How to Catch a Crayfish

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Buy a professional trap.

   If you're new to catching crayfish, a professional trap is your best option.
   
   There are a variety of options when it comes to crayfish traps.
   
   Choose a trap based on your specific needs.
   
   Regardless of the type of trap you're purchasing, make sure the entrance is less than
   9.5 centimeters.
   
   This is a safety precaution to prevent mammalian animals, like otters, from entering the trap and drowning.Some traps are designed with a crawl-in entrance.
   
   These traps are usually meant to be set up and left overnight.
   
   If you're planning on catching crayfish while on an extended camping trip, you might want a trap like this.
   
   You can leave it in the water overnight and check in the morning to see if you caught anything.If you're going for a one-day trip, get a trap designed for lifting.
   
   These traps work somewhat like fishing poles.
   
   You lower them into the water, wait until you feel pressure, and then pull the trap upward to check for crayfish.
2. 2

   Step 2: Use a small plastic cup.

   As crayfish are not particularly big, you may be able to get by with a simple plastic cup.
   
   If you're unaccustomed to handling live crayfish, this is not recommended.
   
   Crayfish are fast and do bite and claw.
   
   It may be hard to secure them in a cup if you lack experience.
   
   However, if you've caught crayfish before you may want to save your money and use a cup.
   
   You use a cup as a trap manually.
   
   You would wait until you see a crayfish and then submerge your cup in the water.
   
   Then, you would slowly move the cup forward until the crayfish was behind it.
   
   Use a stick to scare the crayfish so it backs into the cup.
   
   Then, pull the cup out of the water., A net is a slightly less expensive option than a professional trap.
   
   It requires less manual effort than a simple cup, so it's a good in-between option.
   
   You can try a simple fishnet, which you can buy at most sporting goods stores.
   
   Keep in mind a fish net may not be ideal.
   
   You can hurt a crayfish if its limbs get caught in a fishing net.
   
   Even if you intend to kill the animal for food, you want to minimize its suffering.
3. 3

   Step 3: Try a net.

Detailed Guide

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