Do crayfish live in ponds. crayfish habitat

How nice it is to go with the whole family to the lake in warm weather in summer, where you can have a good time, relax, swim. And on a quiet evening in front of the fire, organize a small picnic with boiled crayfish that were caught in the same lake during your daytime rest.

But in order to catch crayfish, you need to know where they live and how to catch them correctly. And it is in this article that you can find out all this.

Where do crayfish live

Basically, crayfish live in clean and running water, it can be ponds, rivers and lakes. It makes no sense to catch crayfish in small puddles, but in large lakes and wide rivers it is necessary to turn to steep banks and stones.

A steep bank is when, near the shore, the depth of a lake or river reaches from 0.5 to 1.5 meters. In such places, it is desirable that the soil be silty or peaty, it is slightly worse if the soil is sandy or clay. If you are not afraid of cold water, then you can jump under the steep bank and feel the ground with your feet in search of crayfish minks. Usually minks are at the very bottom, and sometimes at a height of 20-30 cm from the bottom in different elevations or any objects.

Stones are ordinary underwater boulders where crayfish like to hide. In such places, the number of crayfish is much higher than under the steep banks, especially in the dawn hours. At dawn, walking along the rocky bottom, where there are large boulders, you can collect about a dozen or two crayfish that hide at the very base of the stone.

And of course, it remains to answer the most important question, what to catch crayfish?

There are several ways to catch crabs.

Ways to catch crayfish

Catching crayfish with your hands

The best time for crayfish is considered to be at night, at which time crayfish crawl out onto the shallows, and sometimes even onto land. If you light a bright fire on the shore of the lake or make a torch out of birch bark, your chances will thereby increase for a good catch, since crayfish love light very much.

Well, during the day you can swim in the lake and look for crayfish under stones and snags, in minks and catch them with your hands. But you need to be prepared for the fact that when lifting a stone, cancer can disappear from your field of vision at one moment, as they swim very quickly, and besides, they also swim backwards. Therefore, it will be better, of course, if you arrange fishing for crayfish together, where one will move stones and the other will catch prey. And don't forget that crayfish love to pinch with their claws, so protect your hands with gloves.

Catching crayfish with a crayfish

Rakolovka is a hoop with a diameter of 0.5 meters, which can be made of thick steel wire, metal or wood and covered with cloth or net. In the middle of the circle, a load and bait are attached for gravity. 3-4 pieces of fishing line or rope are tied to the hoop itself, which is tied to a lifting fishing line or rope (the length of which depends on the depth of the reservoir) and fixed at the end of the length of the rod-rod.

For catching crayfish in this way, a deep, quiet place is chosen closer to the steep coast, where there are more crayfish holes and a circle descends. After a few minutes, the circle is carefully lifted to the surface. For one such catch, sometimes you can catch about ten crayfish.

Special tackle for catching crayfish

Such tackle can be made from an ordinary wooden stick, which is sharpened at one end and a bait is attached to it, and then it is stuck into the bottom of the reservoir. The bait itself is pre-wrapped with a fine mesh, nylon stocking or mesh cloth.

Some insects, such as grasshoppers, are suitable as bait. You can also use the meat or carcasses of frogs, fish. But since crayfish feed mainly on carrion, it is better to take meat "with a smell" and the stronger the smell of decomposition, the better.

When the cancer smells the bait, it will grab it with its claws and at this moment it is necessary to pull out the tackle. It should be removed carefully, as sudden movements of the cancer can break off the bait. You can also tie a long piece of rope or fishing line to the bait, to the end of which a float is attached, and hang additional weight on the bait.

Fishing for crayfish

A spear is a long stick split at one end. A wedge is inserted into this split so that the edges of the stick are separated by several centimeters. Therefore, a stick should be taken for such purposes raw, fresh, which is elastic and bends well. Next, near the shore, you need to throw a bait, do it carefully so that the water does not become cloudy. Having found a crayfish in the water, carefully bring a spear to it and stick it into the bottom so that its body is between the forks of the tool. Without releasing the spear, grab the crayfish at the bottom with your hand, and only after that, having removed the fishing gear, can the crayfish be pulled out of the water.

Catching crayfish with shoes

Well, in extreme cases, you can try catching crayfish on the "shoe". A long rope or fishing line is attached to the shoe, the bait is placed inside and immersed to the bottom of the reservoir. After that, the cancer that has climbed inside is raised to the surface.

Crayfish fishing

Sometimes it happens to catch a cancer on a bait: it falls on the hook by accident. There is even a funny rhyme on the subject:

The men were fishing, but they caught cancer,

All day long they were looking for where cancer's asshole is.

Crayfish(Astacus astacus), or common crayfish, belongs to the order of decapod crustaceans (Decapoda). The front pair of limbs is highly developed and ends with claws, with which the crayfish grabs prey and defends itself. The next four pairs of less developed limbs are for locomotion. Under the tail shell are five more pairs of short, atrophied limbs. The anterior pair is developed in males into long tubular genitals. In females, the corresponding limbs are almost completely atrophied. The sex of young crayfish can be visually established only by the presence or absence of tubular genital organs. The sex of adult crayfish is easier to determine by comparing their claws and tails: male claws are larger, and the female's tail is wider than that of an individual of the opposite sex. The broad tail of the female protects the eggs while they develop under the tail, attached to short limbs. The genital opening in females is at the base of the third pair of limbs, while in males it is at the base of the fifth pair of limbs.

