Crawfish

[Dushon]

Anyone know someone with a farm? I’m looking to buy somewhere around 1-2k to stock some future bass ponds with. Also going to start cooking them at my sisters restaurant every other week, so I’d need a couple hundred lbs when I do that also. Would be an ongoing thing. Thanks


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[mallardman02]

Michael Hanna

https://www.facebook.com/michael.hanna.92

[Cajun Blake]

Pretty sure crawfish will not survive in a pond stocked with bass or other fish. Crawfish will become their primary food source. I live in Crawfish country and all my farmer friends are not even fishing right now. Very few restaurants in the Lafayette area even have crawfish on the menu. With temps approaching in the teens this weekend, it may be at least 3-4+ weeks before crawfish are even fished in Laffy In years past, I can remember buying/boiling crawfish in November.

[Birddog66]

I have not heard of anyone successfully stocking crawfish in a stock pond with the intent to use as food source for fish. Many have tried, many have failed.

[Dushon]

Pretty sure crawfish will not survive in a pond stocked with bass or other fish. Crawfish will become their primary food source. I live in Crawfish country and all my farmer friends are not even fishing right now. Very few restaurants in the Lafayette area even have crawfish on the menu. With temps approaching in the teens this weekend, it may be at least 3-4+ weeks before crawfish are even fished in Laffy In years past, I can remember buying/boiling crawfish in November.

That’s crazy. It’s warmer this year than the last couple(exemption of this upcoming norther) and last year we started getting them about this time.


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[tmurray]

I ate crawfish at a restaurant in Cypress this past weekend, it was great

[Mike]

My neighbor is a farmer, he is not pulling any out now stating the return is just not worth it at this time. We have 3-4 crawfish shacks (pick up boiled, no dine in) in Orange selling them boiled for $7.99/lb but none of those are selling live.

If you need some he might be able to help out, in the Orange area.

[El General]

Pretty sure crawfish will not survive in a pond stocked with bass or other fish. Crawfish will become their primary food source. I live in Crawfish country and all my farmer friends are not even fishing right now. Very few restaurants in the Lafayette area even have crawfish on the menu. With temps approaching in the teens this weekend, it may be at least 3-4+ weeks before crawfish are even fished in Laffy In years past, I can remember buying/boiling crawfish in November.

What if you put them in a new pond before stocking?

[deerplanter]

I got a crawfish out of my pool last week and that usually means it's about season but it was only about 3" long.

[Lawhunter]

Pretty sure crawfish will not survive in a pond stocked with bass or other fish. Crawfish will become their primary food source. I live in Crawfish country and all my farmer friends are not even fishing right now. Very few restaurants in the Lafayette area even have crawfish on the menu. With temps approaching in the teens this weekend, it may be at least 3-4+ weeks before crawfish are even fished in Laffy In years past, I can remember buying/boiling crawfish in November.

I’m little further south than you and we are in the same boat.

[Cajun Blake]

What if you put them in a new pond before stocking?

Is your primary purpose for introducing crawfish in a new pond for future consumption? If so, it’s a lot more complex than just adding several sacks of crawfish into your pond or tank. It requires “farming” and making sure the pond has adequate oxygen, aeration, and the crawfish will need a food source & protection from predators.

TBH is blessed to have a “Doctor of Crawfish” member - Ray McClain, PhD. I’ll defer to this excellent read on everything crawfish. Worth saving as it’s a great informative piece on mudbugs.

https://articles.extension.org/sites...ion_Manual.pdf

[Slew]

Dumping sacks in a pond is just gonna feed coons good for a couple days! Ask McClain what to do!!!


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[175gr7.62]

I ate crawfish at a restaurant in Cypress this past weekend, it was great

From Thailand or Vietnam?


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[McClain]

I can not elaborate a great deal at this time - getting ready for eye surgery in the morning. Bottom line is crawfish can be a contributing food source in a bass pond under the right conditions but probably will not suffice as the sole or primary forage species. The pond has to have adequate clay soils for burrowing, enough cover around the edges to allow crawfish to hide, and sufficient food resources within proximity of those sheltered areas. Cover could include thick vegetation (cattails, etc.) and/or other structure such as logs, bricks, etc. They will feed on decaying vegetation and invertebrates associated with that, and on uneaten fish feed.

Under these conditions usually enough crawfish will survive the bass to provide a breeding population to produce some forage for the fish, but will not get dense enough to harvest for human consumption as long as their is a reasonable fish population.

[El General]

Is your primary purpose for introducing crawfish in a new pond for future consumption? If so, it’s a lot more complex than just adding several sacks of crawfish into your pond or tank. It requires “farming” and making sure the pond has adequate oxygen, aeration, and the crawfish will need a food source & protection from predators.

TBH is blessed to have a “Doctor of Crawfish” member - Ray McClain, PhD. I’ll defer to this excellent read on everything crawfish. Worth saving as it’s a great informative piece on mudbugs.

https://articles.extension.org/sites...ion_Manual.pdf

I meant for establishing them as a good source for fish.