# Crawfish...for yellows?



## Featherduster (Sep 15, 2010)

Anybody ever use em? I've got a local tourney coming up in a month and usually a big yellow wins it...very rarely a blue is caught. Of course we will be using live perch but due to the drought my tanks have gone dry. Bait is hard to come by but I can always get crawfish...even if I have to buy em, they don't cost too much. Buying perch around here is $8.50 a dozen!!! That is gonna run into some serious cash flow. Anyway, just wondering if yall have had any luck with crawfish.


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## johnmyjohn (Aug 6, 2006)

Featherduster said:


> Anybody ever use em? I've got a local tourney coming up in a month and usually a big yellow wins it...very rarely a blue is caught. Of course we will be using live perch but due to the drought my tanks have gone dry. Bait is hard to come by but I can always get crawfish...even if I have to buy em, they don't cost too much. Buying perch around here is $8.50 a dozen!!! That is gonna run into some serious cash flow. Anyway, just wondering if yall have had any luck with crawfish.


 I love crawdeads for channels but ops seem to like more meat. $8.50 is what you can pay down here for croaker, go perch.


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## SSST (Jun 9, 2011)

Tried a couple of times, they stayed on the hook until we took them off. Perch, bigger the better.


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## JFolm (Apr 22, 2012)

Use a crawfish to hook a channel and then maybe an Ops will eat it.


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## BURTONboy (Feb 23, 2010)

We use to use crawfish on the Brazos running lines and catch a few nice yellows every time. But i've never used them rod and reel fishing. If you're fishing the Brazos, give them a try. You might get lucky. Definitely not a bad alternative to perch, or whatever else you like to use as bait.


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## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

Every thing loves craw fish. I caught a pretty little Cajun gal back in '98 at a craw fish festival.........Oh but that is a different story at a different time.
We are catching lots of perch around the Livingston docks but that may be a long haul at today's gas prices.
How about Black Salties or gold fish?


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## fishingcowboy (May 19, 2009)

i have used goldfish with great success. My biggest yellow came on a live goldfish 68 lb on r&r. hook them thru the eyes they stay alive for i know four days


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## Fishin' Soldier (Dec 25, 2007)

Goldfish or do that the old timers do.

Or, bait the lines with a piece of bait about 1/4" by 1/4". Leave the lines for longer than normal.


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## SSST (Jun 9, 2011)

My Grandpa used to use goldfish on full moon nights, said they glow in the water, lol. When I was a kid I believed every word of it, now I just look back on it and laugh to myself, we've caught yellows on goldfish before when we had no other options, any live bait is better than none.


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## gulfcoast200 (Jun 26, 2004)

Ive never caught a yellow cat on a crawfish but I've cleaned 2 fish that had one in their belly. Mostly what I find are small fish in their stomach or an empty stomach. Its cool to catch the bait thieves. The ones that have a perch in their mouth still on the hook and one in their belly with a hook hole in it.


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## troutless (Feb 17, 2006)

Columbus / Austin have you tried putting out some perch traps in the river? I used to do it there in Austin when I was growing up there. I used to catch some nice perch on Onion Creek and Slaughter Creek. It just a thought. Good luck in the turney!


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## Magnolia (Dec 2, 2007)

where ya'll fishing a tourney at? dont understand not catching any blues.


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## Aggie87 (Jun 2, 2010)

Will u be using trot lines, limb lines...etc? 
Just fished the brazos this past weekend and did pretty good. caught a few yellas on some crawfish but all the big fish came from live perch. Caught about a 15lb blue on the crawfish. Id reccommend using crawfish during the day and perch during the night. If using lines atleast keep the bottom hook baited with a good live perch. We had one really big yella that was in the process of eating a channel cat that was on our line. Had him half way in his mouth but when we pulled it up as soon as he got to the surface the rest is history. The shad are starting to come in the shallows. might can cast net some of them.


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## Fishin' Soldier (Dec 25, 2007)

troutless said:


> Columbus / Austin have you tried putting out some perch traps in the river? I used to do it there in Austin when I was growing up there. I used to catch some nice perch on Onion Creek and Slaughter Creek. It just a thought. Good luck in the turney!


Illegal to use perch traps in freshwater now.


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## Featherduster (Sep 15, 2010)

troutless said:


> Columbus / Austin have you tried putting out some perch traps in the river? I used to do it there in Austin when I was growing up there. I used to catch some nice perch on Onion Creek and Slaughter Creek. It just a thought. Good luck in the turney!


Thanks, yeah I made a few and put em out. Don't catch a whole lot but a few here and there. I'll look for those creeks...not familiar with them


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## Featherduster (Sep 15, 2010)

Magnolia said:


> where ya'll fishing a tourney at? dont understand not catching any blues.


Colorado River...Columbus TX

There's blues there...it's just not often that they are caught


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## Featherduster (Sep 15, 2010)

Aggie87 said:


> Will u be using trot lines, limb lines...etc?
> Just fished the brazos this past weekend and did pretty good. caught a few yellas on some crawfish but all the big fish came from live perch. Caught about a 15lb blue on the crawfish. Id reccommend using crawfish during the day and perch during the night. If using lines atleast keep the bottom hook baited with a good live perch. We had one really big yella that was in the process of eating a channel cat that was on our line. Had him half way in his mouth but when we pulled it up as soon as he got to the surface the rest is history. The shad are starting to come in the shallows. might can cast net some of them.


