Why fish for crawdads, or crayfish, or crawfish anyway? Quite simply, because they’re delicious – like mini lobster! And besides, they’re easy to catch and a snap to prepare. California crawfish can reach about 6 inches long and vary in color from brownish, to reddish or greenish.
Although there is no minimum size limit, most anglers return smaller crawdads (less than 2 to 3 inches) since the amount of edible meat on these is slight.
The easiest way to catch a batch of crawfish is to use one or more wire traps. These traps have funnel-shaped openings that allow the crawdad to get in but not out. Crawfish traps are available in many bait and tackle shops. They go for about $15 to $20, but can be purchased on sale for as little as $10.
These traps are baited with a piece of chicken or liver, or a can of dog food (fish flavored is good). Perforate the dog food can with a can opener. Secure the can or other bait in the middle of the trap with a line or string. All you do is lower the trap to the bottom on a rope and wait.
Crawfish are most active at night and prefer rocky areas (provides a good place to hide). Undercut river bank in shady areas are also good. If evening or night fishing is not convenient, try it in the daytime. We’ve seen many crawfish caught when the sun is up.
Another technique popular with kids is to lower a strip of bacon or piece of liver into the water using a string or fishing line. Lower it to the bottom and wait. Once is awhile, slowly raise up the bait and ease a landing net under it, right near the surface. Usually the crawfish will hang on to the bait long enough to be caught in the net. A boat dock or tied-up houseboat is a great place to catch crawfish using this technique.
Caught crawfish can be stored alive for up to a day in a bucket that is covered with a damp towel or gunnysack. This is important because crawfish are cooked alive (like lobster), at least they are alive when cooking starts.
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You’ll need the following to catch crawfish:
A bucket (to keep your catch in)
A crawfish trap or two, or
A pole and line (or rod, reel and line)
Bait (dog food, chicken leg, bacon, and liver)
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The Delta is very good. Many lakes, ponds and streams are also good. See the “Freshwater Fishing” section for more details.
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Crawfish don’t need to be cleaned. Most people cook them whole – the edible meat is in the tail and pinchers. But some people just remove the tails and cook them. If you do this, you can remove the tail by twisting and pulling it off where it meets the body. Then grasp the middle of the three flippers at the end of the tail.
Twisting and pulling it will pull out the black entrail string that runs along the top of the meat under the tail side. If it doesn’t come out, don’t worry. You can easily remove it after cooking when the shell is removed.
The first step in most crawfish recipes is cooking them for about 10 minutes in boiling, salted water. The shell is bright red when crawdads are done. A whole crawfish can then be eaten like small lobster. Or you can clean out the meat (use a nutcracker and nut pick) and sauté it in your favorite Newburg sauce.
A popular recipe is to heat a little butter in a skillset and add fresh pressed garlic, sweet basil, finely chopped fresh parsley, a touch of olive oil and pepper. Now add about a fourth cup of white wine, a bowl of boiled and shelled crawdad claws and tail meat, and sauté for a few minutes.
Serve over rice for a gourmet treat!
Position traps where crawfish naturally shelter—tight to rock piles, logjams, and the shady voids beneath undercut banks—so you match their instinctive cover. In fast-water runs favor rocky seams and crack between submerged boulders; in slower bayous, hug woody debris and collapsed root masses.
Softer substrates suit traps nestled against mud banks or within vegetation edges, while gravel/sand flats call for anchoring near any nearby shelter, since crawfish will dart from structure to feed.
For deeper holes, lower traps toward the bottom to intersect the crawfish’s daytime resting depth, whereas shallower pools may need traps suspended just above silt to stay within their foraging zone. Always adjust baited traps based on the current habitat profile for best results.
Fresh chicken pieces offer mild aroma and firm texture, making them a baseline bait; crawfish nibble cautiously then commit when the scent disperses slowly. Liver, especially chicken or beef, releases an odor gradient outperforming chicken though it fouls water faster and draws non-target pests.
Fish-flavored dog food is cheap and compact, dumping savory oils that trigger aggressive feeding; anchor it to weighted rigs to keep it near hides. Shrimp heads mimic carcasses, providing taste and umami oils crawfish recognize from their diet, yet they decay sooner than slower-release mixes.
Bacon bits glow in low light and stay intact longer than whole shrimp. Natural attractants such as minced garlic or molasses blends subtly enhance bait by adding sweetness or fermentation notes that prolong interest without overwhelming the protein base overall noticeably.
Spring opens the season as warming marshes coax crawfish toward shallow flats and flooded fields; emerging vegetation and gentle currents invite them to the sunlit outskirts, so patrol ponds and back channels for aggressive movement. Summer pushes most crawfish into shadowed holes, stump wells, or deeper ditches where cold water lingers; focus on consistent oxygenated pools, shaded fingers, and soft mud edges before mid-afternoon heat peaks.
Fall sends a reverse tide: cooling water draws crawfish back toward feeder creeks, sand bars, and culverts where post-rain currents concentrate prey, so stage traps near those gathering points.
Winter slumps every plan because crawfish favor the deepest pockets, root tangles, and undercut ledges; once weather stabilizes, check the warmest springs or deep runs and keep baited lines close, respecting their low-energy rhythm again.
A reliable funnel trap starts with a sturdy frame—welded wire or rebar spelling a tapered cylinder that channels crawfish inward, never back out. Inside, the inward-sloping funnels should begin high and tighten toward the collection chamber; this geometry, paired with a well-placed bait compartment, keeps scent circulating while guiding critters effortlessly past the escape-free entrance.
Mesh size hovers around ½ to ¾ inch, small enough to deter predators yet large enough to avoid clogging and allow water flow. Bait containers, often simple perforated PVC or wire cages, suspend in the trap’s waist to protect linen or fish entrails from scavengers while keeping scent accessible.
Weather-hardened galvanized wire, brass fasteners, and PVC sleeves on joints add longevity, while snugly tied netting reinforces the basket without increasing weight.
The Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta remains California’s premier crawfish arena; anglers target the broad sloughs around Bethel Island and Twitchell Island where submerged vegetation concentrates red swamp and signal crayfish during warm months. Head for lakes like Clear Lake and Lake Havasu for clearer water, cooler temperatures, and plentiful signal crawdad congregations near rock piles and dock pilings.
Smaller streams such as the Kern River tributaries and the Eel River pockets host native species and billiards-size red swamp crawfish when flows are moderate.
Keep an eye on seasonal closures, catch limits, and confined waters mandates from the Department of Fish and Wildlife, because some Delta channels require permits and traps must meet escape-ring standards. Ontario’s urban lakes also allow bank fishing, though private access fees apply. Pack mesh sacks for checks.
Respectful crawfishing begins with sustainable harvest techniques that focus on quality over quantity. Leave coves alone to let aggregations recover, and use traps sized so immature crawfish slip away unharmed. When local regulations mandate minimum carapace lengths, measure each catch and return those below the line; this keeps nurseries stocked for future seasons.
Practice selective harvesting by limiting daily take to what you can eat, and share surplus with neighbors rather than tossing odd-sized individuals. Protect banks and vegetation by avoiding trampling or dragging gear across sensitive substrate, and anchor boats away from spawning shallows.
Pack out all ropes, bait containers, and trash, keeping evidence of your visit to a minimum. Ethical crawfishing means respecting habitat, obeying rules, and teaching others to leave the landscape better than they found it.
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