Invasive Snacks - Alberta Crayfish Catch, Clean and Cook

On my first 2023 open water fishing, I headed to McGregor Reservoir for some walleye.The fish did not get the memo, but I got to try my new crayfish traps, and this is where my luck has turned...

[@MC-qn3sy]

Thank you for cleaning up the lakes brother! You are appreciated!

[@BootTrackStories]

Thank you man, I appreciate you as well, it's comments like yours that make it all worth it !

[@addictedangler4770]

Outstanding video Marius. Can't wait to build my own crayfish trap. Thanks for this.

[@BootTrackStories]

Thank you Glen, building your own would be so rewarding and it would make for a nice video...problem is finding materials that don't rust and that are feasible.

[@doml5192]

That’s awesome nice catch!

[@BootTrackStories]

Thank you, the crayfish saved the day for sure 😂

[@honeyholehuntersfishing]

very cool video, those crayfish looked so good!..they also would make great bait !😁👍👍

[@BootTrackStories]

Thank you my friend, I'd be in serious trouble with fish&wildlife if I used those for bait here lol

[@thevirginiabushcrafter8833]

New Sub. Looking forward to watching all of your videos

[@BootTrackStories]

Thanks for the support my friend 👍

[@ChasingtheKraken]

Awesome video as usual my friend and perfectly timed. I bought a crayfish trap last year and even caught a few by hand but opted to release them as I didn't have what I needed to cool them up at the lake. But these are absolutely in my plans this year

[@BootTrackStories]

100% my friend, trap those buggers, free seafood lol

[@thevirginiabushcrafter8833]

Nice catch, I've never seen fishing like that.

[@BootTrackStories]

Thank you, it was a blast ! 👍

[@joedirtadventures]

You may have inspired me to go get some traps, clean up the lakes and look delicious!

[@BootTrackStories]

Thank you man, it's worth having them...you go camping, fishing, water skiing...whatever...just chuck them in the water and collect them when you are done. Crayfish are delicious.

[@DaveCollierCamping]

Have a great time, enjoy your day

[@BootTrackStories]

Thank you, it was a good day indeed!

[@lemonherb1]

Looks awesome! I tried targeting crayfish over at Travers a few winters ago just for fun. Had to cut a pretty big hole in the ice to be able to accommodate the traps.

[@BootTrackStories]

Hi, thank you for watching! I wonder how they are hitting the traps in the winter, I've only caught them randomly while ice fishing, never on traps. Travers must be full of them too !

[@lemonherb1]

@@BootTrackStories Well Travers and MacGreggor are linked, so it's no surprise they spread to both. I always heard they were at MacGreggor for years, but one year while ice fishing, I saw a piece of old bait move under water. After looking more carefully I realized it was a crayfish. I too have on occasion caught a crayfish while fishing as well, and on occasion have directly targeted them

[@brianquan7218]

You should fish the inflow my friend! The incoming water had them stacked up, just go when I'm not there haha

[@BootTrackStories]

Thanks, I've fished the canal lots (if that's what you are referring to), caught everything from rainbow trout to burbot there 👍

[@bkbowhunter1]

Nice video man hey don’t throw your rope in 😂😂. Dinner looks good

[@BootTrackStories]

Hey, at least I didn't have to go swimming 😂. We had dinner before the crayfish, that was the movie snack haha. Thanks again for the support my friend !

[@bkbowhunter1]

@@BootTrackStories any time buddy

[@BootTrackStories]

@@bkbowhunter1 I need to catch up with your videos and see what you have been up to...I've been swamped lately

[@user-wt4rm4ey3m]

Nice video!! Thanks for sharing. Does a fishing license needed for using the trap to catch the crawfish?

[@BootTrackStories]

If you only use traps, no license needed. Thanks for watching !

[@maksoutdoorsplus7421]

Where did you get the traps from.I my country we love crayfish, can't wait to catch mtself some .

[@BootTrackStories]

Hi, I ordered them online from Cabelas, Amazon is full of a variety of crayfish traps as well...they all should work in my opinion.

