I got three Promar collapsible crawdad / bait traps to deploy from backpack or kayak as passive protein gathering devices. Freshwater field testing soon, report to follow.

I will be eagerly anticipating the results of your field trials...

Hey D,Right Now is The Very Best time,as Most of the canals are Empty or Very Low around Farms,at least in the Bakersfield-Kern/Tulare County area.I know you want to test the survival aspect of catching them,However If you get the hankerin' for more than a Handful,Get your MuckBoots,Gloves,Gunneysacks&Friends,& Hit the Irrigation canals,They are at their lowest point,The muck/mud will be about 2 feet deep,It's also a real good Time of year for Froggin'at night.Frogs have the Red eyes,Toads have the yellow eyes, Toads are poisonous. Good Luck!

Richlacal, I understand frogging is a secret passion of more than a few game wardens. Daytime use of the old red rag on a hook with a long pole is supposed to be deadly.

I am concerned with chemical contamination of ag water. I intend upper foothill, lower mountain adventures in national forest or BLM land primarily.

Bring a boiling pot and butter and garlic :-)

First trial intended for Friday-Saturday in one or more streams of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Hopefully a trout or two will give their all, or at least all their innards, as bait but if none are available crushed caddis fly, other larvae, or terrestrial worms will do the job. Deeper, quieter pools, hopefully with some aquatic vegetation, are my first choice for placement.

Will report.

Crawdads will be More plentiful in Warmer water,So shallow,rocky streams with vegetation will be your Best bet!Crawdads are Cannibals so,If you can catch one by hand 1st,split its underside open & use it for bait,It is actually,The Best bait to use! Good Luck!

Wondering if these traps could work for saltwater crabs? Would tougher critters and environment destroy them? Might have to run an experiment.