Cancers are more whimsical in relation to the environment than many people think. The water where they live must be fresh; crayfish cannot breed in salty or salty-fresh sea water. The content of oxygen in the water crayfish need the same as salmon fish. For a normal life of crayfish in the warm season, the water must contain oxygen over 5 mg / l. Crayfish can live in both light and dark water, as long as it does not have too much acidity. The pH value of water ideal for the life of crayfish should be above 6.5. The growth of crayfish in lime-depleted waters slows down. Crayfish are very sensitive to water pollution. If the living conditions are favorable, then crayfish can live in a variety of fresh water bodies - lakes, rivers, oxbow lakes and streams. However, it seems that the favorite habitat of crayfish is still rivers.

In habitats of crayfish, the bottom of the reservoir should be solid and without silt. On a muddy bottom, as well as on rocky or sandy shores, as well as in shallow water with a flat, clean bottom, crayfish are not found, since they cannot find shelter for themselves or dig it out. Crayfish love rocky bottoms where they can easily find shelter, or bottoms suitable for burrowing. Crayfish burrows are found in coastal pits or in the slopes of the coast. Most often they are located on the border of hard and soft bottom. The exit from the hole, the corridor of which can be more than a meter long, is usually hidden under the trunk of a fallen tree, tree roots or under stones. The crayfish hole is quite close, dug according to the size of the inhabitant, which makes it easier for the crayfish to organize protection from the attack of larger brothers. Cancer is difficult to pull out of the hole, he tenaciously clings to its walls with his limbs. That the burrow is inhabited is shown by fresh soil at the entrance. Cancer lives at a depth of 0.5 to 3.0 m. The best places for housing are captured by large males, less suitable ones remain for weak males and females. Juveniles stay in shallow water near the coastline itself, under stones, leaves and twigs.

Cancer in its way of life is a hermit. Each individual has some kind of shelter that protects from relatives. During daylight hours, the crayfish is in a shelter, closing the entrance to it with claws. Sensing danger, he quickly backs away, going deeper into the hole. The crayfish goes out to search for food at dusk, and in cloudy weather - in the afternoon. It usually moves in the water at night with its claws extended forward and its tail held straight, but if frightened, it will quickly swim back with strong tail blows. It is generally believed that cancer stays in one place. However, after a few weeks, tagged crayfish fall into gear hundreds of meters from the places where they were tagged.

Growth

The growth rate of crayfish depends primarily on the temperature and composition of the water, the availability of food and the density of crayfish in the reservoir. Growth rates of crayfish in different reservoirs are different. But even in one reservoir year after year is not necessary, much depends on the temperature of the water. In the first and second summers of life, males and females have the same growth rate, but at the end of the third summer, or second year of life, males are on average already larger than females. In the conditions of southern Finland, crayfish reach 1.4-2.2 cm in length by the end of the first summer, 2.5-4.0 cm by the end of the second summer, and 4.5-6.0 cm by the end of the third summer. the size allowed for catching (10 cm) males reach at 6-7 years of age, females - at 1-8 years of age. In waters with enough food for crayfish and under other favorable conditions, crayfish can reach the size of the fish allowed for fishing two years earlier than the specified period, but under adverse conditions - several years later.

People often ask how big crayfish can grow. Fisheries adviser Brofeldt noted in 1911 that in the town of Kangasala there were specimens 16-17 cm long, although then such crayfish were caught less and less. Suomalainen reported that the 12.5-13 cm long crayfish caught in 1908 were medium-sized specimens. These testimonies seem like fairy tales to us - crayfish do not have to be so large. In 1951, Seura magazine was the organizer of the competition - who will catch the largest crayfish during the summer. The winner was the participant of the competition, who caught the crayfish 17.5 cm long, up to the tip of the claw - 28.3 cm, weighing 165 g. The crayfish had only one claw, which explains its relatively low weight. It can be considered a surprise that the female turned out to be a giant cancer. In second place was a male, whose length was 16.5 cm, and to the tips of the claws - 29.9 cm. This specimen weighed 225 g. Other examples of caught crayfish 17.0-17.5 cm long are known from the literature. It is interesting to note that, according to the Estonian scientist Järvekulgin, male crayfish over 16 cm long and weighing 150 g, and female crayfish over 12 cm long and weighing 80-85 g are exceptionally rare. Obviously, a female caught in Finland in 1951 can be considered a giantess.

What about the age of the crabs? How long do crabs live? So far, there is no sufficiently accurate method for determining the age of crayfish, similar to how the age of a fish is determined. The life expectancy of individuals of crayfish is forced to be determined by comparing age groups or groups of crayfish of the same length. Because of this, it is impossible to accurately determine the age of single large specimens. There is information in the literature about cancers reaching 20 years of age.

Crayfish grow, as it were, in leaps and bounds - when replacing the shell. Molting is an important moment in the life of crayfish, at this time a thorough renewal of their organs takes place. In addition to the chitinous cover, both the upper layer of the retina and gills, as well as the protective upper layer of the oral appendages and parts of the digestive organs, are updated. Before molting, the crayfish hides for several days in its hole. But the molt itself takes place in an open place, and not in a hole. Replacing the shell takes only about 5-10 minutes. Then the defenseless cancer is clogged for a week or two, during the hardening of the shell, in a shelter. At this time, he does not eat, does not move, and, of course, does not fall into gear.

Calcium salts come from the blood into the new shell and impregnate it. Before molting, they accumulate in two oval solid formations found in crayfish in the stomach. Sometimes when eating cancer, they can be detected.

Moulting occurs only in the warm season. In the first summer of life, cancer molts 4-7 times, depending on the growth conditions, in the second summer - 3-4 times, in the third summer - 3 times and in the fourth summer - 2 times. Adult males molt 1-2 times per season, and females that have reached puberty, as a rule, once. Closer to the northern border of the distribution of crayfish, some females molt every second year.

The molting of males, as well as females that do not have eggs under their tails, occurs at the end of June; females carrying eggs - only when the larvae come out of the eggs and separate from the mother. In the south of Finland, such females usually change their shell in early July, and in the north of Finland, their molt passes into August.

