Hi everyone! Been busy at work and haven't posted for a while. I did finally get to try crayfish collecting. I tied an old piece of shrimp to a hand line and tossed it under a rock. I felt a tug and pulled it up, nothing! Tried again about three times, then BAM! I see a bullhead come out of the water but couldn't get him all the way to the shore without a hook. I am so excited because this is the last fish that I want for my new tank. I went back out with a rod and 1/32 oz jig head and had my hook cleaned. I am considering going out tomorrow with a hand line and a #4 tru turn hook. I am very afraid of gut hooking the fish and killing the fish for no good purpose. Any advise on this or how I can get some crawfish would be great.

Thanks,
Rick

P.S. In VA I must use hook and line to legally keep the fish

For the crawdads bait a fish trap with chicken liver. This will also bring you in some bullheads (if they aren't considered game fish in your state, this should be legal). Get some #6 or #8 hooks for a small one. That's what I use. Put a worm on it and put a bobber on the line to where the line is a few inches off the bottom. That way, it's harder for the fish to swallow it before the hook sets.

A #4 is about right - the thing to do is mash down the barb with a pair of pliers. It's easier for the fish to get off but also a LOT easier to remove the hook without ripping its guts out.

You can buy barbless hooks which have a little squiggle where the barb should be (that's the best I can describe it), that help hold the fish on.

I have never gut hooked with a bullhead; and bullhead (specifically brown) are the only catfish I have caught in my entire career of fishing (about 6 years). I do suggest using a circle hook though, these are made to hook in the mouth and are easy to remove. I also suggest using some pliers to de-bard the hook. I do this with all my hooks and it really lessons the damage.

For crayfish: sometimes [I don't know if this is the time] you just can't leave a trap in a shallow creek overnight for fear of theft.

For rivers and creeks with shallow water:
So you could come during the day with an old landing net (just like the ones for trout, just change the mesh to a tiny mesh size). Flip rocks over to check if there's a crayfish under it, when you see one just put the net behind it and try to grab it from the front, it will get scared and flip it's tail right in your net. You might also catch a sculpin or something else that hides under the rocks. Just put the rocks back the way they were and don't do this during spawning season.

For deeper water in lakes and rivers:
You could come in the evening with a european trap in the evening or early morning. Tie a rope to the trap, tie the bait in the middle, and lower it from boat or cast it out. Check it every 7-15 minutes. Sorry I'm on a slow computer today so I won't be able to post a picture, but you could go to http://www.trapperar...dippertraps.htm. You could order the trap from the site or You could make one yourself.

For bullheads: use the hooks people suggested. However, you should use a bobber only if your river has lots of snags or if you're standing right upstream from the place you want to cast, otherwise the current won't let your bait to the bottom. So if your river bed isn't too "snaggy" it would be better to use a fishing rod with a sliding sinker.

Well guys, I got one. They were grabbing and letting go. I cast one under a rock and he must have gotten it on the fall because I didn't feel him hit it at all, he swallowed the hook. I used the through the gill hook removal technique with a barbless hook and unhooked him just fine. He has been swimming in my tank for about a week now. Thanks to everyone.

Rick

Since you have collected one, this may be a moot point, but I also like circle hooks for catfish. You will never gut hook one! The shape of the hook only allows it to grab flesh as it comes out of the mouth. The trick is to pull up slowly, rather than "setting" the hook.

Since you have collected one, this may be a moot point, but I also like circle hooks for catfish. You will never gut hook one! The shape of the hook only allows it to grab flesh as it comes out of the mouth. The trick is to pull up slowly, rather than "setting" the hook.

I just got back from lake fishing caught several channel cats and a tiny bass . The first 2 cats fought so much I thought I was snagged on something