Homemade Crawdad Traps?

I'm going to be spending a whole week up in the Sierras soon and I want to make a couple easy crawdad traps to drop overnight and catch some of these yummy crustaceans. Anyone have any suggestions? Or know of anyone selling any for a reasonable price? Trying to find cheapest way to do this because I'm a cheap skate 

I have a ton of bait to use and may even drop traps around home just to see what I pull up.

It would be fun to get a bunch of folks together and just drop traps and have a big Louisianna style Crawdad feast. I remember I did this up in Hell Hole Resevoir one year, and there were some big ol meaty Crawdads up there!

I use minnow traps on my favorite lake.  Just make the holes on both end a bit bigger though.

I have one you could borrow.

I've made traps out of galvanized hardware cloth before. Just rolled into a tube about 2 ft long. Bends over wires to lace it together. Cut a three-sided door in the tube. Then role cones for the inserts on the end. In fact I was just thinking about doing exactly this when I saw traps on Cabela's 9.99 or something. That's a hard price to beat unless you're going to make a boatload of traps.

Anyone want to PM me a crawdad hole in the Delta?

Thx. Ross

If you are going to make your own, check the F&G regulations.  Like lingcod, there is a size limit.

I use minnow traps on my favorite lake.  Just make the holes on both end a bit bigger though.

Where's your favorite lake? 



-Kiel

I use minnow traps on my favorite lake.  Just make the holes on both end a bit bigger though.

Where's your favorite lake? 



-Kiel

Whiskeytown Lake bro. 
Bunch of Kakanees n trout there and good amount of crayfish.

2 wire mesh waste baskets from the 99c store zip tied.....

Don't discount the ability to just scoop them up with a net. Small mesh of course. You can easily lure them out of the crevices with pretty much any bait then pounce on them! Traps likely to be more efficient however.

Josh

Im wondering where I can catch some. I really wanna give it a shot. I remember seeing some at Quarry lakes. I have been there i a while.

If you are going to make your own, check the F&G regulations.  Like lingcod, there is a size limit.

Regs have this to say on the matter:

5.35. CRAYFISH.
(a) Open season: All year, except for closures listed
in subsection (d) of this Section.
(b) Limit: No limit.
(c) Methods of take: Crayfish may be taken only by
hand, hook and line, dip net or with traps not over
three feet in greatest dimension. Any other species
taken shall be returned to the water immediately.
Traps need not be closely attended.
(d) Closures for Protection of Shasta Crayfish: Fall
River upstream of Spring Creek Bridge, Lava Creek,
Tule River and all connected waters upstream of
Little Tule River, Sucker Springs Creek, Crystal Lake,
Rising River and Rising River Lake are closed to take
and possession of crayfish. (See Section 4.30 for
prohibition against crayfish use for bait in sections
of the Pit River).
(e) The season closures in Chapter 3 (District Trout
and Salmon Special Regulations) do not apply to
crayfish fishing with methods other than hook and
line (see sections 7.00 and 7.50(a)(2)).

Im wondering where I can catch some. I really wanna give it a shot. I remember seeing some at Quarry lakes. I have been there i a while.

Any lakes should hold them or even rivers. I really wanna give it a shot too. I think I'm gonna buy some hardware wire and make some myself.

Caught a buttload of tasty critters off the rock levy along Steamboat Slough last weekend. Also paddleboard trolled for zilch salmon. 

I have traps but I catch the most by laying Nets down flat chunk of meat fish tail or head or something in the middle of it then you can just scoop them up