Smart Angler's Notebook CRAZYCRAZY

1 Pennsylvania Angler & Boater, September-October 2003 Walt DietzMost anglers know that crayfish make great baits for probably also know that crayfish are related tocrabs, shrimp, lobsters and even zooplankton like thewater flea (Order Decopoda). But did you know there are12 species of crayfish in Pennsylvania? Did you knowthat crayfish make great baits for other fish like trout?There is even a crayfish that has been introduced to ourwaters from other states.

2 Let s take a closer look are easy to recognize with their pincers andarmorlike carapace. Some people also call them crawdads or crawfish. They are like the army tanks ofthe aquatic world, thanks to five pairs of jointed legs (thefirst pair are pincers). They can move over obstacles andin any direction forward, sideways or backward. Swim-merets (small appendages) under the abdomen helpthem with swimming and balance. A cluster of purplisheggs can sometimes be seen attached to a female s swim-merets.

3 Crayfish can also shoot backward by flexingtheir tail fan and contracting their abdominal musclesin the jointed tail. Break a leg, pincer or swimmeret?No problem: Crayfish can grow new ones!A hard exoskeleton protects crayfish. Crayfishmust shed, or molt, as they grow. Those empty crayfish shells you see in the water are really shedexoskeletons. Crayfish are very soft until theexoskeleton hardens. These softshells are vulner-able to have amazing adaptations. They breathethrough gills under the carapace.

4 Their eyes are onmovable stalks to allow sight in different sense prey and predators. They emit chemicalcues to identify one another and signal mating. They caneven change color to match their are important as predators and prey in theaquatic food chain. They are omnivores (feed on plantsand animals) and scavengers. They eat snails, insects,worms, tadpoles, dead aquatic animals, algae and vegeta-tion. Crayfish also make a tasty treat for fish, reptiles andmammals. When taken from clean water and properlycooked, crayfish are a great meal for Angler's NotebookUropodsChela (pincers)JointedlegsAntennaeAntennuleEye sRostrumCarapaceTelson Pennsylvania Angler & Boater, September-October 2003 Pennsylvania Angler & Boater, September-October 200325 The rusty crayfish (Orconectesrusticus) was introduced from Midwest-ern states.

5 It is sold commercially as fishbait. It is aggressive and competes withnative species for food and space. It willalso overgraze aquatic crayfishhave largepincers and oftenhave two rustyspots on eachside of the slow the spread of nuisance species. Don t releaseunused bait into the water. Examine or clean equipmentto prevent transfer of plants and animals to other Common Pennsylvania CrayfishEastern crayfish or Appalachian brook crayfish (Cambarusbartonii)Common in most of in cold mountain streams under rocks or crayfish (Orconectes virilis)Found in northwest and southcentral in warm, turbid ponds and slow-moving water withvegetation and clearwater crayfish (Orconectes propinquus)

6 Found in northwest under rocks with muddy or sandy crayfish or devil crayfish (Cambarus diogenes)Found in western low elevations, and burrows near spring-fed swamps orlogged areas along crayfish (Orconectes obscurus)Found in central and western under rocks with muddy or sandy crayfish or blue mountain mudcrawler(Cambarus monongalensis)Found in southwestern in foothills near water, and prefers clear water nearbyor underground crayfish (Orconectes limosus)Lives in eastern small, quiet streams of lowlands, ponds and about our state s other crayfish can be foundat the Pennsylvania Crayfish Reference Collection linkunder the Web Resources are easy to catch.

7 Look for them in any pond,lake, river or stream. Roll rocks over in shallow water andgrab behind the pincers (thorax), or use a dip net. Orhave one angler hold a minnow seine while anotherangler lifts rocks and swooshes crayfish downstreamtoward the are also easy to store. Use a cooler with wetgrass or aquatic plants instead of a bait bucket with ll keep for days if you store them in a cool shadyspot and keep the grass wet. Wrap softshells in wetnewspaper, cheesecloth or cotton material. Store them inthe refrigerator and they will stay soft for a s the LAW!

8 A fishing license is required of those 16 and older tocollect crayfish and other fishbait or baitfish. No closed season or minimum size for law allows a daily limit of 50 combinedfishbait TipsUse live crayfish for bass, trout, perch, carp and are deadly! Hook them through the tail orbreak them apart and use the body parts. Rig with asplitshot, slip or swivel sinker. Or try a jighead. Moveyour line occasionally to pull live crayfish from theirrocky hiding ResourcesAssociation of CrayfishReference ~ Pennsylvania Angler & Boater, September-October 200325