Invasive Snacks - Alberta Crayfish Catch, Clean and Cook

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@micaw7108]

Wow! Never knew we have crawdads here in Alberta. Used to enjoy them at fairs or events while I lived in Texas years ago.

[@BootTrackStories]

@@micaw7108 Hi, they are delicious, and it's open season ! Thank you !

[@codychickadee5095]

They have been in the Beaver river (up by Lac la Biche) system for a long time naturally, but they have spread to everywhere now.

[@peterpalmer2429]

They’re in almost every lake in Canada it seems

[@BootTrackStories]

It could be that they are, yes. Thanks for watching!

[@doml5192]

That’s awesome nice catch!

[@BootTrackStories]

Thank you, the crayfish saved the day for sure 😂

[@lsj1]

I used to trap those using the rind trimmed from slab bacon or ham. Worked really well.

[@BootTrackStories]

@@lsj1 100%, I'd assume they'd hit just about anything.

[@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 👍

[@Exaris79]

When I try to make Red Lobsters' scampi shrimp at home, i use greek salad dressing and add butter to it. Also added cajun seasoning if i want it spicy too. Wonder how those crayfish got that far into that lake.

[@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

[@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

[@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

[@thevirginiabushcrafter8833]

New Sub. Looking forward to watching all of your videos

[@BootTrackStories]

Thanks for the support my friend 👍

[@布丁和奶酪]

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 !

[@antonhuman8446]

Crafty. Real crafty. Thanks. From the Rep of SA.

[@BootTrackStories]

@antonhuman8446 Thank you my friend, I have South African friends here, great people ! P.S. These crayfish look like babies comparing to "crayfish" where you are lol.

[@thevirginiabushcrafter8833]

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

[@BootTrackStories]

Thank you, it was a blast ! 👍

[@RalphRutherford-l3e]

Nice work

[@BootTrackStories]

Thank you !

[@DaveCollierCamping]

Have a great time, enjoy your day

[@BootTrackStories]

Thank you, it was a good day indeed!

[@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.

[@jorgecervantes7644]

I remember as a kid in the mid sixties being at a lake and seeing them in the shallow rocky shore areas. Theyve been around forever. Natives used to catch them when they roamed before the politicians of the time put them in reserves. I think civilization as only allowed them to migrate and be for widespread. Anyways they are great cooked and eaten like shrimp/lobster. We used to trap them in the north sask as teenagers. Have tried 5 or so years ago but only got 2 so released them

[@BootTrackStories]

@jorgecervantes7644 100% my friend, they have been around for a while, and they are delicious! Thanks for the support!

[@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.

[@R36057]

What part of Alberta? I had no idea I could eat them here and not have to wait to go on a holiday.

[@bowriver1]

McGregor Lake in southern Alberta.

[@R36057]

That’s only two hours away. Bonus.

[@HAMMER300RUM]

Catch all the crayfish. Since they showed up the fishing has gone down. Along with the carp people stuck in our waters

[@BootTrackStories]

@HAMMER300RUM Yes, any we can get out of the water is a plus. I was planning to make a carp video this summer, but I got too busy. I've been fishing for them since 6 years old, I've got tips and tricks to share 👌

[@jcbizthekey]

That little walleye almost lookef more like a sauger. Did it have spots on its dorsal? Didnt get a great look. Are there sauger there?

[@BootTrackStories]

@@jcbizthekey Hi, it was a walleye for sure, I don't recall seeing sauger in this lake, but anything is possible...

[@jcbizthekey]

@BootTrackStories I watched it again more attentively definitely a walleye 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.

[@fmerkl]

any cat food works! I've caught thousands !

[@malyhunter]

Hi do you ever go for karasie I know they are in Frank Lake but water there stinks ,do you maybe know any spots with clean water?

[@BootTrackStories]

@@malyhunter Hi, they call them Prussian carps around here, all bodies of water I fished them in are pretty dirty...

[@malyhunter]

@BootTrackStories I loved to eat them back in Poland and they were fun to catch. You sound like a guy from east so I knew you know name karas

[@BootTrackStories]

Haha, yes, in Romania we call them caras

[@malyhunter]

@@BootTrackStories 🙂 you are Romanian 💪🍻

[@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 😂

[@cindya.g.3239]

Which month did you go for crayfish

[@BootTrackStories]

About the same as now, one year ago

[@soloy1610]

Is there a time of year that's better to catch crayfish?

[@BootTrackStories]

@@soloy1610 Hi, from my experience, springtime is best, June is good too...all that being said, they are fair game all year, I've caught the through the ice before.

[@chrisstorozhenko6579]

Where did you buy the traps?

[@BootTrackStories]

@@chrisstorozhenko6579 Cabela's, I ordered them online to be delivered to the store

[@lawnguy905]

I didn’t know, now I do, cheers

[@BootTrackStories]

@@lawnguy905 Enjoy, they are delicious!