If the beginning of summer is cold, the molt may be several weeks late. In such cases, when the fishing season begins (from July 21), the shell may not yet harden, and the crayfish will not fall into gear.

reproduction

Male crayfish reach sexual maturity at about 6-7 cm, females - 8 cm. Sometimes there are females 7 cm long, carrying eggs under their tails. In Finnish conditions, males reach sexual maturity at 3-4 years (which corresponds to 4-5-year seasons), and females at 4-6 years (which corresponds to 5-7-year seasons).

Crayfish mating occurs in autumn, in September-October. Crayfish do not gather, like fish, for spawning grounds, their fertilization takes place in their usual habitats. The male turns the female onto her back with large claws and attaches the spermatophores at the female's genital opening in the form of a white triangular spot. A few days later, or even weeks, the female, lying on her back, lays eggs. In Finnish conditions, the female usually lays from 50 to 150 eggs, and sometimes up to 400. The eggs do not separate from the female, but remain in the gelatinous mass secreted by her glands.

Under the tail of the female, eggs develop until the beginning of the next summer. During the winter, the number of eggs is significantly reduced due to mechanical loss and fungal infection. In the southern part of Finland, the larvae hatch in the first half of July, in the northern part of the country - in the second half of July, depending on the water temperature at the beginning of summer. The larvae are already 9-11 mm long when they emerge from the eggs and are very similar to small crayfish. But their back is more convex and relatively wide, and the tail and limbs are less developed than in young crayfish. The larvae stay for about 10 days under the mother's tail until they suck out the transparent reddish yolk to the end. After that, they are separated from their mother and begin an independent life.

Crayfish- an omnivore. It feeds on plants, benthic organisms, devours even relatives, especially those that molt or have just shed and are therefore defenseless. But the main food is still vegetable, or rather, in the first years of life, the crayfish feeds more on bottom organisms and gradually switches to plant food. The main food is insect larvae, especially twitching mosquitoes, and snails. First-year-olds willingly eat plankton, water fleas, etc.

Cancer does not kill or paralyze its prey, but, holding it with claws, gnaws it, biting off piece by piece with sharp parts of the mouth. A young cancer can eat a mosquito larva several centimeters long for about two minutes.

There is an opinion that cancer, eating caviar and fish, harms the fish industry. But this information is based more on assumptions than facts. As early as the beginning of this century, T. X. Yarvi pointed out that in those reservoirs where crayfish were introduced, the number of fish did not decrease, and in reservoirs in which the plague destroyed the crayfish, the number of fish did not increase. None of the 1300 crayfish caught by research from the two rivers ate fish, although there were many of them and the most diverse ones. It's not that cancer but can catch fish. His slow movements are deceptive, he is able to quickly and accurately grab prey with claws. An insignificant part of the fish in the diet of crayfish is apparently due to the fact that fish simply do not swim close to the habitats of crayfish. Inactive, sick or injured fish, cancer, of course, is able to eat in large quantities and effectively cleans the bottom of the reservoir from dead fish.

Cancer has many enemies among fish and mammals, although it is well protected by a shell. Eel, burbot, perch and pike willingly eat crayfish, especially during their molt. The eel, which can easily penetrate the crayfish hole, is the most dangerous enemy of large individuals. For young crustaceans living in coastal waters, the most dangerous predator is perch. Larvae and juveniles of crayfish are also eaten by roach, bream and other fish that feed on bottom organisms.

Of the mammals, the most famous enemies of crayfish are the muskrat and mink. At the feeding places of these animals, near the shores of reservoirs, you can find quite a lot of their food waste - crustacean shells. And yet, most of all, it is not fish and mammals that destroy crayfish, but crayfish plague.

catching crayfish

It is known that crayfish were caught already in ancient times. Until the Middle Ages, they were used for medicinal purposes. The ashes of the burned crayfish were advised to sprinkle the wounds from the bites of a rabid dog, a snake and a scorpion. There are boiled crayfish were also prescribed for medicinal purposes, for example, with exhaustion.

From historical literature it is known that at the royal court of Sweden already in the 16th century. gave a worthy assessment of the taste of crayfish. Naturally, the nobles in Finland began to imitate the royal nobility. The peasants caught and delivered crayfish to the nobles, but they themselves treated the "armored beast" with great distrust.

The crayfish fishing season in Finland starts on July 21 and continues until the end of October. Starting from the second half of September, catches are reduced. In practice, catching crayfish is stopped a few weeks before the onset of the ban, since in late autumn the meat of the crayfish loses its taste, and the shell becomes harder and harder.

Crayfish catches at the beginning of the season depend primarily on water temperature. If May and June are warm and the water temperature is high, then the molting of both males and females ends before the onset of the fishing season. In this case, the catches are good from the very beginning. In cold summers, molting may be late, and crayfish begin to move after hardening of the shell only at the end of July. As a rule, in the south of Finland at the beginning of the season, crayfish are always caught better than in the north, where the molting of crayfish takes place later.

Fishing methods and gear

In connection with the expansion of fishing with netting, other methods of catching crayfish remain in the background or are completely forgotten. And yet, crayfish can be caught in many ways, which are not so easy, but are excitingly interesting for amateurs.

Catching hands

Catching crayfish with your hands is the most primitive and, apparently, the most ancient way. The catcher moves carefully in the water and looks under the stones, tree trunks, lifts the branches under which the crayfish hide in the daytime. Noticing the cancer, he tries to grab it with a quick movement until he hides in a shelter or runs away. Naturally, this fishing method is not suitable for those who are afraid of claws. The biggest catch happens in the dark, when crayfish that have left their shelters can be caught by illuminating the bottom of the reservoir with a lantern. In the old days, a fire was lit on the shore to lure crayfish. In such a simple way, near the shore on a rocky bottom, where there are many crayfish, you can catch hundreds of them.

