Crawdads

Crawdads, Crawfish, Crayfish, however you say them (I'm from NC), are they any good bait for bream? My ole man says they are his #1 prime bait for shellcrackers. He also says they are a pain to keep up with and take care of. I have a creek in my backyard and a small unfinished frog pond about 10 feet long and about 6 feet wide and a foot deep. We started digging it out like 5 years ago but gave up on it. When we first started digging, every rain would fill it up and there would be TONS of crawdads in it after a while. To make a long question short, are they worth me digging this pond back out in order to get some?

I don't know about NC, but down here in Florida they are like caviar to several kind of fish, including sheepshead. Wish I had a good source to catch them here, but they are hard to come by. Along the coast you can buy them live during the searson which should be coming soon. Eat them or fish with them

If they just show up heck yeah, beats the heck out of buying them. For panfish we always used to split the tails and use half a piece, don't forget your bream down south get WAY bigger than their northern cousins.

If they come to you and they're FREE, roll with it. Fish the smaller ones deep, on the bottom for the big gills and shellcrackers.

I get small ones in a creek behind my house and the bluegills rockbass and perch love em. pulling the taill off and using just that seems to work best.

The good people at fish-n-spin (Fish-N-Supply, Home of the Fish-N-Spin) tell me that their little 1/32 oz overhead spin, which normally features a tiny tube body, was red-hot all last year with their 3/4" chartreuse crayfish body! Some dandy 'gills and crappies taken!

The craw-dad link on fish-n-spin website is not working. They must be sold out???

Several articles I have researched rate them no lower than number 2 place. Cut into small chunks works well .

The smallest ones are deadly on redears and big hybrid gills around here. Grass shrimp are hard to find but the smallest creek 'dads due just as well when you can find them.

Try this, gentlemen; get a dozen 10 hole red bricks and put a branch thru 1 hole to keep them upright, put them in a creek that has crayfish in it. Wait till dark and using a headlamp shake them over a bucket or use a plastic straw to gently push them out BACKWARDS; you should end up with a couple dozen at least. And you might be AMAZED at what will very readily INHALE a 1- 1 1/2" crayfish...