Walleye eating crayfish?

[FlyTheory]

In the Sask river there are a ton of crayfish, has anyone used crayfish-style baits (crayfish as bait is illegal) and has consistent success for walleye? Just pondering...

[Habfan]

I have caught lots of walleye using crayfish coloured lures and rubber tails, but I was informed by a biologist that walleyes don't eat crayfish as they have trouble digesting them. I have never seen a crayfish in any walleye I have ever cleaned. I've fished in Sask and AB waters that are infested with crayfish, but I have seen them in burbots.

[RavYak]

Originally Posted by Habfan

I have caught lots of walleye using crayfish coloured lures and rubber tails, but I was informed by a biologist that walleyes don't eat crayfish as they have trouble digesting them. I have never seen a crayfish in any walleye I have ever cleaned. I've fished in Sask and AB waters that are infested with crayfish, but I have seen them in burbots.

I have definitely caught pike with crayfish in them out in SK, thought I have had a few walleye too. Might not be high on their preferred meals though.

Nice thing about lures is they don't have to imitate food to catch fish. I caught lots of walleye on the storm thunder craw back in SK when I was younger.

[npauls]

Me and my buddies have had walleyes barf up crayfish parts while in our livewells.

[Redfrog]

In Ontario I've cot walleye using crayfish as bait. They were only about 2 1/2 to 3 inches long and we pulled the pinchers off.

[Bushrat]

Originally Posted by Habfan

I have caught lots of walleye using crayfish coloured lures and rubber tails, but I was informed by a biologist that walleyes don't eat crayfish as they have trouble digesting them. .

I think the biologist was pulling your leg.

[Pike fisher]

Crayfish is a favorite food of big walleye. Sometimes they have four or five in their belly. I have always been curious though as to how well a crayfish-style jig dragged along the bottom would work. Anyone have success with that in the southern AB reservoirs??

[possum]

What I have found is that in the Spring, the walleye will be on the minnows and the odd crayfish. When the water warms up they will stay on minnows, and add leaches and frogs (in season) then in fall they will continue on minnows, frogs and leaches until the seasonal food disappears, then in the winter back to minnows and the odd crayfish as the leaches and frogs are gone.
Worms will also work, but I have had better luck with leaches/minnows ..In Season...JMHO

[WayneChristie]

walleye no, but I was getting a lot of bites on crayfish and not hooking anything til I figured out how to rig them, ended up with a good number of lake sturgeon, a couple suckers, and some very large goldeye who turned out to be the culprits that were stealing my crayfish after the new rigging method. FYI Im allowed to use dead crayfish with my research license so please no more calls to the fish cops

[wellpastcold]

We fish Lake of the Woods in Ontario most years. The walleye in that lake definitely eat crayfish.

[Habfan]

Originally Posted by Bushrat

I think the biologist was pulling your leg.

Have you ever seen crayfish inside of a walleye ?

[Habfan]

Originally Posted by Pike fisher

Crayfish is a favorite food of big walleye. Sometimes they have four or five in their belly. I have always been curious though as to how well a crayfish-style jig dragged along the bottom would work. Anyone have success with that in the southern AB reservoirs??

So, you know that crayfish is a favourite food of Big walleye, but never tried to imitate crayfish as bait ??

[Habfan]

Originally Posted by wellpastcold

We fish Lake of the Woods in Ontario most years. The walleye in that lake definitely eat crayfish.

This is a lake I have heard of the walleye eating crayfish, it was also stated in the article that they only eat them when they are moulting and have a soft shell. So early summer !

[Walleyedude]

Originally Posted by Habfan

Have you ever seen crayfish inside of a walleye ?

All the time.

It can be one of the hottest bites there is when they're on the crayfish, and the bonus is it's usually in the dog days of summer when the fishing is otherwise slow. You can see the big arches in the clouds of crayfish on the sonar. Super fun fishing.

[Habfan]

Originally Posted by Walleyedude

All the time.

