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Crayfish
Crayfish (also called crawfish or crawdads) are freshwater crustaceans that look like a small lobster. Crayfish feed on plants, frog eggs, insects, and small fish. Crawfish boils and dishes with crayfish in them are very common in Louisiana. Louisiana supplies about 95% of the crayfish harvested in the US.
529 Questions
Crawfish can be "hooked" by casting a line to the bottom of a river or lake where crawfish are known to be as if you were fishing. Use a dead fish, or dead fish parts for bait and wait for a tug. It will be subtle, and once you begin reeling in, there will be very little resistance. Do NOT yank on the line as you would if you were hooking a fish. You will not be able to actually hook the crawfish, but many crawfish will be greedy enough to hang on to the moving bait on the end of your line while you reel it in. Remember, the bait must be resting on the bottom, as crawfish cannot swim.
What bait do you use in crayfish pots?
Red fish work best for crayfish. But anything will do really. Kahawai, Gounard etc.
They are primarily bottom dwellers and feeders. There are hundreds of species that live in all different marine environments - freshwater, salt, brackish, creeks, rivers, and ponds. Further north, the only additional requirement is that the water be deep enough that they can survive beneath the ice sheet. The hide from predators and are most commonly found near rocks, grasses, or mud in the water. Some species burrow or tunnel into the muddy banks and beds, even leaving the water to bury themselves at the edge to further protect themselves, particularly pregnant females.
Are there wild crawfish in New Jersey?
Absolutley....I grew up catching them often, in a small creek by my house (Pumpkin Patch Creek) in central nj. Unfortunatley, for decades people threw their fertilized grass clippings, and used car oil into the creek. Which I believe killed the crayfish eggs, and all these years later when I go back to check on them, they don't seem to exist in the creek anymore.