You can grab a crayfish with your hands only if the water depth is not more than 1.5 m. For catching crayfish in deeper waters, and in reservoirs with clear water at a depth of even several meters, so-called crayfish mites were used in Finland. These wooden pincers easily catch and lift crayfish out of the water. Ticks can be from one to several meters long. To prevent mites from damaging the cancer, they can be made hollow.

A simpler device is a long stick, at the end of which a split is made, and it is expanded with a small stone or wooden stick. It is impossible to pull the crayfish out of the water with such a stick, it is only pressed to the bottom and then raised by hand. Catching with ticks requires great skill, since crayfish, as soon as they sense danger, run away very quickly. Due to their own sluggishness, the Finns did not widely use ticks as a fishing tool, and they were not widely used. The unpopularity of this method of fishing,. apparently, it is also connected with the fact that in the dark waters of Finnish reservoirs it is difficult to notice cancer, and if a reservoir is a little deeper than a very shallow one, then it is completely impossible to see it.

Underwater fishing also belongs to this method of harvesting crayfish. It requires special goggles and a breathing tube. Crayfish from holes can be pulled out with gloved hands or collected from the bottom at night. When diving at night, you must have a flashlight, or a partner must illuminate the bottom from the shore or boat. Although the diver catches close to the shore, various dangers always lie in wait for him. Therefore, it is recommended that a partner be on duty on the shore and observe the progress of fishing.

An example of catching hands underwater — Video

Fishing crayfish

With the considered fishing methods, baits are not used at all. The catch when fishing without baits always depends on chance, and there is no guarantee that you will catch crayfish. With the use of baits, fishing becomes more effective. The bait attaches the crayfish to the gear and keeps it in the places of catching.

Crayfish gathered around the bait can be taken with your hands or with a net. But a more “improved” fishing method is fishing, in which the crayfish clings to a bait tied to the end of a fishing line or the base of a stick, and holds on to the bait until it is picked up by a net and pulled out of the water. Crayfish fishing differs from fish fishing in that they do not use hooks and the crayfish can unhook at any time.

A fishing line is tied to a stick 1-2 m long, and a bait is tied to the fishing line. The pointed end of the stick is stuck into the bottom of a lake or river near the shore or into the coastal slope. The bait is placed in the right place to graft cancer.

The catcher can simultaneously use several, even dozens, fishing rods. Their number depends primarily on the density of crayfish in the reservoir, the activity of their zhora and the supply of nozzles. According to the Swedish researcher S. Abrahamsson, the attachment attracts crayfish in stagnant water from an area of about 13 sq.m. Therefore, it makes no sense to place gear more often than at a distance of 5 m from each other and no closer than 2.5 m from the coastline. Usually, fishing rods are stuck at a distance of 5-10 m from one another, in more catchy places more often, in less catchy places - less often.

During the evening and night, depending on the season, the fishing rods are checked several times, sometimes even 3-4 times per hour. The fishing area should not exceed 100-200 m in length, so that you can check the fishing rods in time, until the crayfish have time to eat the bait. If during the evening the catch decreases, you need to move to a new place. When checking the fishing rods, the stick is carefully pulled out of the bottom and the fishing rod is lifted so slowly and smoothly that the crayfish clinging to the bait does not unhook, but rises with it closer to the surface of the water, where the prey is carefully picked up from below with a net lowered into the water. Fishing can be very productive. Sometimes you can pull out 10-12 crayfish at a time. The swaying end of the stick, to which the fishing line is tied, shows that the crab has attacked the bait,

Zakidushka and zherlitsa are the same type of tackle with a fishing rod. In them, usually a bait is tied to a 1.5-meter length of fishing line, and a float is tied to the other end. A sinker is tied to the vent next to the bait.

The so-called crayfish stick differs from a fishing rod in that a short piece of fishing line is tied to the stick or the fishing line is not used at all. In this case, the bait is attached directly to the lower end of the stick. The stick is stuck into the bottom at the fishing area in such a way that the bait is lying freely on the bottom.

The technique of catching with a hook, zherlitse and a crayfish stick is the same as catching with a fishing rod. They fish crayfish with all these gear in the same way as fish. The angler keeps the rod in his hands all the time and, feeling that the crayfish has grabbed the bait, carefully pulls it along with the bait to the surface of the water, closer to the shore, and with his other hand puts the net under the crayfish. In this way they catch, for example, in France - there a ring is tied to the end of the fishing line to thread the bait into it.

Rachevni

Rachevni are now widely used. Rachevnya is a cylindrical mesh stretched over a metal round hoop. Hoops are currently made from galvanized wire. Previously, they were made from willow or bird cherry twigs, and a stone, piece of iron or a bag of sand was tied in the center of the grid for pulling. The diameter of the hoop is usually 50 cm. Three or four thin cords of the same length are tied to the hoop at an equal distance in order to avoid warping the crust, and connect them with a common knot, into the loop of which a stronger cord is threaded for lowering and raising the gear. If caught from the shore, the cord is attached to the pole. The bait is tied to a net, to a cord stretched along the diameter of the hoop or a thin stick, also attached to the hoop, and the trap is lowered to the bottom. The cord for pulling out the crustacean is tied to a buoy or a pole stuck into the slope of the shore. Fishing for crabs is based on the fact that a crayfish, clinging to the bait, cannot get out of the trap when it is lifted out of the water. Rachevny should not hesitate to raise. At the same time, you can fish with several crabs, set from each other at a distance of 5-10 m.

