The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

What pleases me is that (so far), there doesn't seem to be any crayfish in there!

Had another go there today - first trip here of them year. Lots of small stuff on maggots and casters, plus two unwelcome signal crayfish. My God, those things are aggressive when you pull them out of the water, they almost seem angry to have been caught, with much snapping of pincers and waving of tails. Tried bread flake to go for bigger roach or chub but apart from a few small knocks, no success.

I am beginning to think, that idyllic though this looks as a venue, there is nothing of size in it, plus the bottom end is badly silted up. It really needs a good flush through, so maybe it fishes better in winter, when the levels are higher

I have never caught a signal crayfish, what the general consensus on what you should do with them?
I assume you don't put them back!

The general consensus, at least according to Lee Valley Park Authority, for whom I am a conservation volunteer, is that you send them to meet their maker, perhaps by immersing them in boiling water and adding a touch of lemon. Me, I am too soft to do this, so they got slung in the back channel by the green cafe, which incidentally does an ace sausage sandwich.

I avoid catching crayfish by float fishing "on the drop" there is little flow, so it works fine. I know that if you leave a bait on the bottom for even a short while you will have crayfish problems! As it happens I had to overcome the same problem at Blenheim Palace Lake!

Corneybury wrote:The general consensus, at least according to Lee Valley Park Authority, for whom I am a conservation volunteer, is that you send them to meet their maker, perhaps by immersing them in boiling water and adding a touch of lemon. Me, I am too soft to do this, so they got slung in the back channel by the green cafe, which incidentally does an ace sausage sandwich.

But then they will just find their back to the river.I don't like to see anything suffer so I thread on them as quick and as hard as I can.

You are probably right. I have no compunction about eating them, but bit reluctant to tread on one. Maybe I should man up a bit...

Sounds dreadful, nature and all that, but I put a sharp bank stick quickly through the back of the head until it's skewered and then lever it off with my boot. Horrible things.

Crayfish, crayfish, crayfish everywhere

Thought I'd spend a couple of Autumn hours at the good old mill pool this afternoon. Next to no water coming through due to lack of rain, and as a result the bottom end of the pool was choked with weeds and dead leaves, it didn't look good. However, the little bit of current around the first swim kept the water clear, and I thought I might pick up a few roach or perch.

In two hours, one bite, which produced a two inch gudgeon, and on unhooking it and dropping it in below the platform I was on, I looked into the clear water. Within a three feet circle round the platform, I counted 6 enormous crayfish, not even bothering to hide. Goodness knows how many were under some of the debris which was on the bottom. To say I was depressed was an understatement, no wonder the bites were not forthcoming, this overriding crustacean cancer has probably eaten everything.

What has happened to my beloved River Lea? It is a shadow of its former self...it will be some time before I visit the Mill Pool again, pretty though it is...

A sad tale indeed, I have not fished much this season, even though the Lea is 50ft from my door! A number of people have licences to trap crayfish and they obviously do well, but it is a huge problem with no easy solution. Add to that the cormorant problem and it is grim in many areas.