[@soyreeng8864]

Do things even live in a manmade lake Or are they put there by man for man to fish

[@BootTrackStories]

@@soyreeng8864 Hi, I honestly don't know the story behind these invasive species spreading into most bodies of water, I'd assume birds might have something to do with it, spreading the crayfish eggs.

[@henryhenry3832]

My brother has caught crayfish with a net and flashlight at night, it works great

[@BootTrackStories]

@@henryhenry3832 It sounds like a good time ! Thanks for watching!

[@henryhenry3832]

@@BootTrackStoriesthanks for the video, crayfish and Alberta grayling are on my bucket list, so far my wife keeps catching grayling and I catch everything else except grayling 😂

[@BootTrackStories]

@@henryhenry3832 That's such a wide spectrum, one being a protected species, one being an invasive one. They are both fun to catch, I hope you get to accomplish that very soon! Talking about wives, they do tend to outfish us sometimes 😂👍🏻

[@henryhenry3832]

@@BootTrackStories yes it is, I actually just learned about Alberta having crayfish a few years ago, my first employer was from Texas and talked about how they would catch crayfish there, but now that I know they are in Alberta I am hoping to get a chance to catch them, in the north where I live I don’t know on any lakes or rivers that have them but im hoping to go south soon, with grayling, we have them here but they have so far eluded me, but yes my wife outfishes me on a regular basis, I just keep telling her that it’s because im the best teacher there is and she has me to thank 🤣, if you are after bear, we have a good amount of them all over here, I seen a bunch today and they were not scared

[@BootTrackStories]

@henryhenry3832 It sounds like your boss got you all excited about crayfish, I know our American friends love them. I don't know how far north you are, but if you ever come to the southern reservoirs, I can point you in the right direction for some crayfish, I could probably lend you some traps too. I do hunt bear, but I tend to target them in the spring when I can...I do shoot them in the fall, but only if I run into them while looking for deer or elk. I've got a bunch of tags this season, including moose and mule buck, and I'm planning to film some more videos.

[@cayansquest265]

Wow I like to try that too. Thanks

[@BootTrackStories]

Easy peasy lol

[@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

[@iainhmunro]

Where did you get your cage from ?

[@BootTrackStories]

@@iainhmunro Hi, from Cabela's. Amazon has some different ones too

[@iainhmunro]

@@BootTrackStories Many thanks. I am in Calgary. Do you need a licence to get crawfish ?

[@BootTrackStories]

@iainhmunro You only need a license if you fish for them with a fishing line. For trap, you don't need license.

[@iainhmunro]

Thanks

[@iainhmunro]

How long did you leave the traps in the lake for ? and what is the best time to go ?

[@SamSeth]

One of the nastiest things i've eaten was crawdads after using cat food as bait. Breaking the tail off and smelling that steamy cat food in the guts was horrific. They somehow are able to get the food out of the can even through a few small holes

[@BootTrackStories]

@SamSeth I will disagree about the smell, I did not find any issues with using cat food. Thanks for watching.

[@SamSeth]

@BootTrackStories it's because they didn't have time to eat much of it in your case. My traps soaked over night so they had a longer opportunity to get at the food. I love crawdads and it was such a disappointment

[@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.

[@crakkbone]

To farm them, potentially. That’s literally how you do it.

[@BootTrackStories]

I highly doubt it, but anything is possible I guess...

[@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 !

[@427max]

I’ve always thought Alberta had horrible hunting and fishing regulations compared to BC, great video new subscriber, if you ever want to come and catch fish on northern Vancouver Island let me know

[@BootTrackStories]

@427max Thanks brother, I appreciate the support ! You guys had it pretty good in BC until the commies took away your grizzly and general moose. I appreciate the offer, I'm on the island almost every year, I have friends in Qualicum, maybe ine day we'll link up. Got my first Chinook in Port Alberni 🫡

[@427max]

@@BootTrackStories nice, we now live in port hardy and are loving it so much. I was lucky and got my grizzly before that law came around. The chinooks were super good this year along with coho and bottom fish. I went out twice on my friends charter boat here and limited out on coho and springs. Last month and half been out on my pontoon boat catching tons of bottom fish and got my biggest lingcod two days ago that was a monster for me. 18lbs and scary trying to land on a pontoon boat lol. Take care

[@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...

[@TefZee]

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

[@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 😂

[@BootTrackStories]

Ooo...look who got their account back 😁

[@Joe3pops]

If you are into it rabbit hunting in Alberta is good way to fill your larder. No license required.

[@BootTrackStories]

@Joe3pops Hi ! Yes, I know...I do get the occasional rabbit, sometimes when grouse hunting, but I never really target them since I don't use a hunting dog. Thank you for watching !

[@thedude1249]

Work on your camera angles. Your camera was not pointed correctly.

[@BootTrackStories]

@@thedude1249 Thank you, I'm trying to improve 👍🏻

[@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.