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Nope I never finished the trap. a wire cylinder is still sitting in the corner...all you need is a wire cylinder and 2 wire funnels in each end, a door to place bait and remove cawdaddy's! Or a store bought minow trap works just as well.. I'd not try to breed them in the 10 gal. maybe the 100 gal. would work.
We cook them frequently during the late winter and spring in Louisiana. We use a good seasoning mix for a starter then add our own seasonings to jazz it up. Throw in some lemons, potatoes, onions, etc. and boil them all together for a heck of a meal. We generally plan on at least two pounds/female and at least 5 pounds/ per male. I know some guys who are just getting started good at 5 lbs. and eat far more than that.
Oh you're just building the standard trap. There are a few designs that i'd like to try still. One that looks like a pyramid, but without a top. /_\ Something where they fall down from the top, and can't get out. Just a thought.
I want to point out that in a survival situation you wouldn't want to eat a crawfish raw because they can be infected with parasites. Someone here on the forum said that you could, but I would strongly recommend that you cook them, if you can't make fire then eat something else.
The CDC has a page about Crawfish Parasites, but the forum won't let me post it.
You can also just google for Crawfish Parasites. Though you can't always trust what you read on the interwebs, I've heard some pretty horrific things have happened to japanese people who ate raw crawfish, like swollen testacles and yeah... Not gonna say anymore there.
For bait I've had luck with hot dogs and oily fish. Crawfish also eat other Crawfish, so whatever parts you don't eat you should use for bait. Crawfish also like eating plants, so it might be good to try some veggies, I have not tried this. I've tried cat food, but the bugs didn't like it, but then it probably would have made them taste like friskies.
When I see bubbles floating above the trap I yank it up, empty it out, drop it back in. I can usually score about 8-11 every 15 minutes. You can set a trap at night, they're more active at that time, but they tend to eat and run, so it's good to check your traps often.
For a trap, I have a basket trap and I've put a suet feeder in there for a bait box.
You don't have to purge them, IMHO there is no taste difference between a purged and non purged Crawfish. If you purge them, don't use salt, all that does is piss them off. What you want to do is put them in a tank of water with an aquarium pump and don't feed them anything. They'll poop out everything in their system in about a day. You also want to change the water and hose em off before you cook em, because they'll be swimming in poop. It's more trouble than it's worth.
When they say pinch the tail, suck the head, you don't actually suck the head. It's more of a back or chest cavity that has this tasty orange goo in it. The goo
is the hepatopancreas of the animal. It does for the Crawfish what a liver does for us. Think of it as Lake Lobster Foie Gras. Slurp it, or put it in a Crawfish Pie, or mix it into Cornbread with bacon, cheese and jalapenos. But that's okay if you don't want it, give it to me!
Also, check your laws. In Washington they have to be at least 3 inches long or you've gotta throw em back. There's a daily limit to how many we can catch if it's a native Crawfish. The non-native New Orleans species that we have here kill small fish and eat fish eggs, so there is no limit on how many of them that we catch. Also, we don't need fishing licenses to catch them and they're pretty much in every lake or stream. Lastly, if it is a native species you can transport them
home alive. It is illegal to transport live non-native Crawfish, they must be eaten on site or killed before removing from the area. Besides dropping them into a boiling pot of water, the most humane way to kill them is to put 'em in ice water to slow their brains down before jamming a knife between their eyes. The ice water at least helps you to not get pinched while you're executing them.
Once you reach 10 posts, which you have now, you can post links. On the swelling thingy...can you be selective on what swells? Just askin'.
Swollen legs, and big swollen other part of the anatomy. Of course that might just be related to the consumption of raw japanese crawfish.
Since I can post links now, here is the CDC one that I mentioned:
http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/paragon...info/faqs.html
And for those who don't like clicking links, here is what the website says:
What is Paragonimus?
Paragonimus is a parasitic lung fluke (flat worm). Cases of illness from infection occur after a person eats raw or undercooked infected crab or crayfish. The illness is known as paragonimiasis. Paragonimus infection also can be very serious if the fluke travels to the central nervous system, where it can cause symptoms of meningitis.
Where is Paragonimus found?
Paragonimus westermani and several other species are found throughout eastern, southwestern, and southeast Asia; (including China, the Philippines, Japan, Vietnam, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand). P. africanus is found in Africa, and P. mexicanus in Central and South America. There are several species of Paragonimus in other parts of the world that can infect humans. P. kellicotti is found in the midwestern and southern United States living in crayfish. Some human cases of infection have been associated with eating raw crayfish on river raft trips in the Midwest. Paragonimus has caused illness after ingestion of raw freshwater crabs.
How is Paragonimus transmitted?
The infection is transmitted by eating infected crab or crawfish that is either, raw, partially cooked, pickled, or salted. The larval stages of the parasite are released when the crab or crawfish is digested. They then migrate within the body, most often ending up in the lungs. In 6-10 weeks the larvae mature into adult flukes.
What are the signs and symptoms?
Adult flukes living in the lung cause lung disease. After 2-15 days, the initial signs and symptoms may be diarrhea and abdominal pain. This may be followed several days later by fever, chest pain, and fatigue. The symptoms may also include a dry cough initially, which later often becomes productive with rusty-colored or blood-tinged sputum on exertion. The symptoms of paragonimiasis can be similar to those of tuberculosis.
How is Paragonimus infection diagnosed?
The diagnosis is usually made by identifying Paragonimus eggs in the sputum or sometimes in the stool (from ingesting eggs after coughing them up, then passing the eggs in the stool).
Is Paragonimus infection contagious?
No. Paragonimus infection is not contagious.
Is there treatment?
Yes, there is treatment. Once the diagnosis is made, effective treatment for paragonimiasis is available from a physician.
