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Show Aug. 5, 1993 w?0k( it a few feet out into the water, wait a few Although crayfish frequent Utah , toss minutes and then pull it in. The crayfish will usually waters, they are an overlooked cling to the bait long enough to net them or shake into a bucket. Smelly and slightly spoiled species here. Learn how and where to them meats are probably the best baits, but chicken bones catch them and how to prepare them. from a picnic lunch can be used to catch dinner. Utah regulations allow a crayfish angler to use up to five lines. Hooks are not needed; in fact, the reguby Ron Stewart Utah Division of Wildlife Resources northeast region lations prohibit the use of hooks on a crayfish line. Just tie the bait to the line. Traps, dip nets and Probably the most overlooked game species in the seines can also be used to catch crayfish. Utah fishing proclamation is the crayfish, someare sold most stores Hilltop Times 23 (D3((7 the whole crayfish in cold, clean water, even if you plan to just keep the tails. Rinse the crayfish again in more clean, cold water and finally, pack them between sheets of clean fabric and place them into an ice chest or cooler. The crayfish should not touch the ice or any of the standing water as it will act to speed up decomposition and help transfer any toxin. Placing a false bottom in the cooler will keep the crayfish above the water. Once home, take care of the crayfish immediateor ly. Inspect the crayfish and discard any that are too Traps by sporting goods can be easily made out of old screens, chicken wire soft or otherwise suspect, then scrub the keepers or wooden slats. For daylight trapping, try using an again in cold water. Pay special attention to their open type trap that can be pulled up and inspected bottoms. Next, remove the black intestine in the tail. Grasp often. Traps with a small crawl-i- opening are betthe middle fluke of the tailfin, twist and pull the ter for overnight trapping. When baiting a trap, should come out with it. Then soak the intestine remember to anchor the bait to the trap so the crayfish don't steal it. To handle a crayfish, grasp it just crayfish in a strong salt solution for five minutes behind the head with a thumb and index finger. This to help clean and firm the meat. is probably the only spot on the crayfish where the There are dozens of crayfish recipes, and most claws can't reach you. Crayfish claws are not just recipes for shrimp, crab or lobster work well with for show; they can give a painful pinch. crayfish; but the easiest is to boil and eat them right eat or to them until them alive Keep ready just out of the shell. Bring a large pot of water to a boil before leaving the lake. Remember, live crayfish canand add salt or beer or whatever to add to the flavor. not be transported in Utah. Crayfish deteriorate Then drop the whole crayfish into the boiling water. rapidly and like most shellfish they produce a The crayfish will usually sink. When it is cooked it poisonous toxin as they decompose. For this reason, will turn red and rise to the surface. Just fish them be extremely careful if you don't plan on eating them out and serve plain or with melted butter or another dip. immediately. Like shrimp and lobster, the meat is mostly in the in them alive a them Keep by placing holding pen in the lake or by packing the crayfish into a large tail, but a large crayfish might have enough meat container between layers of damp fabric such as in the claws to make it worth the effort to crack burlap or gunny sacks. Place ice on the fabric but them open. not directly on the crayfish to keep the container and If you don't plan on eating them immediately, crayfish cool. Don't try to keep them alive in a buck- cook the crayfish and freeze the tails as quickly as et of water because they will quickly use up the possible to prevent spoilage. For more information available oxygen and suffocate. The trick to transon crayfish, stop by any Division of Wildlife Resources office and pick up our free brochure, porting is to keep them clean and cool. First, discard any dead or partially eaten crayfish. "Crayfishing for Food and Fun." Article courtesy Second, kill the live crayfish. Slice it with a knife of Utah Division of Wildlife Resources publication, just behind the head where it joins the body. Wash Utah Wildlife. times known as a crawdad or fresh water lobster. Crayfish are a delicacy in Europe and a mainstay in American Cajun cooking. Most restaurants in New Orleans list crayfish at least once on their menus. Crayfish farming is also a major industry along the Gulf of Mexico, especially in Louisiana. But crayfish remain a virtually unknown food in Utah. Northeastern Utah has numerous crayfish waters, including Big Sandwash, Bullock, Starvation, Flaming Gorge and Steinaker Reservoirs. Along the Wasatch Front, East Canyon, Lost Creek and Deer Creek all contain crayfish. Down south, Lake Powell boasts a huge population of crayfish, and many other smaller waters host the crustaceans. There is no bag or possession limit on the number of crayfish but an angler does need a current Utah fishing or combination license. There is one other major regulation on crayfish. Live crayfish cannot be transported. The reason for this regulation is that crayfish have been illegally introduced into most of the Utah waters they are found in today. While it's true that crayfish can be a good forage base for fish under certain conditions, they can also seriously damage a fishery. Crayfish not only compete with fingerling trout for food, but they eat shoreline vegetation necessary for escape cover for the small fish. Also, between their eating habitats and their burrowing, crayfish can cause bank erosion and seriously damage dams. There are numerous ways to catch crayfish. The easiest is to tie a string around a large piece of bait. n Ogden's Largest 4421 Harrison Blvd. Ogden, Utah 84403 479-645- 3 (across the street from Dee Events Center Sign) Food Stamps Accepted Boneless Beef Tenderloin BEEF FILLET RANCH STEAKS MIGNON $1 89 lb. fc Boneless Skinless BONELESS BEEF RIBS MESQUITE $ 1 98 lb. 2 98 Stvffed Oven Roasted BREAST MIGNON 2 98 lb. Center Cut Alaskan HALIBUT FRYER BREAST 2 Liter SODA ?rkit can 1X1 WFJtzS? ...Bean lb. Chicken Noodle SLICED TURKEY BREAST LB. $1 39 Fresh Daily LEAN GROUND STEAKS BEEF $329. $ 1 69, Make the emtre stop at our meet market, you will be happy about it. POOD STAMPS 3 Below Distributor's Cost! 629.b. 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