the fresh-water lobsterette - crawfish lakes *UPDATE*

[iPodrodder]

I threw in a bass head near a private dock. Then I just dove down and picked them up. EastsideRedneck says that three docks to the right of the fishing pier with the underwater picnic table is pretty good too.

[fishingmachine]

Thanks ill have to give it a try next year

[iPodrodder]

Thanks ill have to give it a try next year

It's still open. Crawdads aren't fish.

[bpm2000]

i was under the impression that crawfish season ends oct 31st every year.

[dilbert]

i was under the impression that crawfish season ends oct 31st every year.

Yep... it does.

[iPodrodder]

i was under the impression that crawfish season ends oct 31st every year.

Yep... it does.

Jeez, I need to read the regs. I never read the crawfish part, I've never intended to keep one. Sorry.

[Aaron]

I found this while searching for gear, VERY informative and worth the time to read:

http://www.terrybullard.com/fishing_history.html

Main URL to this site:

http://www.terrybullard.com/CrawfishMain.html

[kevinb]

Thanks for the link....even has recipes:chef:

[Aaron]

After reading this thread I'm envisioning a poor mans Dangerous Catch! I'm going to have to give this a try.

[Aaron]

The regs for the gear are on the very last page of the 2007-2008 regs booklet. Can anyone decipher them enough to know if these pots are regulation?

Cabelas - Frabill Vinyl-Coated Crawfish Trap

[narleynate]

I'm not sure how much difference it makes, but the Snake River actually doesn't get into Grant County. It borders Garfield, Columbia, Asotin, Whitman, and i'm sure a few others. Boyer Park, and Wawawai Park, two places on the snake river that have been mentioned for great Crawdad fishing are actually both in Whitman County. Just thought i would give y'all a heads up!

[bigastrout]

The regs for the gear are on the very last page of the 2007-2008 regs booklet. Can anyone decipher them enough to know if these pots are regulation?

Cabelas - Frabill Vinyl-Coated Crawfish Trap

The Frabill Pots don't meet the requirement for a biodegradable device but are easily modified. If you buy three of the round traps you can turn them into a really nice pair of pots that conform to the biodegadable device rule.

[Aaron]

The regs state that a Crab Buoy must be half white, and half red. Can't seem to locate any of these. Can't seem to find any clarification in the regs either about using the crab or shrimp regs for crawfish. the section title has Crab, Shrimp and Crawfish, but the rest of the entire section never mentions anything about crawfish again... very confusing.

So.. whats wrong with the Frabill pots that they don't meet regulations? if you secured the two sides together with 3 loops of 100% cotton cord, would that not be according to the regs?

[Aaron]

All this talk about crawfish reminded me of a trip to Williams Lake (Spokane County) where we caught a crawdad as Klinks Resort from the dock (excellent fishing on that dock btw). It just so happens I took a few pics.

Also, Williams Lake is not on the current list. there have been quite a few lakes posted since the last full list update. Someone want to update the full list again? I'll consider posting it as part of the site... and might even integrate it into the new site with it's own section.

[Shad_Eating_Grin]

The regs state that a Crab Buoy must be half white, and half red. Can't seem to locate any of these. Can't seem to find any clarification in the regs either about using the crab or shrimp regs for crawfish. the section title has Crab, Shrimp and Crawfish, but the rest of the entire section never mentions anything about crawfish again... very confusing.

So.. whats wrong with the Frabill pots that they don't meet regulations? if you secured the two sides together with 3 loops of 100% cotton cord, would that not be according to the regs?

From the language below, it appears that tying the two sides together with 3 loops of cotton cord is legal.

GENERAL GEAR RULES:Every shellfi sh pot, ring net, or star trap left unattended in Washington waters must have its own buoy line and a separate buoy that is permanently and legibly marked with the operator’s fi rst name, last name, and permanent address (telephone number is voluntary). It is illegal to pull unattended shellfi sh gear with a buoy that does not have your name on it, and only one name and address may appear on each buoy. Any angler may assist the person whose name is on the buoy while he or she is pulling the pot. No fi sher may set, fi sh, or pull shellfi sh gear from a vessel from one hour after offi cial sunset to one hour before offi cial sunrise.

Buoys must be constructed of durable material (no bleach, antifreeze, detergent bottles, paint cans, etc.) and must be visible on the surface at all times except during extreme tidal conditions. Personal fl ags and staff, if attached to buoys, can be of any color. Buoy lines must be weighted suffi ciently to prevent them from fl oating on the surface.

All crab, shrimp, and crawfi sh pots must be equipped with a biodegradable device (rot/escape cord) and shall include one or more of the following:
(1) securing the pot lid hook or tie down strap with a single loop of cord; or
(2) sewing a 3" by 5" escape panel in the upper half of pot closed with cord; or
(3) attaching the pot lid or one pot side (serving as a pot lid) with no more than three single loops of cord.
Cord used must be untreated 100% cotton or other natural fi ber no larger than thread size 120 or ?". This cord, when attached as described above, must be able to rot away and allow crab, shrimp, crawfi sh and fi sh to escape freely if the pot is lost. A derelict crab pot without proper escape cord can attract and kill crabs for years after the pot has been lost

[bigastrout]

Tying the the two sides of the pots together does satisfy the requirement but it does not work very well. That was my first idea too. There is an eye on each side of the pot for attaching the bouy line. When you close the pot the two eyes meet up flush with each other. The clasp that comes with the pot is supposed to lock though both eyes keeping the pot closed. When you use the clasp as intended it would negate the three loops of cord and the pot would not meet the requirement. So I tried just hooking the clasp to one half of the pot. That did not work well. It kept the pot cracked open and I was afraid that the cord loops might fail and I would loose half the pot to the deep. I also found that tying it shut that way made baiting and rebaiting very time consuming. I came up with a solution to this problem with the round frabill pot. You will need three pots to make two that meet the requirement. On two of the pots, leaving the wire ring attached to your pot cut out the wire mesh funnel from one end. On the third pot cut the funnel ends off leaving the wire ring attached to the funnel. The tie the funnel end with ring to the pot end with ring using cord. This way you only have to tie it once every few years and baiting is a snap. Bouy color does not matter for crawfish only crab and shrimp. Bouys must be made of durable material, be seen at the surface at all times and have your name and address on them.

Hope this helps I will try to post a pic soon

[Shad_Eating_Grin]

I guess another option is taking a pair of wire cutters and cutting a door/panel on one of the sides, and securing it with biodegradable cord

[Aaron]

I stopped in at the Sportsmans Warehouse today and got everything I need. 2 Crawfish Pots, 2 75' ropes, 2 red/white buoys, 2 3oz weights to weight the line down, 1 black Marks-A-Lot to put my name on them with. I was able to get everything I needed for 2 pots for $45.96 after tax. the only thing I couldn't find was the time machine which I need so it can be May 5th without waiting till the 5th.

[Aaron]

FYI - I was looking over the new regs and they have upped the crawfish pot limit from 2 per person to 5 per person. Also, they clarified the time of day limits:

2007:
No fisher may set, fish, or pull shellfish gear from a vessel from one hour after official sunset to one hour before official sunrise.

2008:
No fisher may set, fish, or pull shellfish gear from a vessel, in Catch Record Card Areas 1-13, from one hour after official sunset to one hour before official sunrise. All shellfish gear must be removed from the water on closed days.

This means you can now place/retrieve crawfish pots whenever you want without getting in trouble.

[Aaron]

While looking for the RCW that makes it illegal to pull someones pot up i came across this list of WA Lakes provided by the state:

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=220-52-060