The Shasta crayfish was first described in 1914 from the Fall River at Fall River Mills and Hat Creek at Cassel. Invasive signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus), which are more aggressive, reproduce at much higher rates and prey on and outcompete the Shasta crayfish for food and habitatHabitat loss and degradation Furthermore, the non-native signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) is outcompeting and preying on Shasta crayfish causing significant population declines. Over the years, its habitat became more fragmented, reducing the number of locations where it could be found. The historical range of the crayfish is not much different than the current range, however, it was found more widely in those locations in the past. Fish and Wildlife Service on September 30, 1988, populations of the crayfish have declined sharply over the past 30 years to the point where only about 500 individuals remain. The Shasta crayfish is found only in Shasta County, California, in the Pit River drainage and two tributary systems-the Fall River and Hat Creek subdrainages. These colors provide camouflage for the crayfish among the volcanic rubble found in the cold water streams where it lives. Most Shasta crayfish are a dark brownish-green on the topside and a bright orange underside, but some can be blue-green with pink undersides. Shasta crayfish are small to medium-sized crayfish that grow to be 2 to 4 inches in length. Fish know that already.Living in cold streams that are fed by underground springs, the Shasta crayfish is California’s last native crayfish. Yes, alligators love them too!! And if you are fishing on a lake with rusty crayfish, you might want to consider catching a bunch of them to eat yourself. So whether you are fishing for bass, walleyes or even alligators, look for areas that have populations of crayfish. On the days when smallmouth don’t like to chomp on the artificial crayfish, I just switch to other baits to catch them, but I know the crayfish are the reason they are in the area. Areas with rocks and gravel are some of the best spots for fishing for small mouth bass. The walleyes will take the bait, too, but seem to be able to tell the fake from the real deal easier than bass. I have had my best luck fishing for bass when using artificial crayfish bait. I have been amazed at the size of the crayfish in some of the smaller fish I have caught. I have found that when cleaning fish in July, August and September, crayfish are a common site in the bellies of walleye and bass. I have a number of areas marked on my favorite lakes where I know the crayfish are hanging out and fish come to hunt. They also like to hide around wood and aquatic vegetation. If using artificial crayfish as bait, it is a good idea to try to match the color of the bait to the actual color of the crayfish in the lake being fished.Ĭrayfish need places to hide so on big lakes looking around gravel bars and rocky areas is a very good bet. Native crayfish adapt to the water color of the lake they inhabit. On Leech Lake and other lakes with the invasive rusty crayfish, the distinctive color being spit out when caught is a red orange. It is very easy to tell when fish are eating young crayfish because they often spit them up when caught. Crayfish are very productive, with breeding age females carrying as many as 800 eggs at a time. They live short lives, usually less than two years. It is the young crayfish that are most likely to be out feeding during the daylight hours, and this also makes them much more vulnerable to predation. Research shows that older crayfish are most active at dusk and continue to feed until daybreak. They feed on snails, algae, insect larvae, worms, tadpoles and some kinds of vegetation. Bass, walleye, pike and even big panfish like to munch down crayfish.Ĭrayfish are common in streams and lakes and really like to hang out in areas where they can hide during the daylight hours and sneak out to feed at night. Just about every kind of fish likes to chew on crayfish, especially young crayfish before they get too big and their outside skeleton gets too hard. A great way to locate fish in midsummer is to find crayfish.
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