Description:
Crawdad fishing can be just as fun as fishing for traditional fish species. Kids especially will love catching these interesting crustaceans. Crawdads can make a fine meal as well and are often referred to as 'fresh-water lobster' or 'poor man's lobster'. Crayfish are excellent bait for such species as Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass, as well as at times for many other species including Cutthroat Trout and Channel Catfish.Crawdads occupy mostly rocky or weedy shorelines where they can seek shelter from predators and feed safely. They are often found in very large numbers in some of Utah reservoirs, such as Strawberry Reservoir. Crawdads can be caught with a traditional fishing pole, however they are also often trapped as well as caught by tying bait to fishing line with no hook. The crawdads seem to want a meal so bad that they will clamp onto the bait with their claws and not let go, allowing you to bring them up out of the water.
Where to catch Crawdads:
- Bottle Hollow Reservoir
- Deer Creek Reservoir
- Flaming Gorge Reservoir
- Lake Powell
- Lost Creek Reservoir
- Sandwash Reservoir
- Scofield Reservoir
- Starvation Reservoir
- Strawberry Reservoir
- Utah Lake (few in number)
- Yuba Reservoir
Current Regulations:
- There is No Limit on Crayfish in Utah
- Fishing with a live Crawdad as bait is legal only if used on the exact same water where caught.
- Transporting of live Crayfish is illegal
- Dead Crayfish can be used as bait in any Utah water
Fishing Tips:
Some common types of bait to use to catch crayfish are:- raw chicken
- cooked chicken (KFC works great)
- hot dogs
- worms
- non-gamefish 'guts'
- chicken bones
I found this out one late night at Flaming Gorge Reservoir. We had run out of bait, and decided we might as well try using the bones. They turned out to attract the crayfish just as much as the meat, but the bone held together indefinitely, so we were able to catch far more 'dads with the bones.
