the fresh-water lobsterette - crawfish lakes *UPDATE*

[Dave]

RCW 77.15.180
Unlawful interference with fishing or hunting gear

1) A person is guilty of unlawful interference with fishing or hunting gear in the second degree if the person:

(a) Takes or releases a wild animal from another person's trap without permission;

(b) Springs, pulls up, damages, possesses, or destroys another person's trap without the owner's permission; or

(c) Interferes with recreational gear used to take fish or shellfish.

(2) Unlawful interference with fishing or hunting gear in the second degree is a misdemeanor.

(3) A person is guilty of unlawful interference with fishing or hunting gear in the first degree if the person:

(a) Takes or releases fish or shellfish from commercial fishing gear without the owner's permission; or

(b) Intentionally destroys or interferes with commercial fishing gear.

(4) Unlawful interference with fishing or hunting gear in the first degree is a gross misdemeanor.

(5) A person is not in violation of unlawful interference with fishing or hunting gear if the person removes a trap placed on property owned, leased, or rented by the person.

[fishnislife]

RCW 77.15.180
Unlawful interference with fishing or hunting gear

1) A person is guilty of unlawful interference with fishing or hunting gear in the second degree if the person:

(a) Takes or releases a wild animal from another person's trap without permission]Interferes with recreational gear used to take fish or shellfish[/b].

(2) Unlawful interference with fishing or hunting gear in the second degree is a misdemeanor.

(3) A person is guilty of unlawful interference with fishing or hunting gear in the first degree if the person:

(a) Takes or releases fish or shellfish from commercial fishing gear without the owner's permission; or

(b) Intentionally destroys or interferes with commercial fishing gear.

(4) Unlawful interference with fishing or hunting gear in the first degree is a gross misdemeanor.

(5) A person is not in violation of unlawful interference with fishing or hunting gear if the person removes a trap placed on property owned, leased, or rented by the person.

Thanks Dave, that's good to know. Now the only trick is catching these little punks in the act.



fishnislife

[A9]

I saw those "Terry Bullard" traps mentioned in some previous posts...
They are sweet traps. I have two of them. They are real nice....

[Anonymous]

*UPDATE*

If you know of a lake or stream that has crawfish and it is not on this list, please post it and I will add it in.
Thanks everyone for helping to put this extensive list together. For the most part I feel it is close to being complete and accurate. (If there are any discrepancies let me know)

Just in time for the Crawdad Season.


Crawfish Lakes and Streams in Washington


COUNTY
Lake or Stream


Adams
Cow Lake
Sprague lake

Chelan
Chelan Lake

Clallam
Aldwell Lake (Res.)
Anderson Lake
Crescent Lake

Clark
Bachelor Slough
Battleground Lake
Buckmire Slough
Camas Slough
Columbia River
Cushman Lake #1
Lackamas Lake (Res.)
Lake River
Lewis River
Merwin Lake
Vancouver Lake
Washougal River
Woodland Slough
Yale Lake (Res.)

Cowlitz
Coal Creek Slough
Cowlitz River
Fisher Island Slough
Horseshoe Lake
Kalama River
Merrill Lake
Silver Lake
Toutle River
Wind River

Dougless
Coffee pot lake
Twin lakes

Ferry
Curlew Lake

Franklin
Snake River

Grant
Alkali Lake
Ancient Lake
Banks Lake
Blue Lake
Burke Lake
Cliff Lake
Cup Lake
Coulee Lake
Crab Creek
Crystal Lake
Deep Lake
Dusty Lake
Evergreen Reservoir
Goose Lake (upper)
Lenore Lake
Moses Lake
Potholes Res.
Quincy Lake
Snake River
Soap Lakes
Soda Lake
Stan Coffin Lake
Sun Lakes
Warden Lake

Grays Harbor
Copalis River
Hoquiam River
Humptulips River
John's River
North River
Satsop River
Sylvia Lake
Wishkah River
Wynoochee River

Island
Cranberry Lake
Deer Lake

Jefferson
Anderson Lake

King
Angle Lake
Boren Lake
Cedar Lake
Elbow Lake
Green Lake
Green River
Margaret Lake
Mill Creek
North Lake
Pine Lake
Portage Bay
Rattlesnake Lake
Sammamish Lake
Sammamish River
Sammamish Slough
Snohomish River
Soos Creek
Steele Lake
Trout Lake
Union Lake
Walsh Lake
Washington Lake

Kitsap
Kitsap Lake
Island Lake

Kittitas
Easton Lake
Taneum Creek
Yakima River

Klickitat
Horsethief Lake
Klickitat
Roland Lake

Lewis
Chehalis River
Mayfield Lake
Mineral Lake
Skookumchuck River

Lincoln
Lake Roosevelt

Okanogan
Alta Lake
Bonaparte Lake
Buffalo Lake
Campbell Lake
Conconully Lake
Conconully Res.
Crawfish Lake
Omak Lake
Osoyoos Lake
Palmer Lake
Patterson Lake (Res.)
Pearrygin Lake
Salmon Lake
Sidley Lake
Whitestone Lake

Pacific
Grays River
Harts Lake
Loomis Lake
Middle Nemah River
Naselle River
North Nemah River
Smith Creek
Willapa River

Pend Oreille
Browns Lake (on Brown Cr)
Calispell Lake
Cooks Lake
Conklin Lake
Davis Lake
Half Moon Lake
Mystic Lake
No Name Lake
Shearer Lake
Vanee Lake

Pierce
Alder Lake (Res.)
Bonnie lake
Clear Lake
Kapowsin Lake
Nisqually River
Silver Lake
Spanaway Lake
Steilacoom Lake
Wapato Lake

Skagit
Beaver Lake
Big Lake
Campbell Lake
Caskey Lake
Cavanaugh Lake
Clear Lake
Cranberry Lake
Erie Lake
Everett Lake
McMurray Lake
Minkler Lake
Pass Lake
Shannon Lake (Res.)
Sixteen Lake
Skagit River
Whistle Lake

Skamania
Drano Lake
Goose Lake
Mosquito Lake
South Prairie Lake
Stump (Tunnel) Lake
Swift Lake (Res.)

