Avoiding Crayfish

I’ve been having problems with crayfish when using lobworms for perch. Any ideas?

Replies:

1. “Buy a block of red rig foam..most probably in the carp section.
Cut yourself a bit about the shape of a marrowfat pea and slide it onto a size 8-6 long shank hook. You could make some out before you set out. A little glue stops the foam coming off on the cast and stops it interfering with the point/gape/barb. The hooklength should be about 18 inches long, made from 3-4lb break.
Personally I think a sliding leger is pretty hard to beat. Apart from large Lobworms you can fish a live Minnow, Loach or similar.
Once cast, allow the bait to sit for a bit. If nothing happens in the first minute or so, twitch the rig along the bottom. The weight stirs up allsorts of dross and usually bring the Perch in for a look. A few feet at a time is enough.”

2. “Sorry folks but crays can swim. It isn't easy but they do it.

They manage to swim by beating pairs of paddles called swimmerets on each body segment. The swimmerets move in sequence, starting at the back of the animal and moving forward. The movements of each segment keep a precise difference in timing, while varying in speed and force.

As the swimmerets beat, each module receives a stream of nerve impulses from the modules behind and in front of it. Signals from behind indicate a power stroke; those from the front represent a recovery stroke.

So popping the bait up will not prevent crayfish from finding it. Slow them down some for sure and if it's too buoyant for them to drag to the bottom, hurts their eating efficiency.”

3. “Groundbait can work very well for big perch but how you use it can make a big difference. I use groundbait both to attract prey fish, which of course in turn attracts the predators, and to attract the perch themselves.

Many commercial waters ban groundbait whilst allowing loose feeding. I've therefore had to learn how to attract the prey fish without the cloudbait I used to use. This hasn't led to my catches dropping off though. In fact I've found cloudbait can be detrimental as it brings the fish up in the water. I prefer to have the prey fish on the bottom in these shallow venues as I've found bait presentation for big perch to be better then.

Spicy groundbaits work very well for big perch and my most successful is Archie Braddock's Xotic. I gather Archie's discontinuing Xotic as it's not cost effective. If so the next best I've used is Garam Masala from Indian food shops. Both are even better if used with a liquid flavour, and Archie's Perch Magic is just that. See www.braddocksbaits.co.uk

However, I and agree that on most small waters the big perch are in small groups or even loners. I also agree that groundbait can pull in all sizes of perch. I don't mind baby perch being attracted, but medium-sized ones can sometimes be a nuisance.

However one way of selecting the specimens is to fish a big live or (freshwater) deadbait some 10 to 20 feet away from the groundbait. The small perch charge into the groundbaited area whilst the specimens tend to skulk around the edge and pick off any prey fish that stray too far from the safety of the shoal.

Finally, I'd add that when fishing live and deadbaits for perch I don't feed little and often once I've caught my bait. Rather it's a lot, a little less often. The idea is to get the prey fish pre-occupied and thus off guard. Grandma perch can then more easily sneak up on them!

4. “Crays can be a real pain and will take baits two or three feet off of the bottom, even large, or double air injected lob worms. Best to use a live bait of 5 or six inches fished on a paternoster rig three feet off bottom or even a free rover trotted through the stream. More often than not a live bait will escape the clutches of a crayfish.”