How and where to catch crayfish

To catch crayfish were good, you need to know how and where to catch them. The mobility of crayfish depends on the illumination of the water. In dark waters that do not transmit light well, tackle can be placed early in the evening, sometimes as early as 15-16 hours. The richest catch in such waters is in the evening, and by midnight it decreases, as the activity of crayfish decreases. In clear waters, you should not start catching crayfish before evening, the catch continues to grow until midnight and even after midnight. After the darkness of the night, a new zhor is noted, but it is weaker than the evening one.

Many other factors also influence the activity of crayfish movement. In cloudy weather, fishing can be started earlier than in clear weather. The best catches of crayfish are on warm, dark nights, as well as in rainy weather. Catches are poorer on cold foggy and bright nights, as well as under the moon. Interfere with fishing and thunderstorms.

Traps are usually set at a depth of 1-gp, but if the vegetation eaten by crayfish and the bottom suitable for their habitat are in deeper places, you can try to fish at a depth of several meters. Crayfish stay deeper in light water than in dark water. It is best to catch them in reservoirs with a rocky or pebble bottom, at abandoned stone piers, bridges, under snags, at steep banks and under the slopes of the coast from the bottom, suitable for burrowing.

At night, during catching, crayfish are not measured or sorted, because in the dark it takes a lot of time and slows down catching. Crayfish are collected in dishes with low, steep edges and a wide bottom so that they are not placed in a thick layer. There should be no water at the bottom of the dish.

It is very convenient to measure the length of the crayfish with a measuring stick, in which there is a recess in the shape of the back of the crayfish. The length of the stick is 10 cm. Young crayfish less than 10 cm in size are selected and released back into the water. They are recommended to be released into the water away from the place of fishing, so that they do not get caught again and are needlessly injured.

Most often, caught crayfish have to be stored for some time before consumption. They are usually kept in cages. It must be borne in mind that in order to localize possible infectious diseases, crayfish in cages should be kept in the water bodies from which they were caught. Low boxes made of boards, in the walls of which holes are drilled, or boxes with slots, have proven themselves best as cages. Crayfish are well preserved in cages made of wooden planks or metal mesh.

Crayfish should be kept in cages for as little time as possible, since they eat each other, especially helpless individuals. When storing crayfish for more than 1-2 days in cages, they must be fed so that they are better preserved and attack one another less. The usual food is fresh fish. Crayfish can also be fed nettles, alder leaves, potatoes, pea stalks, and other plant foods. It has been observed that crayfish fight more often for fish than for plant food. In these fights, they lose their claws and suffer other injuries. To avoid this, it is better to feed crayfish with vegetable food in cages.

Crayfish are usually transported without water, in spacious boxes. Wicker baskets are especially practical, as are wooden, cardboard and plastic boxes, as long as they have enough air holes.

Crayfish are placed in boxes about 15 cm high in only one row. On the bottom of the boxes, as well as on top of the crayfish, it is recommended to lay a layer of wet moss, grass, nettles, aquatic plants, etc. In higher boxes, intermediate shelves are made of slats so that the layers of crayfish do not fit tightly to each other. They can be transported safely and without intermediate partitions, having shifted layers of wet moss. Put the crayfish in boxes and cover them with moss as quickly as possible before they start to move. If the crayfish begin to show activity, they will quickly cluster in heaps in the corners of the box. Care must be taken so that the crayfish are not covered with water that has collected at the bottom of the box.

When transporting crayfish in the summer heat, care must be taken that the temperature in the boxes does not rise too high. To do this, you need to cover the boxes from direct sunlight, put ice bags around the boxes, etc. In the heat of crayfish, it is better to transport at night. To maintain the desired temperature inside, the boxes can be upholstered on the outside with any dry material.

The main activities for the care of crayfish in natural reservoirs are:
- elimination of cancer diseases, especially cancer plague;
— compliance with the recommendations for catching crayfish;
- transplantation of crayfish;
— reducing the number of weed species in the reservoir;
- improving the habitat of crayfish.

The duty of every lover of catching crayfish is to contribute to the localization of the epidemic, to prevent it from spreading widely, to follow the recommendations developed for these cases.

Intensive catching of crayfish is one of the effective methods of increasing the number of crayfish in a pond. Since crayfish reach sexual maturity already at a length of 7-8 cm, and the minimum size allowed for catching crayfish is 10 cm, mass catching crayfish will not damage their population in the reservoir. On the contrary, when large and slow-growing individuals that occupy the best habitats are removed from the reservoir, the reproduction of crayfish is accelerated. Females with eggs and crustaceans should be immediately released into the water.

It is gaining more and more popularity these days. And this is not surprising! After all, cancer meat is a nutritious and rather expensive delicacy. In addition, it contains plenty of protein and phosphorus. And his catch is an incredibly exciting activity, bringing a lot of impressions and positive emotions.

Crayfish: description and behavioral features

It is impossible to confuse representatives of crustaceans. They have rather tenacious claws that help fight off enemies and get their own food. With their bulging black eyes, located on a narrow head, crayfish very carefully observe their surroundings.
Despite the small size of the mouth, crayfish have very voluminous jaws, which allow them to easily deal with prey. The chitinous shell covers the entire body of crustaceans. Thanks to the claws located on the sides of the body, representatives of crustaceans move freely along the bottom surface.

Crayfish are extremely clean, so they choose the cleanest possible habitat for themselves. It makes no sense to look for them in polluted water. In the river area, crustaceans are much more common than in lakes, where the water is more prone to stagnation and turbidity. It is possible to meet arthropods at different depths. In one reservoir they are located not far from the coastline, in the other - at a depth of more than 2 meters.

In the daytime, representatives of crustaceans guard their homes, and sensing danger, they rapidly go deeper into the mink. Quite often, predatory fish species attack crustaceans. But crayfish in moments of danger develop rapid speed and very often they manage to quickly get to the hole in order to be safe.