We will be setting limb lines. And this is exactly what I'm gonna do...perch at night, crawfish during the day with a perch on the bottom hook. You read my mind.


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## Featherduster (Sep 15, 2010)

Fishin' Soldier said:


> Illegal to use perch traps in freshwater now.


Depends what you call a perch trap.

You can still use minnow traps, 24"...the opening can't be bigger than 1" wide and 3" tall.


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## SSST (Jun 9, 2011)

Aggie87 said:


> Will u be using trot lines, limb lines...etc?
> Just fished the brazos this past weekend and did pretty good. caught a few yellas on some crawfish but all the big fish came from live perch. Caught about a 15lb blue on the crawfish. Id reccommend using crawfish during the day and perch during the night. If using lines atleast keep the bottom hook baited with a good live perch. We had one really big yella that was in the process of eating a channel cat that was on our line. Had him half way in his mouth but when we pulled it up as soon as he got to the surface the rest is history. The shad are starting to come in the shallows. might can cast net some of them.


Sucks when that happens but it does, we had a pole slapping the water a couple of weeks ago, but when we started pulling it up all we had was a skinned 2 lb channel. Another good bait for daytime fishing is cut mullet, blues love it.


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## JFolm (Apr 22, 2012)

What are some of the biggest baits you guys have used? I usually use a perch about the size of my hand and smaller. Haven't caught anything huge yet. My biggest is 25lbs.


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## SSST (Jun 9, 2011)

We've used baits that i'd rather not get on a public forum and write about, but usually the big yellas come off of very large goggle eyed perch for us, say 8 in long variety.


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## team cut em deep (May 14, 2010)

JFolm said:


> What are some of the biggest baits you guys have used? I usually use a perch about the size of my hand and smaller. Haven't caught anything huge yet. My biggest is 25lbs.


If you're just going after big fish then bigger bait is better mainly because it keeps the smaller fish off. Personally I like to use hand size also. Caught a 56lber last year on about a 2" goggle eye so size doesnt always matter. If he's there and hungry he'll eat it.


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## ak (May 6, 2012)

agreed I caught a 52 lb on a 1.5" perch and I have pulled a 28 lb out that swallowed a smaller channel we had caught. Just got to be lucky and place that line in the big boys den.


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## Aggie87 (Jun 2, 2010)

SSST said:


> We've used baits that i'd rather not get on a public forum and write about, but usually the big yellas come off of very large goggle eyed perch for us, say 8 in long variety.


Ha i think we all have used a few of them baits a time or 10 lol


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## Fishin' Soldier (Dec 25, 2007)

Aggie87 said:


> Ha i think we all have used a few of them baits a time or 10 lol


Thats why the old timers use very small baits to let the twisters eat and get hooked.


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## adventurer (Jul 3, 2008)

I do not catfish very much, (once every 2 years) but when I do, I use perch traps to catch my bait. I read earlier in this post someone said it is illegal to use a perch trap. The throat on my perch trap has 4 openings, with each opening being 1" wide by 20" tall. Am I breaking the Law?


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## SSST (Jun 9, 2011)

adventurer said:


> I do not catfish very much, (once every 2 years) but when I do, I use perch traps to catch my bait. I read earlier in this post someone said it is illegal to use a perch trap. The throat on my perch trap has 4 openings, with each opening being 1" wide by 20" tall. Am I breaking the Law?


I don't know the actual law but if your in a private tank i don't think the law applies, and if it does i break the law on a regular basis.


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## Fishin' Soldier (Dec 25, 2007)

SSST said:


> I don't know the actual law but if your in a private tank i don't think the law applies, and if it does i break the law on a regular basis.


I think 1" x 20" would constitue illegal and would hard to prove that it is a minnow trap.

I think your are good in your own tank. If it is in public water be careful. Not hurting my feelings but sure would hate to get a ticket.

I wonder why that law is in effect anyways?


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## adventurer (Jul 3, 2008)

When I use my perch traps to catch perch I am fishing at Sam Rayburn Lake.


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## Drew1624 (Feb 7, 2012)

Hey Corey, I know guys that have caught lots of yellow on crawfish in our area but most of them are under 10lbs. As everyone says big bait=big tournament winning yellows. When is the sign up for the tourney? I always fish both of the local tournaments, but I can never remember the dates and they don't realy put out an announcement about it.


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## Featherduster (Sep 15, 2010)

Drew1624 said:


> Hey Corey, I know guys that have caught lots of yellow on crawfish in our area but most of them are under 10lbs. As everyone says big bait=big tournament winning yellows. When is the sign up for the tourney? I always fish both of the local tournaments, but I can never remember the dates and they don't realy put out an announcement about it.


The tourney is on the 3rd weekend in April. Right at a month away. This will be my first one...how do we go about signing up for it?


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## Drew1624 (Feb 7, 2012)

It's always under the North river bridge, at a certain time ( I think the sign up is on the Saturday before the tournament starts) but I don't remember what time that is. I'm sure Nick L knows all the details, that's normally who I call. I am still debating wether or not to fish it, the part of the river I normally fish is so low, I think the only way I could do it is if I use my canoe. I can't imagine landing a 50# yella from a canoe, but I'm up for it if my team mate is.


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## Big Nauty (May 16, 2007)

> .Every thing loves craw fish. I caught a pretty little Cajun gal back in '98 at a craw fish festival.........Oh but that is a different story at a different time.


I think it was called crabs and not crawfish. LoL


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