How to Breed Crayfish for Bait

Although they are a staple in Cajun and Creole cuisine, crayfish are also used as a live freshwater bait for fish, such as catfish, bass and trout. Crayfish can be raised in a farm-like setting, known as aquaculture. Natural or man-made bodies of water, such as ponds and lakes, can be stocked with crayfish, raised to maturity and sold for bait. Climate, water and feed are all factors that need to be considered before starting a crayfish aquaculture operation.

Instructions

    • 1

      Choose a location that will allow you to successfully raise crayfish; Crayfish thrive in a warm, humid environment, so environments that have large temperatures swings or tend to be dry would not be good places to raise crayfish.

    • 2

      Obtain all licenses and permits. Check with your state's department of agriculture to obtain the necessary permission to start a crayfish aquaculture farm, such as an aquaculture license. Be prepared to fill out all the necessary paperwork and pay any fees; some states, such as North Carolina, do not charge for the aquaculture license, which is good for five years (as of September 2011).

    • 3

      Select a good location to breed crayfish. Obtain land that has a preexisting pond or create one of your own. Arrange to pump the water from the pond to allow forage plants for the crayfish to grow or if the water quality deteriorates. Drain the water in the early summer to allow for a crayfish harvest in the late spring of the following year.

    • 4

      Plant a crayfish forage crop, such as sorghum or green rice, and allow it to mature for about two months during the heat of late summer; crayfish don't actually eat the green rice, but the microorganisms created by the decay of the crop. Plant algae as well to keep the pond oxygenated for the crayfish.

    • 5

      Stock the pond with crayfish a couple of weeks after planting. Locate a reputable supplier of crayfish by checking with your local university extension office. Stock the pond with an average of between 50 pounds to 100 pounds of crayfish per acre. Keep the pond area moist, but do not flood it until late fall to allow the forage crops and algae to take root and grow; the crayfish will spend most of their time burrowed into the moist ground during this period.

    • 6

      Fill the pond to a level of about 12 inches; this is when the crayfish will emerge, begin to feed on the forage material and also begin to mate. Flood the pond to a depth of about 18 inches about a month later. Check the oxygen levels of the water weekly and drain and refill the pond, if necessary. Consider adding an aerating pump to the pond if oxygen levels in the water appear low.

    • 7

      Harvest the crayfish in the late spring. Use wire mesh traps (up to 20 per acre) baited with fish, soybean cake or cottonseed. Drain the pond and begin the process again; the crayfish young will be hatching in the mud about the same time as you replant the forage crop. Use caution so as to not disturb the burrows, which will resemble small chimneys in the mud.