How can I prevent Paragonimus infection?
Never eat raw freshwater crabs or crayfish. Cook crabs and crayfish to at least 145°F (~63°C). Travelers should be advised to avoid traditional meals containing undercooked freshwater crustaceans.
And that, my friends, is why I don't eat shushi. If God had intended man to eat food raw he would not have invented the BIC lighter so we can start fires.
Well the thing about sushi, is that traditionally it wasn't raw. It was raw fish that had been allowed to ferment in rice. Today we eat vinegared rice to get the taste of what sushi used to be. The first sushi was supposedly discovered by a starving man in the wilderness. He watched a seabird go back to its nest, then he waited for the bird to leave and foraged a bunch of fermented fish bits from the nest. Now I realize that sounds pretty gross and probably a myth, but I like to think that there is some truth in it. If so, that's one helluva survival story. Btw u crack me up Rick.
Another story says that sushi came about when some fisherman packed fish in rice to keep it fresh. They forgot about it, but curious if it was still good, they ate it and noticed that it tasted funny but nobody got sick and I guess they liked it. There are thousands of fermented foods that have a similar story, usually involving a dare or simple human curiosity leading to their discovery. Hey without that though, where would we be?
I LOVE Crayfish! Down here in Texas I'll between end of April and beginning of August Its a total crayfish jamboree! I have a hand full of ditches, canals, and resacas that I like to hit. I'll collect 3 or 4 five gallon buckets of them(Probably more than this because by the end of it I have a few 55 gallon barrels and big ice-chests crawling with these little guys). I'll set them to purge and only feed them cornmeal and pepper Then change the water once a day for 5 days. After that we have a HUGE(I cannot emphasize the hugeness of this) crayfish boil.
My recipe::chef:
20 bags of rice sticks(Asian rice noodles...The kind with the picture of a shrimp on the bag)
2 bags of red new potatoes(30'bs each)
50 Corn on the cobs(cut them in half makes everything fit easier)
2lbs of un-salted chile powder(Make sure it does not have salt. I usually only use 1 pound but spice to your taste)
1lb of sea salt(salt to taste)
5+ bulbs of garlic(We love garlic so we put about 10)
20-40 Fresh jalapenos(depends on your tolerance)
1 big restaurant sized bottle of Louisiana hot sauce
Put all the veggies in a GIANT pot add water and bring to a boil add spices then taste, add salt to taste.
Once you have the flavor balanced then dump in the crayfish and make sure they boil for a good 2 minutes, then add in the rice sticks boil for an additional 4 minutes. Then pull everything out leaving the "soup" behind. Place everything on a news paper lined set of tables pour on the hot sauce and mix it all around. Then make sure you have a few hungry people with you! (Both my parents come from families with 13 kids each. There are plenty of people willing to eat at my house)
We do this here once a year and it accidentally turned into a family reunion!:toomany:
Hope you try a smaller variation of this:wavey:
cacteye, I will try this but I'm gonna add some andouille sausage and bay leaves to the mix. That setup you got there sounds awesome!
thanks, that recipe addition sounds awesome!
Attachment 10687
That is the mess I left one time! I couldn't believe I had eaten so much!:triage:
Paragonimus westermaniQuote:
Originally Posted by Rollicks
An Excellent bit of info there. Thank you.
I'm going to take the other position here. I would argue that only in an emergency, when food has become sufficiently necessary, and then only in one in which you can not make fire or eat something else should one eat raw foot with a substantial potential to communicate parasites. Even in safety, with ready access to medical care you can pick up bugs the best help in the world can not always or reliably get rid of. It is when you truly must choose between your immediate and mid to long term well-being that those risks become appropriate.
Thanks to blokes like Bear Grylls, people seem to think we can start hoeing into raw meat safely.!!! He has a lot to answer for. Go eat some raw garden snails, if you're really keen to find out if it's safe or not. Or maybe drink blood from feral pigs?
The modern 'wacky' myths surrounding 'survival' never ceae to amaze me. People really do want to believe the most bizarre things.
Enigma, now that you bring up Bear Grylls. Has anyone seen the episode where he eats that mountain trout raw? Im wondering what fish is "safe" to eat raw? I'd really like to know because I LOVE making sushi. and fuma-zushi is my favorite(crucian carp fermented in rice. the original way). I would love to try this with a different type of fish....But I do fear parasites so I have have used anything else!
the quotes around safe is because everyone views safety differently. Where-as I see an old rope bridge about to fall apart someone else sees the perfect solution to getting from point A-B
Take your pick...or in this case, pict.
https://www.google.com/search?q=worm..._AUoAQ#imgrc=_
I don't eat meat raw.
I understand your fear. I used to have the same one when it came to raw fish. This is the Fuma-zushi Recipe:Quote:
Originally Posted by Rick
Clean and scale your fish
Salt and cover. Leave them "salting" for 3 months
Wash them then bury them in steamed rice and cover it, for an additional 6 months.
Then take them out separate the fish and rice.
Slice the fish and place it in a spiral with a clump of rice in the middle.
Now if there were worms in the meat they would have eaten through the fish in the first 3 months, Dont you think? (I wont even pretend to know anything Medically, Its an actual question and not an attempt to be sarcastic!)
Salted fish isn't raw fish. The procedure I'd be most concerned with, in the above 'Recipe', is the 'washing' part. I guess 3 months of salting osmosis will have all parts of the flesh free from bacteria, except for the surface after it has been 'washed'. (Introduction of bacteria from any un-sterilised water)
`i miss the poki in Hawaii it was raw tuna with chopped green onions,seseme oil,redpepper flakes,soy sauce and crunchy seaweed called
ogo from the big Island.
Sounds TASTYQuote:
Originally Posted by hayshaker