Live Crayfish Success

[Mackdaddy21]

How many of you have a lot of success fishing live crawfish for bass and walleye? I know that most of the bass and walleyes around here eat about 90% crawfish. I have never had much success fishing craws though.
How do you guys fish these craws and do you retrieve them or just let them stit still? What size of craws are best? Most of the craws around here are about 2 - 4" but some are twice that size.

[bigredfishing]

I've used crayfish for largemouth & smallmouth bass, and they have worked spectacularly for me at times.   I like to work them on a wide-gap number 6 or a non-barbed baitholder hook style size 4.  In terms of rigs, i stick to 6 or 8lb trilene xt low-vis green, and i use a split-shot rig, with one small split shot about 1 foot above the hook.  I hook the crayfish through the tail, in the middle of the tail, with hookpoint coming up from the bottom of the tail to the top.  I fish the crayfish by lobbing it to the desired spot, and letting it slowly sink on a semi-taught line.    I like to fish crayfish to specific spots ie: above water ledges, bridge piliings, rocks.

I will also use crayfish under a float if the bottom is particularly snaggy.

[Pasquatch]

Dry fly floatant on the line...

[Water Wolf]

I have heard of using a large rubber band to attach the hooks to a crayfish. This will keep the crayfish alive much longer and have a more natural appearance.
 If the rubber band contrasts against the crayfish, use a few magic markers on the band and duplicate the crayfish's coloration.

WW

[cartwrightrk]

you can buy 6 crawfish traps on ebay for less than $20 i use the crawfish to catch catfish then fillet the catfish put the guts in the trap to catch the crawfish

[bassjunky]

BigRed has it right, crawfish can be extremly successfull. I use two methods but always hook threw the tail

1) Under a float...keeps you above the nasty bottom but yet in the strike zone, also keeps the craw moving while he hands there

2) Use a heavier bell sinker a foot or 2 up the line and throw close to current, the sinker keeps you bedded while the craw is able to move around in the current

I have fished with a few guys who lile to remove the back plate of the craw, they saw it gives off more scent and attracts more fish.  I have also seen guys snapp off a claw or 2...

[Derek Welch]

  I have noticed that channel cats will take a crawdad tail over cut up bluegills around here anyways, south/east Kansas.

Derek Welch

[pikemaster789]

I do great on them. Bass, rockbass and walleye love to suck them up.