I have found if you stack pallets neatly as done when they are empty and In storage. the space between each pallet is about 4 inches and the crayfish will congregate in between each layer. I snorkeled in my pond this past weekend and looked in between and saw bunches of them.
Last edited by BobbyRice; 01/15/1611:18 AM.
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Bobby excellent idea and resulting observation. The stacked pallets were a very good idea - discovery. They provide crayfish 'secretive' protective cover from larger perdators and allow enough light to penetrate inside the pallet stack to grow food (periphyton) for the crayfish.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 01/15/1611:42 AM.
aka Pond Doctor & Dr. Perca Read Pond Boss Magazine - America's Journal of Pond Management
I have found if you stack pallets neatly as done when they are empty and In storage. the space between each pallet is about 4 inches and the crayfish will congregate in between each layer. I snorkeled in my pond this past weekend and looked in between and saw bunches of them.
Cool idea Bobby. Thanks! I suspect my YP can swim into a conventional pallet 4 inch gap but I have a whole bunch of 1 x 1 inch hardwood strips. I think I will make some mini-pallets and give them a try!
One could use narrow strips between pallets of the stack to produce areas where adult perch could not enter nor prey on the smaller crayfish. Narrow separating strips could have different thicknesses to provide an optimum spacing between layers for refuge.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 01/15/1607:39 PM.
aka Pond Doctor & Dr. Perca Read Pond Boss Magazine - America's Journal of Pond Management
Bill, I have some pallet 'doublestackers' and hoped that this would indeed provide good hiding places. Come spring I may have to wade in and try to see how much they have settled down into the sediment. I want the bottom pallet opening between top and bottom of the bottom pallet layers to be open for 'hideouts'. If it is silted in I'll want to mount the pallet stack on something to try to keep it from settling or silting.
When I made them I lined the horizontal planks of the bottom pallet the same orientation as the horizontal planks of the top pallet. Is there an advantage to crisscrossing the top pallet 90 degrees orientation to the bottom one?
I have found if you stack pallets neatly as done when they are empty and In storage. the space between each pallet is about 4 inches and the crayfish will congregate in between each layer. I snorkeled in my pond this past weekend and looked in between and saw bunches of them.
Bobby,
Just to be clear, so the crayfish will climb into the upper levels of your pallets, kind of like a crayfish hotel?
I have about 3 stacks 4 high. I used long wood screws to secure them together in place them cinder blocks to sink them. My thoughts are if you went higher they would inhabit all the tunnel as they can go from level to level.
In fact while snorkeling last Sunday I tried to grab a few big ones and they just slid down to the next level to avoid my hand on the level I was reaching in on.
Oh, BTW....No wetsuit either...water had slight chill but refreshing....
Goofing off is a slang term for engaging in recreation or an idle pastime while obligations of work or society are neglected........... Wikipedia
I have about 3 stacks 4 high. I used long wood screws to secure them together in place them cinder blocks to sink them. My thoughts are if you went higher they would inhabit all the tunnel as they can go from level to level.
In fact while snorkeling last Sunday I tried to grab a few big ones and they just slid down to the next level to avoid my hand on the level I was reaching in on.
Oh, BTW....No wetsuit either...water had slight chill but refreshing....
Awesome! I will put together a few and get them in before I try stocking craws. I want all the habitat I can get to protect the stockers until a population is established. I can always remove the "condos" later if the craws get out of control to make them easier "lobster nuggets" for the predators! A lot easier to remove the "condos" than concrete slabs!
I think I'll pass on taking a dip in my puddle right now, even with a wet suit! Forecast is high of 6 for Monday with subzero for lows next week.
When is the best time to try and see crayfish? I stocked 50 back before I had put in any YP, but haven't seen any since. I also stocked 400 grass shrimp and haven't seen one since. It's a newer pond with zero plant growth. I dumped in a lot of 8" rock in several places around the pond. Shine a light down in the rock at night? I'm iced over right now with very cold temps coming, so no swimming for a few days.
9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep. RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these. I think that's about all I should put in my little pond. Otter attack in 2023
Spring and summer sightings for me. Sometimes I will see a large one walking the pond bottom or I will see them sticking their head out of a burrow that lays in the pond bottom along the waters edge. As the lmb grow larger, I wonder if I will continue to see a craw walking the pond bottom in the daylight? Do u see any crawfish burrows? I am waiting to get more vegetation before I trap and stock grass shrimp. it will be some work to get them and I don't want to feed the fishies one snack.
Tracy
Do not judge me by the politicians in my City, State or Federal Government.
I have about 3 stacks 4 high. I used long wood screws to secure them together in place them cinder blocks to sink them. My thoughts are if you went higher they would inhabit all the tunnel as they can go from level to level.
In fact while snorkeling last Sunday I tried to grab a few big ones and they just slid down to the next level to avoid my hand on the level I was reaching in on.
Oh, BTW....No wetsuit either...water had slight chill but refreshing....
Bobby if you want to catch them by hand go out at night snorkeling with a dive light. Shine the light on them and slip your other hand around behind them. Lot easier to catch by hand at night. I think the light kind of blinds them and they do not see your hand slipping behind them.
Might want to put a shortie wet suit on though. Will feel even cooler at night.
I saw this video on how this guy prepares his crayfish for the cooking. Is this how you folks prepare them before a crawfish boil? He pulls their guts out their rear (alimentary canal he calls it...)?
See this video and fastforward to about the 1:30 mark:
I saw this video on how this guy prepares his crayfish for the cooking. Is this how you folks prepare them before a crawfish boil? He pulls their guts out their rear (alimentary canal he calls it...)?
See this video and fastforward to about the 1:30 mark:
CC, We saturate the crawfish live in salty water for about 15 mins. in order for them to evacuate mud and (whatever) is in their system. Then we dump the crawfish live into a pot of seasoned boiling water...let the water come back up to a vigorous boil for ~2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat source and let them soak for approx. 45 mins to an hour. We don't pull the heads off until we are eating them.
Here, we figure 4 to 5 lbs per person when cooking them up. We also suck the heads for the spices and the fat. There are a few T shirts around that have comments about the sucking of the heads lol
Tracy
Do not judge me by the politicians in my City, State or Federal Government.
Here, we figure 4 to 5 lbs per person when cooking them up. We also suck the heads for the spices and the fat. There are a few T shirts around that have comments about the sucking of the heads lol
Tracy
A couple of years back, a buddy of mine and I went to a local seafood restaurant here in Houston for "all you can eat Lobster". I think I ate 6 and brought 2 home (as it was the last night offered for the season). Being from Louisiana, I'm no stranger to a crawfish. I had the heads of these lobsters pulled back like an open hood of a car and was getting some of the fat out of the head....I don't think the wait staff was prepared for that... Charlie