Using Crayfish for BIG RAINBOWS?

[orviskid]

how do you fish them right on the bottom? a crayfish would look funny hanging 2 feet off the bottom.

[Greenz]

I have caught Brookies with them inside and all the fish were good size 17-19inch natives,  This has been in the summer though flyfishing with a muddler minnow 

[jflood]

Keeping this thread alive 8) ok, I went out and hand picked 3 dozen crayfish this weekend. I intend on picking more for early ice trout. I'm still not sure on whether or not I will set them up i shallow... 3-5 fow, or deeper water I suppose I'll do both and see what happens Any suggestions.

[kayak2fish]

I may give this a go too. The river near me is loaded with them and all sizes. How would I keep them a live, do you think?

[jflood]

I may give this a go too. The river near me is loaded with them and all sizes. How would I keep them a live, do you think?

Kayak,
I've picked about three doz but would like to get some more...the floating leaves make it somewhat of a PIA...good luck
As far as keeping them alive I secured an old fish tank and run a filter to keep the water clean. I feed them small dead fish. I've had them alive for 2 weeks now not a one has died. So far so good

[Pail Rider]

2" crawdad in 4' of water on a sandy bottom produces quite well.  If you have a rocky bottom you want to suspend it about an inch off the rocks so they don't hide under one of them.  I like to toss a few salmon eggs down the hole too, as an added attractant.

[raider111]

they love cray fish  expeccially in deep water

[jflood]

update 8) I still have many crawfish live in the tank. So far I haven't had much luck catching them but I haven't been that diligent. Honestly I have caught more tour this year on waxies on tip ups. However......when I take them home and gut them guess what I've been finding...crawfish   I've set them in 15 fow on the bottom, under the ice. My problem is I don't know what the bottom is like...I think its rocky but I have pulled up the occasional weed. I've been wonder if them present unnatural to a weary trout and they aren't biting for that reason

How everyone else doing with the crawfish this year

[SeaDog1]

CRAWDADS!!
1 Large kettle.
Add water to 3/4 mark and bring to a slow boil.
Add small whole onions, potatoes, hot dogs, corn on the cob.
Add Crawdad boil seasoning or large container of red cayman pepper.
Add Crawdads and boil till they turn red.
Scoop out as much as you want of the boil into a large bowl.
Repeat all of the above and add another bag of seasoning or pepper. (Best when you get to the 4th or 5th Boil)
Get a loaf of French stick bread (Butter optional)
Open a Cold Beer(s)
Turn on Super Bowl.
Sit in comfortable chair with plenty of paper towel.
ENJOY!!!!!!

[triple threat]

update 8) I still have many crawfish live in the tank. So far I haven't had much luck catching them but I haven't been that diligent. Honestly I have caught more tour this year on waxies on tip ups. However......when I take them home and gut them guess what I've been finding...crawfish   I've set them in 15 fow on the bottom, under the ice. My problem is I don't know what the bottom is like...I think its rocky but I have pulled up the occasional weed. I've been wonder if them present unnatural to a weary trout and they aren't biting for that reason

How everyone else doing with the crawfish this year

I haven't had a chance to test them yet through the ice since I started this thread, stupid me I keep forgeting to trap them in the fall.  I have seen them crawling around under the ice though when i've been jigging for bows, sometimes in the open with no rocks to be seen.  I think they move around more than we might think in the winter.  I'm going to set my crayfish trap up this week under a dock that has a bubbler on it and has rocks all around it and see what happens.  I think docks with bubblers creating open water is a good place to look for them in the winter cause it allows the sun to get through and heat things up, we'll see if i'm right.  If it works I will be trying them on a tip up soon.

My buddy also just caught a 3.5 lb bow that had 8 crayfish in it's stomach, some which were very fresh, so I think it's safe to say they still eat them in the winter.

[jflood]

Slow day yesterday so we threw everthing at them including crawfish...no luck again in 5-7 fow
Tell ya what...I'm finding them in their stomachs but they aren't buying what I'm selling

[nhbooner]

Has anyone had any luck lately?  Lets keep this thread alive.  I really want to try this out and see what happens. 

[triple threat]

Well I found some crayfish online for sale that aren't for eating or the exotics for the fish tank and they the right size, so i'm gonna buy some this week and try them, since I can't seem to catch any because some a-holes steal my traps no matter where I put them, argh.  We've been doing really with big rainbows this year so I think we can really put them to the test in the next week.

[jflood]

early this season I just didn't have success with the crawfish. I have typically been setting one of my tip ups or hand helds with crawfish. Still no takers. I certainly have found them in their belly's this season they haven't come from me I ha vent fished much deeper than 20 fow and  I do plan to drop those little guys down into some deeper waters. Never give....Never give up