With the onset of darkness comes a period of activity. At this time, the cancer leaves the home and goes in search of food. Seeing something edible, he slowly moves his claws along the bottom surface and suddenly grabs prey. In cloudy and rainy weather, crayfish go hunting without waiting for the evening.

Having taken possession of the prey, the cancer will never quickly swallow it. He tries to bite off the smallest piece and slowly savor it. That is why the feeding period of cancer takes a very long time.

Crustaceans are considered to be omnivores. They can feed on plant food, mollusks, small benthic animals, worms, insect larvae. Quite rare, but still there are cases when they attack their fellows. However, crayfish show such aggression only during periods of molting.

Where is the best place to catch crabs?

However, rocky places are considered to be the most favorite habitat. It is here that crayfish feel completely safe and easily find shelter among the boulders. Therefore, on the rocky bottom there is a huge number of representatives of crustaceans.

Fishing in the early predawn hours will be very successful. In such a period of time, you can collect more than a dozen crayfish with your hands. One has only to walk along the rocky bottom and look for them at the base of the boulders.
The main habitats can be distinguished:

Backwaters with the presence of snags. It is these places that are rich in the largest representatives of crustaceans, but it is worth moving along the bottom surface with extreme caution so as not to get damaged.
Places with steep banks. A prerequisite is the presence of a silty surface coating bottom.
Places with rocky bottom surface.
Shells.
Sandy bottom surface. It is from such places that beginners are recommended to start fishing.
Mink. Small holes can be explored for prey, but in no case should you touch the largest houses and stick your hand inside. There may be the largest representatives of crustaceans that can seriously injure fingers.

Features of catching crayfish

When going on a crayfish hunt, you should know the most important criteria when catching:

Evening time of day. Almost always during the daytime, crayfish spend time at their holes. The best time to fish will be in the evening and late at night. It is recommended to engage in the arrangement of traps in the evening. The greatest catches are brought by the search for crayfish closer to midnight and the predawn hours in the dim light of the moon. And if light rain still accompanies, then a successful catch cannot be avoided.
Illumination of the water area is a very important criterion. It depends on it at what speed arthropods move along the bottom surface. In the case when the water is cloudy, only a small part of the light passes through it, therefore it is recommended to catch on gear placed at evening sunset hours.
Weather conditions for catching crayfish. On cool days, arthropods are caught much worse. Do not fish during periods of increased nebula. If during the day the sky is covered with clouds, then it is better to go hunting for crustaceans much earlier than on sunny days. A harbinger of a good catch will be not only light rain, but also a thunderstorm.

How to increase the catch of fish?

For 7 years of active passion for fishing, I have found dozens of ways to improve the bite. Here are the most effective ones:

Biting activator. This pheromone additive lures fish the most in cold and warm water. Discussion of the Hungry Fish bite activator.
Raise gear sensitivity. Read the appropriate manuals for the particular type of tackle.
Lures based pheromones.

Methods for catching crustaceans

To catch arthropods can be done in a variety of ways:

with your own hands;
using the screen
using a shell;
using a fishing rod;
spears.

I catch with my hands can be attributed to a fairly old method. Rakolov must move with extreme caution in the water and look under rocky formations, branches and into burrows inhabited by arthropods. Seeing the prey, you should quickly grab it, otherwise the cancer will quickly hide in its home.

However, not every angler is comfortable with crayfish claws, so this method is not suitable for all lovers of crayfish fishing. At night, when catching crayfish with your hands, you should stock up on lighting fixtures.

In shallow expanses of water, you can get arthropods with your own hands, but at a considerable depth, peculiar crustacean mites are used. When pulling crayfish out of the shelter, gloves must be used to protect fingers from bites.

Catching crayfish using the screen considered to be the most captivating. A screen is called tackle with the obligatory presence of sides around. In the process of pulling out the screen, the sides do not allow the catch to go back into the water surface.

Using the screen during the active feeding of crustaceans brings incredibly weighty catches. At such moments, the device is pulled out of the reservoir every 10-15 minutes after casting. Having tied the bait again, the screen is reset. During periods of passive behavior of arthropods, tackle can be in the water from several hours to a day.

Quite often used to catch crayfish fishing rods. As bait, dung worms, crucians and are also actively used. If the fish is slightly rotten, this will only increase the interest of arthropods.

In the absence of a rod with a fishing line at hand, experienced anglers use an ordinary snag with a fairly strong rope. Crayfish bites are completely different from fish. They can be described as confident, but overly slow.

When biting, you should never loosen the tension of the fishing line, otherwise the arthropod will simply break. Crayfish fishing on a rod brings good catches. And the most interesting thing is that you can often pull out several representatives of crustaceans at a time.

When fishing with a rod, crayfish are attracted to corn, dung worms, crucian carp and roach

Rakolovy is occasionally used prisons, which are a fairly long stick with a pitchfork-like tip. It is best to catch in the dark, illuminating the water surface with a lantern. Finding an arthropod on its way, you should inflict a sharp blow with a spear. This method quite often kills cancer by piercing through with knitting needles.

Increasingly popular are crayfish. In order for an arthropod to fall into a trap, it is necessary to lure it. This can be done with a bait with a pleasant aroma. Chicken wings or necks fried over a fire are perfect.

All delicacies should be left inside the shell and thrown into the depths. It is recommended to keep the trap in the reservoir from 30 minutes to 3-4 hours. After this time, we take out the crayfish and enjoy a wonderful catch.

