crayfish when the reservoir is covered with ice.

To find crayfish, arm yourself with a flashlight. They light the way along the coastline. When an arthropod appears on the horizon, it is picked up either by hand or with a net. You should enter from the tail section without removing the flashlight. This technology is relevant until the freeze-up begins.

Application of crayfish traps

As for the classic crayfish, it can also be used directly from the ice. The choice of configurations, shapes and types of gear is quite extensive. The simplest of them is similar to a malyavochka and differs only in the presence of additional walls made of metal mesh. These walls are placed at a certain angle relative to the bottom surface. When not in use, the tackle resembles a truncated cone.

The operating principle of the crayfish is very simple and understandable: a suitable bait, usually of animal origin, is placed inside the structure, and then it is placed at a promising point on the reservoir. Having felt the pleasant smell, the crayfish will swim into the crayfish trap on its own. As a result, he will find himself trapped with a reverse slope of the wall, from which he will no longer be able to escape.

Another common option is called “merezhi” and is somewhat similar to a mesh cylinder with several stiffeners. The prey enters such a shell from both sides at once through holes in the side. You can also find semi-cylindrical and triangular shells on the market.

In addition, making a winter crayfish shell with your own hands is relatively simple, and many craftsmen claim that the homemade version is much better than store-bought ones.