Chicagoo wrote:Hello, does anyone know where I can get live Crawfish around Northeastern Illinois, I only need about 3 1/4 pounds not the 10 pds you get when you order online. Thank you.

CRAYFISH
It is a violation of state law to import, possess,
sell or use as bait live rusty crayfish within the
State of Illinois. The rusty crayfish may be distinguished
by a dark rusty spot on both sides
of the carapace and a rusty-red band followed
by a dark stripe on the large pincers (claws).
This species destroys aquatic vegetation and
eats the eggs of various fishes, which negatively
affects fish reproduction.
Crayfish, except endangered or threatened
species, may be taken for bait, using legal
sized cast nets, shad scoops, and minnow
seines, provided that they are not sold or
bartered. All cast nets shall not be larger than
8 feet in diameter or of a mesh size not larger
than 3/8 inch bar measurement. All shad
scoops shall not be larger than 30 inches in
diameter or of a mesh size not larger than 1/2
inch bar measurement or longer than 4 feet in
length. Minnow seines shall not be longer than
20 feet, deeper than 6 feet or contain mesh
size larger than 1/2 inch bar measurement.
Crayfish may be collected with traps of metal
screen or hardware cloth, plastic, or nylon
mesh or netting. Such traps may not be more
than 24 inches in width or diameter or more
than 36 inches in length nor use a mesh of
more than 1/2 inch bar measurement. Each
entrance aperture may not exceed 1 1/2 inches
in diameter. If unattended, such devices must
be tagged with the name and mailing address
of the person operating the device. Crayfish
collected in such devices may only be taken for
personal use and may not be sold or bartered.

BigT wrote:thanks, sounds like I need to find a full propane tank, I'd rather be safe than sorry anyway.

boudrealuicious - don't worry, I wasn't planning on boiling them for an hour. I figure it'll take about 20-30 minutes for the water to boil initially, throw in the zataran's boil mix for a few minutes, toss in the sausage/corn/garlic/lemon for 10-15 minutes, then toss in the crayfish for another 5-10 minutes. I figure the gas will need to run for about an hour or so, does that sound about right?

nr706 wrote:

BigT wrote:thanks, sounds like I need to find a full propane tank, I'd rather be safe than sorry anyway.

boudrealuicious - don't worry, I wasn't planning on boiling them for an hour. I figure it'll take about 20-30 minutes for the water to boil initially, throw in the zataran's boil mix for a few minutes, toss in the sausage/corn/garlic/lemon for 10-15 minutes, then toss in the crayfish for another 5-10 minutes. I figure the gas will need to run for about an hour or so, does that sound about right?

I just caught a bunch of crayfish up north. I usually boil them in Old Bay for 3 - 5 min max. I think 10 minutes would be okay if you like to chew on rubber.

nr706 wrote:I just caught a bunch of crayfish up north. I usually boil them in Old Bay for 3 - 5 min max. I think 10 minutes would be okay if you like to chew on rubber.

nr706 wrote:Yes, quantity is an issue - but my boil usually comes back in a minute or so. These are not cold crayfish - they're fresh from the lake. I pull them about a minute after they've turned bright red, and then chill or freeze. I have this year's bunch in the fridge right now, ready to peel.

nr706 wrote:I just caught a bunch of crayfish up north. I usually boil them in Old Bay for 3 - 5 min max. I think 10 minutes would be okay if you like to chew on rubber.

nr706 wrote:I get crawfish every summer at our place in Northern Wisconsin. Apparently, the "rusty crayfish" was introduced to the lake as bait, and they took over and dominated the local natural species. So any efforts to remove a few of them are appreciated by the DRN. They're easy to catch with a crawfiish trap, which every hardware store has there, and I usually come home with a pound or two of the little "lake lobsters".

As ekreider notes, if you're catching them, you need to lhem sit in the water - away from their food - for a day or so, to let them purge their intestines.

nr706 wrote:I don't know anything specific about the Louisiana strain; I've gotten frozen crayfish at Marketplace on Oakton (Skokie) for $1.99/lb, IIRC. The rusty crayfish I catch are a little smaller than the ones I've seen at Marketplace, but that may be a function of my technique (I've learned that putting out the traps a little deeper yields bigger crayfish). Physically, other than the size, there's not much difference, although the Rustys do have the characteristic brown spot on each side of the carapace. And their flavor is maybe a little more concentrated. Plus, you can throw 3-4 ounces of nearly rotten meat into a couple of crayfish traps, and 8 - 10 hours or so later you've got 30 - 40 crayfish.

imsscott wrote:We are going up to a resort on Little St. Germain lake and would love to have a crawfish boil, but apparently that lake has no rusty crayfish. I'm not sure if it has native crayfish. I was wondering if any places up there would sell live crayfish. Anybody know?

nr706 wrote:

imsscott wrote:We are going up to a resort on Little St. Germain lake and would love to have a crawfish boil, but apparently that lake has no rusty crayfish. I'm not sure if it has native crayfish. I was wondering if any places up there would sell live crayfish. Anybody know?

I'd be surprised if Little St. Germain lake has no rusty crayfish ... it's not that far from our place, and all the lakes around us are overrun with them. If you go wading in the lake and feel something tickling your toes, you'll know there are crayfish there. Northern Highlands in Boulder Junction has good crayfish traps that aren't too expensive, but there may be a hardware store closer that has them, too. Technically, you need a fishing license to trap crayfish, but practically, I doubt any DNR agent would give you much hassle, because by trapping them you're basically removing an invasive, destructive, delicious pest from the lake.

But, as they are pests, I doubt any place would sell you live crayfish - I certainly haven't seen anywhere that does.

chefmcone76 wrote:Live crawfish were alive and kicking in one of the large steel bins like the ones they sell shrimp from at H-Mart in Niles yesterday. $4.99 a pound...I'm not sure what exact size they would be considered but they weren't huge.