Bait selection

To lure crayfish into a trap, you need to offer them good bait. The most popular and bringing a good catch are:

bread with garlic;
fresh fish;
rotten meat;

Bread with garlic a fairly simple and catchy version of the bait. The ideal option would be bread and garlic passed through a meat grinder, well mixed and formed into balls, which is recommended to be placed in small gauze bags. Dill is also added to the mixture if desired.

Choosing for bait fresh fish, it is worth paying attention to bream and roach. This type of fish is a delicious delicacy for arthropods. The fish should be cut and turned out so that the meat is outside.
Very often, crayfish offer their prey rotten meat. In the warm season, beef liver or chicken stomach with a pronounced rotten aroma is perfect. A hungry arthropod will quickly approach a pronounced smell.

An effective bait is perfect for non-squeamish crayfish from a frog. Making it is easy enough. The frog must be cut into 4 pieces, after removing the skin from it. No less catchy are dried frog slices.

It is recommended to go fishing for crayfish at night.
To lure the crayfish, it is recommended to build a fire on the shore. It is believed that the light from the fire attracts arthropods and they go to him.
Remove crayfish from the water only after wearing gloves.
In the absence of a catch, it is recommended to periodically change the bait, because in different water bodies crustaceans have their own food preferences.

The ban on catching crayfish by regions of the Russian Federation

Going to hunt for crayfish, you should be aware that the Fishing Rules in each region establish bans on catching arthropods.

Area and fishing ban periods for each region:

Astrakhan - 1.04-30.06.
Bryansk - 1.10–30.06.
Vladimirskaya - 1.10–30.06.
Volgograd - 1.01–14.09.
Vologda - 15.06–31.07.
Kaliningrad - 1.10–30.06.
Kirovskaya 1.10-30.06.
Black Sea - from 1.01 to 31.05.
water bodies of the Sea of Azov - from 1.01 to 14.06.
Kursk - 1.10-30.06.
Moscow - all year round.
Novgorod - from 25.05 to 10.06.
June 5 to July 15 - Svetlinsky and Yasensky.
15.06 to 10.08 - other areas.
Pskov - from 1.03 to 15.07.
Adygea - from 1.01 to 14.06.
Kalmykia - from 1.01 to 30.06.
Mari El - from 1.01 to 15.07 and from 10.08 to 10.09.
Mordovia - all year round.
Rostov - 01. 01-10.06.
Samara - from 01.01 to 15.07 and from 10.08 to 10.09.
St. Petersburg - from melting ice until 15.07.
Saratov - from 1.12 to 14.07 and from 16.08 to 14.09.
In Smolensk - 1.10-30.06.
Stavropol Territory - from 1.12-15.08.
Tambov - a ban on catching crayfish is valid from 1.10-30.06.

River crayfish- This is one of the types of crustaceans that live in rivers and other fresh water bodies. The structure of the body of cancer is similar to the structure of other crustaceans: it begins with the head, which flows into the chest. The head of the crayfish has a sharp shape, movable eyes, long antennae, and an oral cavity with additional processes are located on it. After the chest, the abdomen begins, which consists of seven segments. Cancer has six pairs of legs, as well as a pair of claws, which it uses for food and self-defense.

As for the color of crayfish, it can have several types of colors: dark green, brown-greenish or dark brown (see photo). The color of cancer depends on the habitat conditions and the composition of the water.

Females and males differ significantly in size: females are often larger than males. Crayfish live preferably in freshwater reservoirs at a depth of up to ten meters. At night, the cancer begins hunting time, he gets his own food, which he drags to his home. The dwelling of cancer can be both in holes that he digs himself, and under stones or in algae, where he hides during the day.

They began to eat crayfish many years ago, since their meat was incredibly highly valued by people due to its beneficial properties.

Among crayfish, the three most common types are most often distinguished:

thick-toed
narrow-toed
broad-fingered.

The main difference between these types of crayfish is the size of their claws. The thick-clawed crayfish has wide and massive claws, while the narrow-clawed one is more elongated and graceful. Otherwise, these types of cancers are completely identical.

Crayfish feed on all kinds of river microorganisms, they also love meat. There are cases when cancer ate its deceased or weaker relative. Very young crayfish feed only on plants, while adults switch to meat food.

Catching crayfish in their usual habitat is quite simple if you organize your actions correctly. The depth of catching crayfish is on average up to forty centimeters. There are four ways to catch cancer:

hands,
crayfish,
shoe,
fishing rod.

Catching cancer with your hands is the easiest way. This method has been used at all times, but it consists in simply getting the crayfish out of its hole with your hand. At the same time, it is quite possible that he will bite you painfully by the skin.

The crayfish is an equally old and proven way with which you can catch several crayfish at once. To do this, you need a network and a rope. The net is laid out at the bottom, the bait is placed and a rope is tied to the net. Every twenty minutes, the contents of the network should be checked.

The shoe method is similar to the previous one. Catching crayfish with a shoe was invented a long time ago, however, this method of catching crayfish is less effective than the first two.

Catch a cancer on the bait is quite difficult. To do this, it is necessary to securely fix the bait on the hook, cover it with nylon and throw it into the water. At the same time, the fishing line must be extremely thick so that the cancer cannot bite it.

If you decide that catching crayfish is not for you, then you need to know how to choose the right crayfish so as not to stumble upon a low-quality product. First of all, I would like to clarify that it is better to buy live crayfish. Determining the degree of their freshness is very easy, and you definitely will not buy a bad product.

When buying live crayfish, pay attention to their mobility. They must be active, move their limbs or mustache. If the cancer behaves inactive, then there are only two reasons: it is sick, or the water is too cold. In any case, crayfish should be kept in cold water for no more than two days.

If you decide to buy already cooked crayfish, then you also need to be careful here. Here are the main criteria for choosing boiled crayfish:

The color of boiled crayfish should be uniform and deep red.
They should not emit foreign odors.
The shell should be free of dirt and damage, as well as stains.