It can be one of the hottest bites there is when they're on the crayfish, and the bonus is it's usually in the dog days of summer when the fishing is otherwise slow. You can see the big arches in the clouds of crayfish on the sonar. Super fun fishing.

Crayfish hide under rocks and things, those are not clouds of crayfish on your screen. Minnows and shrimp maybe , but definitely not crayfish.

[npauls]

Hot middle of the summer days is when i notice the most crayfish pieces in my livewell.

I cant say i have ever tried a crayfish style bait but i do have many successful days using crayfish color combos on my spinner rigs behind a bottom bouncer.

[Saskieboy]

I have used a small plastic crayfish for Walleye in the SSask river,Lake Diefenbaker & throughout the Churchill River system of lakes with great Walleye success for 25 plus years.I have not had success with the plastic crayfish on many reservoirs or lakes in Alberta where I did not find any crayfish. I still think if I used the plastic crayfish more it will work in Alberta reservoirs,lakes and most definitely in the NSR,SSR,RDR& Athabasca. I should try it more but I tend to go for other lures first & forget to try it.

[67ZL1]

Caught Walleye on LOTW last July with crayfish in their mouths.

[Walleyedude]

Originally Posted by Habfan

Crayfish hide under rocks and things, those are not clouds of crayfish on your screen. Minnows and shrimp maybe , but definitely not crayfish.

Ummmmm. OK.

If you say so...

[pinelakeperch]

I've cleaned walleye with remnants of crayfish in their belly. I'll snap pictures next time I see it.

[bubba 96]

Have caught walleye at travers with crayfish in belly..

[wellpastcold]

Originally Posted by Habfan

This is a lake I have heard of the walleye eating crayfish, it was also stated in the article that they only eat them when they are moulting and have a soft shell. So early summer !

We usually find ourselves at LOTW in August. Not sure about the moulting thing. There sure seems to be claws in the bellies when do a shore lunch.

[neilsledder]

One day last summer fish weren't biting at all. So I tried a crank bait that is a crayfish shape. I caught lots that's day. Mostly pike but the odd walleye


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[RavYak]

https://youtu.be/l6wVn7v5yuo?t=355

I guess that answers that lol

[MB1]

I think those were american walleye though!

[The Spank]

When I lived in northern ontario once the mid-summer heat & sun drove the walleye into deeper water we would fish them at night as they came into the shallows to feed once the water temp dropped a couple degrees. We used to fish them in real rocky areas with medium to large round rock. Our two favorite baits were a crayfish suspended just off bottom under a slip float or a leopard frog hooked to a floating jig and tossed out on the surface. Caught most of our larger walleye that way. On the Ottawa River when the walleye were feeding heavy on crayfish they would be coughing them up as you reeled them in. We would see lots of crayfish parts being spit out. Ottawa River crayfish were often an orangey/reddish colour. We would nail walleye feeding on those red crayfish by jigging orange coloured twister tails off bottom.
Here is one my buddy caught on an orange twister tail with 1/4 oz jighead in 26' of water on the Ottawa. This was our first fish of the evening. We caught and released over 100 in 4 hours that evening.

[Big Schnizz]

Originally Posted by WayneChristie

walleye no, but I was getting a lot of bites on crayfish and not hooking anything til I figured out how to rig them, ended up with a good number of lake sturgeon, a couple suckers, and some very large goldeye who turned out to be the culprits that were stealing my crayfish after the new rigging method. FYI Im allowed to use dead crayfish with my research license so please no more calls to the fish cops

Wayne - can you elaborate on your rigging method? I'm curious the best way to rig them to get better hookups and so that they stay on in the current of the river. Thanks!

[dodgeboy1979]

Originally Posted by Big Schnizz

Wayne - can you elaborate on your rigging method? I'm curious the best way to rig them to get better hookups and so that they stay on in the current of the river. Thanks!

you hook them through the tail so when you reel them in they swim backwards and look natural.

[Redfrog]

And here's an interesting fact. They swim backwards so they don't get water in their eyes.

I've caught lots of walleye on crayfish all through the year except ice fishing. Just never tried crayfish through the ice.

[huntsfurfish]

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