does anyone know what are the best baits and closest place to slc to catch crawfish and what are the laws ?
Laws are in the fishing guide book but you cant transport them from where you catch them alive. They must be killed. They spoil quickly so best to cook on the spot or have plenty of ice. Just a chicken leg or back is great bait. Are you using a trap?
There are many waters that have dads but clear cold water they seem to taste better. Strawberry is a great place. I know its not really close.
I have seen them in Strawberry and also in Hyrum.
Sorry to piggyback this, but how about a good method of cooking them? I have never tried and am interested in giving it a shot.
I also suggest Strawberry. I used a minnow trap. It takes only minutes to attract a bunch of them only a few feet from shore. We did it last year and there were jillions of them.
I have seen them in Strawberry and also in Hyrum.
Sorry to piggyback this, but how about a good method of cooking them? I have never tried and am interested in giving it a shot.
Having to kill them before leaving the place you caught them adds an element of complication to proper preparation. NOBODY BUT NOBODY who likes crawdads will cook one that has died. You should cook them while still alive because they “go south” fast.
Howsomever, if you plan a crawdad feed as soon as you get home…or not long after…you can “kill two dads with one stone”…er ice bath. Have a large cooler ready with lots of ice and a little fresh clean water. Dump your newly acquired bugs directly into the ice water. They will die quickly and you will avoid being cited if you are checked. The cold bath also quickly chills the delicate flesh so that it will hold up for a few hours until you can put them in the boil.
The other option is to “shuck” your crawdads directly into a smaller ice bath container. Twist off the claws and the tails and discard the heads and the rest of the bodies. One other step is to twist off the fin part of the tail and slowly pull it out. That will remove the “vein”…which is actually the excretory channel. I am attaching a page with diagrams from something I writ a long time ago.
Lots of recipes for cooking. If you have a quantity you can go to the spice section of the store and get a package of Zatarain’s crab boil. All the flavors and spices needed for a good batch. Directions on the package. Basically you bring that stuff up to a boil and then toss in the bugs for a few minutes. Doesn’t take long to turn the shells orange and the flesh white.
**If you have a bunch of whole crawdads and want to do a traditional crawdad boil, you can boil some chunks of potatoes and corn for about 20 minutes before adding the crawdads. **
One of my favorite ways to fix just the claws and tails is to beer steam them. Heat up a can of your favorite brew in a large sauce pan with a tight fitting lid. When the beer starts to bubble dump in the 'dad parts and push down on the lid to hold in pressure. The beer will froth up all around the parts and will steam them done in 3-5 minutes. Scoop them out and have a dish of melted garlic butter to dip the pieces in as you shell them like peanuts. Or, you can save the shelled pieces and use them in salads, pasta dishes or just a major munchdown after mixing them into the butter.
Not a lot of food from each critter but if you get a good batch they provide a tasty treat. A large part of the enjoys is getting a bunch with the kids and then having them participate in both the preparation and the eating. Sometimes hard to get your share when they younguns discover how good they are.
So last Friday night I was in Lake Charles, LA for a clients annual crawfish boil. I just happened to get the recipe. Here is how they are prepared on the bayou.
Preparing (AKA, Purge) - 1. Clean crawfish with water thoroughly. 2. Empty crawfish in cooler (ice-chest or tub) and rinse again (keep drain hole open). 3. Close drain hole, sprinkle 1 (16oz.) can of table salt over crawfish and add enough water to cover crawfish. 4. Let stand for 8 to 10 minutes. 5. Drain and repeat above process (1x or 2x). The salt forces the crawfish to purge it’s innards.
Cooking - 1. Fill large pot with enough water to cover all of the crawfish. 2. Add a HEALTHY dose of seasoning (I recommend Ole’ Bay), and one stick of real butter for every five pound of crawfish. Mix and bring to a rolling boil, 3. Add crawfish. Return to a rolling boil. Boil crawfish 5 minutes. 4. Turn fire off and let crawfish soak for 15 to 25 minutes (to your desired spice level). Sprinkle another dose of seasoning over cooked crawfish to kick it up a notch 5. Peel um while they’re hot and enjoy…
Add corn cobettes and potatoes to the boil while the crawfish are purging to round out the meal.
Does anyone know when they start to get active at Scofield?
Thanks!
Wait Three weeks and go out to east canyon in the rocks. Use bacon in panty hoes or chicken on a string.
what about fishing with them
I have found two methods of using crawfish. One throw it in ice or salt water to kill it without spilling the guts and attach a jig head to a swivel with a snell. Attach the jig to the tail and the snell on the whisker and work it in a jigging motion . It is dynamite for SMB. It will also work for brown trout and cat fish . The other method is a catfishing method. Cook the crawfish and dip the tail meat in garlic salt and liquid butter. It works pretty well.