If you buy crayfish in a package, then do not forget to look at the production date and expiration date. You can store crayfish in the package for no more than four days.

Having decided on the choice of crayfish, you can safely proceed to their preparation. Most often, crayfish are boiled, but there are other ways of cooking. We will tell you how to cook crayfish. To do this, you will need a large pot, spices, salt, crayfish and herbs. So let's get started!

Type in the pan the required amount of water, based on the calculation of one liter of water for ten crayfish. Put the pot on the fire.
When the water boils, salt it and carefully throw the crayfish into it.
After filling the pan, close it with a lid and wait for it to boil.
When the water is almost boiling, you can add spices and dill. Remember: the more dill, the better. You can use both fresh and dried.
Crayfish should be boiled for at least ten minutes after they turn red, after which they should be infused for about half an hour under a closed lid.

After that, you can serve boiled crayfish to the table by preparing special vinegar or sprinkling them with lemon juice. There are not so few recipes for cooking crayfish. In our article, you can take a look at the photo of the end result to see how appetizing boiled crayfish look.

Benefit and harm

Crayfish, like many other aquatic inhabitants, can benefit the human body. So, regularly eating crayfish meat, it is possible to solve most stomach diseases, improve the functioning of the biliary tract and facilitate the work of the liver.

Boiled crayfish contain a large amount of all kinds of vitamins, and most importantly, there is no cholesterol. Cancer meat can be considered a complete dietary product, as it contains very few calories, but at the same time a lot of protein. Thanks to this, the body receives a large amount of the necessary energy.

Also, the regular use of crayfish meat improves the well-being of people after a protracted cold, restores strength after training, and crayfish meat can be a good prevention against thyroid diseases, as they contain a lot of iodine.

As for harm, the use of crayfish can cause harm to the body only if it is abused. In other words, if you eat crayfish in moderation, then they will not be able to cause any harm to the body. Except the living ones. ;)

Compound

The composition of crayfish meat includes a large number of various vitamins: vitamins A, E, C, PP and some B vitamins. Thus, the use of crayfish can help the body replenish the supply of vitamins and strengthen the immune system.

In addition to a large amount of vitamins, the composition of crayfish meat includes various trace elements that saturate the body, help our skin, nails and hair look healthy, and also make our bones and teeth strong. Crayfish contain elements such as magnesium, potassium, sodium, calcium, zinc, iodine, iron, phosphorus, sulfur, and many others. Together and with regular use, these elements can significantly improve the appearance, cheer up and ensure the good functioning of the immune system.

By eating crayfish meat, you provide a general recovery to your body.

This short article and two videos will introduce you to such an exciting process of fishing as "Catching Crayfish". Take 5 minutes Your time, and perhaps this activity in the future will bring you a lot of pleasure.

Clean water and crayfish have become almost synonymous for us. But the concept of clean water is very different for us and for crayfish. For us, clear water seems clean, and for crayfish, clean water is water without harmful chemical impurities. In a polluted reservoir, crayfish will immediately disappear, and they are considered an excellent indicator of the state of the aquatic environment.

Where to catch crayfish

Neither fish nor meat is Cancer! On the river it can be found in the cliffs. There, crayfish dig holes for themselves, in which they live. Or look for them on a spit where there is a lot of grass, mostly it hides in small bushes under water. On lakes, crayfish can be found in the coastal zone, that is, in bushes and coastal cliffs.

Ways to catch crayfish quite a lot and every fisherman is trying to come up with his own new or improve the old method. But the main ones were and will be:

old-fashioned method of fishing with hands;
rakolovka (rachevna)

Catching hands

- What to catch crayfish? - Forefinger! (joke with some truth)

Personally, I catch in the grandfather way, it's just that I get more pleasure from this than from. Don't think, I'm not a masochist, it hurts and unpleasantly when I cut my hands on shells or get a retaliatory blow from cancer. Just with this way of catching cancer has a chance "bite" you and run away which makes you always be careful and attentive.

When can you start catching crayfish with your hands? - When you can get into the water without catching a cold or when you buy a wetsuit

It's pretty easy to fish with your hands. Prepare a mask, fins (if you are going to fish in a river with a current on the cliffs) and your hands. In the case of catching crayfish on the lake or in small sections of the river, you can only do it with your hands. Forget about gloves on your hands.

Primarily, find the location of the cancer. These places can be various crooked places, a stone bottom in the coastal zone, or dumps - in which the cancer makes a hole for itself.

We dive in these places, looking for cancer haven and carefully remove it from there. Keep in mind that the smaller the cancer, the more unpleasant its bite will be. When you start catching crayfish, you will understand what I meant. I wrote this only for the purpose that you should in no case be afraid of large individuals!

The bigger the cancer, the less injury it will cause!

In shallow places, cancer should be searched among underwater bushes, probing them with your hands.

The second way - "RAKOLOVKA"

Rakolovka or rachevnya. There are many modernizations and improvements, but the essence of fishing remains the same: the net is stretched over the frame, and something dead (bait) lies on the nutria! In the grid itself there must be a hole through which the cancer will get inside.

This tackle sinks to the bottom and is checked in a couple of hours. If you want to fish with crayfish in a river, then you will need to find a place where there is practically no current.

In Ukraine, the catch of crayfish occurs 2 times a year in spring and autumn. During this period, the cancer molts, namely, sheds the old shell. Naturally, it is vulnerable and easily accessible to fish until the chitin coating hardens.

Folk wisdom says that crayfish can only be eaten in those months in the name of which there is a letter "R". This does not mean that cancer meat during this period is worse or not edible. Not at all! It is rather wisdom, with a deep conservationist meaning, designed to protect the cancer population during reproduction.