Are Crayfish and Lobsters the Same Thing?
Crawdad, crayfish, crawfish… okay why are there so many names for these little guys? You might be wondering are crayfish and lobsters the same thing? Beck always calls them lobsters and they totally are little fresh water lobsters. I want to mention little again haha because some of them are so small! So obviously compared to lobsters- crayfish size is a lot smaller. Another main difference is that crayfish live in fresh water. Honestly the names crawfish, crayfish and crawdad are all interchangeable and I say them all!
We live in Utah and can find crawfish at various lakes around us. But it seems to be something a lot of people haven’t heard about or done! My dad loves to go crayfishing-hence the flag! So I am excited to share with you a fun family tradition and memory that I did growing up. I was am excited to go look for crayfish with my own little family and love seeing them love it so much!
Here is a fun tip- bring a plastic pool like we did to keep them in! Normally we bring big 5 gallon buckets but now have started bringing pools. It is so much more fun to see them spread out and see them walk, fight etc. If you are wondering about crayfish size- you can see from the photos they aren’t too big. Maybe 5 inches long would be a big good sized crawfish.
How to Catch Crawfish!
Okay but let’s get down to how to catch the crawfish! Crawfish are fun to catch and release or you can eat them. Sometimes we have had crawfish boils with corn on the cob, potatoes etc. And if you add enough seasoning they are tasty. But fair warning- it is a lot of work to get to the meat. They are so small so there is much work for little reward. But if you catch crawfish it is fun to try to eat them a time or two! But be sure to cook potatoes etc so you don’t go hungry!
When catching crawfish there are a few different ways. At outdoor recreation stores and online they sell traps. We have some of these and they work pretty good. But you can also make traps- if you get a metal hanging flower planter they will hang their claws onto there and get stuck!
Here are some awesome traps and a must have starter set all from Amazon for great prices. I have used these styles and had great success! Here is my full list of everything you need to catch crawfish!
1// This rope is awesome because it floats and comes with a carabiner that you can clip to the trap!
2// This seasoning is the best! A good classic cajun flavor!
3// Using a net is a must. Crawfish will let off the trap and you will need a net to scoop them up with. We love this one!
4// When I talked about the hanging flower pot this trap is just like it! It works well when you can pull it straight up and all the crawfish stay in there.
5// Having a flag isn’t necessary of course but it is cheap and fun!
6// Growing up this was the trap we always used. If I bought one thing on this list it would be this trap. Such cheap fun!
7// I love having a steam pot. So nice for veggies and other things but we also use ours for crawfish and it works great!
The Process
So what do you use for crawfish bait? We like to use raw chicken. Just buy whatever meat is cheap and that is expiring that day. Then we like to let the chicken sit in the sun for a little while or just not be in the cooler on the drive there. Gross but you want to get some smells haha. Then tie them to your pots, traps etc with zip ties or string. Then throw your line out and let it sit. Crawfish like rocky areas. So don’t throw your traps from a sandy beach. Instead find a rocky area and throw them out from the shore. Usually it will be not very far out and if the water is kinda clear you can see them come and go into the trap.
If you are looking for crawfish near me- find what lakes in your area have them. If you are located in Utah- the best lake we have found is Strawberry Reservoir. That is where these photos were taken. But I suggest googling where you live and then when you had a lake where crawfish live- choose a rocky area. If a lake has a lot of them then you can usually find their skeletons on the beach that the birds have got- a good place to fish from.
Last time I went looking for crawfish I even saw people snorkeling for them in wetsuits. It looked fun and they were scooping tons up off the lake floor. So if you are wondering are crayfish and lobsters are the same thing- in this case pretty similar haha.
I hope you love catching crawfish with your family! If you are looking for other family adventures- check out these posts- Craters of the Moon in Idaho and The Spiral Jetty in Northern Utah.
