cray fishing in the midlands

[stevethefish 80]

If you can get your hands on an eel net double sided one that will catch you hundreds. I use a dead rabbit or pigeon in the trap that I have shot, road kill just as good. Set the trap away from the bank for bigger crays you get the smaller ones closer in. They do burrow into banks so a slightly rocky stony area will be best, leave the trap 2 days and there will be hundreds in if its like my ponds. All that's left of the bait is the odd bone, they start to eat each other if you leave them any longer. Grade the crays throw back the small ones (if your allowed to) and hey presto a couple of hundred crays for a proper feast or to sell to the local fishmonger.

Edited January 9, 2012 by stevethefish

[whin 463]

like your stile steve , plus make traps with aparlour so they go in and cant get out works with lobsters so crays are simliar or have asoft eye so they can go in but cant get out but a hard eye works better with a parlour ,

[peter weston 0]

Well I had my permissions though today , its a big no no on all the canal sections I asked for because aparently british water ways do a blanket ban on all hunting on there lands full stop. but all of the rest in the council owned lakes and ponds and the two private stretchs are a go .

 

the wired thing is the paper letter came with the yes and no's on it but no trap permits so i think i will wait for them to come seperately i think, and also the permission is for three years worth of trapping , great reasult

[paulus 26]

Well I had my permissions though today , its a big no no on all the canal sections I asked for because aparently british water ways do a blanket ban on all hunting on there lands full stop. but all of the rest in the council owned lakes and ponds and the two private stretchs are a go .

 

the wired thing is the paper letter came with the yes and no's on it but no trap permits so i think i will wait for them to come seperately i think, and also the permission is for three years worth of trapping , great reasult

can you not get permision off the landowners on the non toepath side of the canal?

[stubby 175]

Grade the crays throw back the small ones (if your allowed to).

 

with non native crayfish, which is what were all after, you'll get done left,right and centre if you caught returning them once caught, they all have to be removed

 

dont bother with buying drop nets, make your own, here's some pictures of mine, you'll figure out how to make them for penny's

 

 

 

 

 

 

as for areas of council owned rivers/canals, they will never give permission, unless for scientific purpose, so you need to read between the lines, and work in the "grey" areas of the law

buy a rod licence, this gives you the right to fish, then check out their website on open/closed seasons, they should list it somewhere, and within that list, I'll bet its included "this closed season includes crayfish trapping" as it does in the council down here, now Ive checked with a barrister friend of mine, you cannot be knicked/prosecucted for stealing a wild animal, you cannot be done for trespass as you have a rod licence, you'll still apply to the ea for tags for your nets, and your not leaving a cage net overnight (dumping rubbish) and as its illegal to put crays back, if ever approached, they cant remove them from you, your tags give you permission to move crays, but not others, so the most I could ever see happening is getting told not to return, certain rivers I have my tags covering a 2 mile stretch, thus if ever approached and told that, Id move along 500mtrs or so

Ive been cray fishing, quite a few times, standing next to a sign that says "no fishing" but technically Im not have had lots of walkers ask questions etc, but never been stopped by anyone

[peter weston 0]

dont worry i have not given up as you said just alterd the general plans slightly