I have eaten crayfish (we call them 'mudbugs') from cleanwater creeks. You can catch as many as you want with a curved stick and a little net. They are excellent eating when steamed or quick boiled. Since we were camping last time we caught and ate them, we had butter with us to melt and dip the tails in.

Oh man, I love crawdads! I've wondered if that bottle trap really works. If the pictures can be trusted I guess the answer is yes.

Something I've been looking for is a crawdad trap that folds flat for easy storage in my backpack. Has anyone seen anything like this or do I need to invent it myself?

-Blast

Blast, that type of device works.

One modification I used as a kid was to enlarge the funnel hole by cutting below the screw top. The small diameter of the top limits the size of crawdads that can get inside. If you want the big boys you've got to open the hole.

Also, I dug a hole to bury most of the bottle, then piled rocks up around it to make it easier for them to climb inside.

One thing we discovered is that crawdads can't really swim up -- meaning that you don't really need a funnel to keep them if the trap is small and tall. If the trap is on its side the funnel is mandatory -- but if it's standing up the funnel won't be needed.

The trap works in cloudy/deep water. And it works without supervision -- a much better survival technique because it gives time to do other things. Multiple traps increases the size of supper.

Fishing also works well. But it has to be done by hand and by sight. Meaning it's time consuming. But if you don't have something to transform into a trap, fishing might be the only method that a person in a survival situation can use.

While the trap requires meat of some sort for bait, fishing for crawdads does not. Any bright tidbit of cloth tied to strip can entice a crawdad to pinch. But bait works better.

Regarding a folding trap, I guess any box will work -- a plastic one of some sort. Because the crawdads can't swim up, as long as the box is tall and skinny, it should work as a trap.

Sounds like something to add to the spring experiment list.

1Qt.Plastic Milk Jugs,Work Like No Tomorrow! You can Flatten them out,& Reshape them a few times,Before they start to Crack.A 90% Velveeta/10% Anchovy Paste mixture,Rolled into 1" balls,then put into a corner of a Baggie(Lunch size),twist it up, snip with scissors,Rubberband to twisted end to seal,Done!When you get to Your destination,Blow into the Jug to Reshape,Doesn't have to be perfect,Tie some Paracord to the handle,Aprox.8' of Cord,Stake the other end into the Bank,Take out a bait ball,Poke a few holes into it(Toothpick size),Stuff it into the Jug,Dig out enough Muck,about 1' from shoreline,to sink the jug-7/8-of it's length into the Muck hole,Mark your stake,Move on to your next hole.Jugs should be placed No closer than 10' from each other,& It helps Alot to, Place jugs where You've seen them!Comeback in 8 or more hrs,& Pull your Load in,& Enjoy!Since this is a Survival Thread,The Best Natural bait for Crawdads,Are a Crawdad with a Split Underside,They are Cannibals! Now Enjoy!

Promar has at least a couple sizes of traps that fold flat.

Blast:

I think you can still find the fold-flat nets around here. If I can get one, I'll see if we can stick it in the luggage in a few weeks.

But, they only work for crawfish - we don't eat crayfish round these parts. Wouldn't know what to do with the darn things.

.....cliff
(like, who else?)

I don't know about these crawdads and crawfish, in Eastern Australia we call them yabbies. Just as tasty though, and easy to catch.

I like the name "Yabbies", but I've never eaten them. I'm guessing they taste like shrimp or rock lobster?

Frabill, also.

As newsman said, the key is the ability to set the trap and do other things. There ain't much to each crayfish, but for no effort, it doesn't matter. Plus, this is one of those rare occasions that you'll eat gourmet food in a survival situation!

When it comes to crayfish, crawdad, yabbis or whatever you want to call them, I could eat those little bugs by the bucket. I caught about 120 lbs. last year during the summer. They make for some fine eating with a cold beer and some fresh corn.

Here is a link to Trapper Arne's Crawfish website.

Trapper Arne's

I've purchased about 2 dozen traps from this fellow a couple of seasons ago and have had wonderful success with them. I caught 48 in one trap after an overnight soak.

The "Trappy" and "Jackpot" both fold up nicely and could be packed if needed. The Trappy would be a bit more of a pain to get into a pack or bag. It's made of rigid plastic and the end funnels are separate pieces. The Jackpot collapses down into concentric rings and snaps together quickly.

I could see how this might fit into someone's survival gear. It's not The Deadliest Catch, but it's close.


No affiliation to Trapper Arne, beer, garlic butter, and crawfish other than I really like 3 of them on a hot summer evening.

Thanks Paul! My kids and I were just talking about going hunting for mudbugs this summer. We love eating them so thought why not go get some ourselves. Thanks for the tips!