[@ThePikeHunter1]

Great video Marius, your accent reminds me of my native country in Europe. Who knows, maybe we are from the same country.

[@BootTrackStories]

Thank you very much, I'm from Romania. You ?

[@ThePikeHunter1]

@@BootTrackStories me too

[@BootTrackStories]

@@ThePikeHunter1 Very nice, maybe we'll bump into each other one of these days on a lake.

[@FishfearmeStudios]

Nice mess of crayfish. That wind sure picked up

[@BootTrackStories]

Thank you, yes, it was a lot more than was expected...weather man smoked up again 😂

[@TefZee]

I like the video but I agree, must be better handling the fish

[@dylan4089]

It was very calm in the morning 😂

[@BootTrackStories]

I know, what a difference...I knew wind was coming, just didn't expect THAT wind lol

[@bekabad]

And what sort of cat food did you use for second trap that was full?

[@BootTrackStories]

That's a very good question, I'm almost positive it was the Salmon, but I can't be 100% sure since the labels were unreadable when I pulled out.

[@cindya.g.3239]

Which month did you go for crayfish

[@BootTrackStories]

About the same as now, one year ago

[@dannilynnbautistaabella8348]

What lake is this?

[@BootTrackStories]

McGregor, by Milo. Thanks for watching!

[@kushapexplays4750]

So.. im going to crayfish here around edmonton, is there size restrictions on traps and limits to how many you can have? Like i have these traps i bought for crawfish.. but theyre bigger than the trap allowance for minnows. BUT IM NOT minnow fishing. This is all very confusing. Even fidh and wildlife couldnt answer this question..

[@BootTrackStories]

I'm pretty sure there are no opening size restrictions for traps in Alberta, also, catch as many crayfish as you can. Have fun and bon appetit !

[@hammer300rum8]

The province is riddled with crawfish and the rules are stupid at this point because every lake is full of them

[@BootTrackStories]

I agree that they should relax the rules, I can't think of anyone or any reason for that matter why somebody would try moving crayfish from one body of water to another.

[@DCOutdoors]

Hey Man, I dont blame you for skipping spring bear. Like you, I wouldn't want to be a burden on those northern alberta rural areas , taking up hotel space, gas, groceries or resources. Weird about the dead walleye. Probably poorly handled, as you guessed. Glad you got on the fish! Thanks fpr the video.

[@BootTrackStories]

Thanks buddy, yes, not a good time to gallivant around there for bear hunting. There were a few dead walleyes, apparently it's pretty normal every spring when ice thaws...

[@cayansquest265]

Wow I like to try that too. Thanks

[@BootTrackStories]

Easy peasy lol

[@raducbarbuta2916]

I ate crayfish when I was a kid in Romania, and I was hooked for life. There are two things I have to figure out about the ones I catch here. One is the month. In Romania, they say that you eat crayfish in month with an “r”. I’m not sure why. The other is about boiling them alive. That is because, when dead, they develop some bacteria that’s not destroyed at boiling time, and that can give pretty bad food poisoning. How would I mitigate this risk, as I’m not able to freeze them at the lake, and I can’t transport them alive? Right now I’m thinking to boil them on the lake shore.

[@BootTrackStories]

Hi, you can boil them on the lake or just use a cooler with ice, after all...avem stomac de roman 😂

[@user-mb7yf8kt8y]

Romania # 1 !!!

[@BootTrackStories]

Ooo...look who got their account back 😁

[@ImBrockatron]

arent these crawfish? dont crayfish have big antennas and no claws and are the size of lobsters?

[@BootTrackStories]

They are the same thing. I looked it up for you... " Crawfish, crayfish, and crawdads are the same animal. Which term you use may depend much on where you live. Louisianans most often say crawfish, whereas Northerners are more likely to say crayfish. People from the West Coast or Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas often use the term crawdad."

[@guyherd6071]

Be a little gentler when releasing the fish

[@BootTrackStories]

That fish has sandpaper for skin, I'm sure a plop in the water is like a blow of wind for us.