Snohomish
Ballinger Lake
Cassidy Lake
Chaplain Lake
Flowing Lake
Goodwin Lake
Ki Lake
Martha Lake
Pass Lake
Roesiger Lake
Serene Lake
Shoecraft Lake
Silver Lake
Snohomish River
Stevens Lake
Stickney Lake
Storm Lake

Spokane
Badger Lake
Chapman Lake
Eloika Lake
Fish Lake
Hangman (Latah) Creek
Liberty Lake
Little Spokane
Long Lake
Marshell Creek
Newman Lake
North fork of the little Spokane
Silver Lake
Spokane River

Stevens
Long Lake

Thurston
Black Lake
Deschutes River
Deep Lake
Hicks Lake
Lawrence Lake
Long Lake
McIntosh Lake
Patterson Lake
Skookumchuck River
St. Clair Lake
Summit Lake
Ward Lake

Wahkiakum
Deep River
Elochoman River
Skamokawa River

Whatcom
Baker Lake
Budd Lake
Bug Lake
Caine Lake
Diablo Lake
Fishtrap Creek
Johnson Creek
Nooksack River
Padden Lake
Ross Lake (Res.)
Terrell Lake
Toad or Emerald Lake
Wiser Lake

Whitman
Boyer Park
Palouse River
Rock Creek
Rock Lake




Big THANKS to YellowBear for the healthy update on some more lakes.


*Brought to by the members of WashingtonLakes.com.



fishnislife

[dilbert]

Thanks for the updates, I've been so focused on bass that I forgot the crawfish season was about to start. Now... if I could just remember where I put my pots.

[tnj8222]

you can add trout lake in king county to that list. its actually right on the edge of king and pierce, but im pretty sure its king county.

[fishnislife]

you can add trout lake in king county to that list. its actually right on the edge of king and pierce, but im pretty sure its king county.

Done. Thanks brutha.




fishnislife

[Jake Dogfish]

Man what a great thread with so much info on Crawfish and rules!
What if the area you want to Crawfish is not open to fishing at that time?
For example the Green River does not open for fishing until June 1st. Would you have to wait until then to put traps in or does this have nothing to do with the Crawdad season?

[A9]

Add Deer Lake in Island county to that list. Good population of craws in there....Just wish they had a decent bass population as well. That lake could be an AMAZING bass lake if the population got a little bigger. Lots of downed trees, docks, shoreline near deep water, shallow bays, pads, rocky points, etc....

[Aaron]

And the season is officially open today.

[christopherbeebe]

i don't know if anyone posted this one yet buy steel lake in federal way has crawdads i see them crawling around in the shallows all the time

[russoturristo]

Hey guys,
tried some cray fishing this Saturday on Pine Lake.NOTHING.I was looking for that underwater picnic table and was unable to find it.I'm posting a picture with the spot I used. If someone can show me the right spot on Pine Like I'd really appreciate it!!!
Thanks in advance:salut:

[russoturristo]

i don't know if anyone posted this one yet buy steel lake in federal way has crawdads i see them crawling around in the shallows all the time

More info please

[Aaron]

I thought it might be time to revive this thread again since the season opens up again in 9 days (May 4th). I've got my gear all ready to go, and a bunch of bait waiting in the freezer.

[Anonymous]

Get some good pics of the catch and boil. Where do you go Aaron?




fishnislife

[Aaron]

I've put pots out twice.. last year was the first time. I think the first spot was Williams lake... went fishing on the resort dock with my kids and dropped one down at each end. Didn't catch too many, maybe 4 or 5 in each pot. I tried out at Newman over the 4th of July weekend but didn't catch anything. Now that I'll have a much bigger boat I think I'll take the pots with me to every lake I go to. Maybe even some not on the list so we can add more lakes to the list. I've been thinking of some new ideas for the site, and adding a Crawfish specific section is one of them. As well, an Ice fishing, Shore Fishing and Fishing Partner area are on the list too. It would be nice to know what lakes have them and have some specific spots marked on a map to boot.

I think I'll be spending a good amount of time on Lake Spokane this year. It's the closest lake to my house (8 miles to the closest launch) and since the new boat has a nice big motor (150 Optimax) it will be easier to cover the entire lake without spending the entire day driving the boat around. Covering 5000 acres of water in a small boat with a 25hp engine is tiring. The little Spokane river drains into Lake Spokane, and since that river has them I imagine Lake Spokane does too.

[curado]

i dont know if you can but the pilchuck river is in fested with them and they are HUGE

[Dave]

Good to see this forum post/topic re-visited.

I've done my best to read all 5 pages of this forum and there is a lot of great information. One person asked if a standard shrimp pot would work for crayfish. The reply was something like it likely would work but there was only one way to find out. So, since there are so many new members out there, does anyone know if shrimp pots will actually work for crayfish. I ask because that is what I have. If the answer is no or not likely, I will go buy a few inexpensive pots at the Sportsman's Warehouse.

Also, how is everyone avoiding pot theft? In Terry Bullard’s site, he talks about using a "hidden line." I have read the regs and they indicate that not only is a buoy required but that it must also be on the surface of the water except during extreme tidal conditions. Any suggestions?

Lastly, as the season approaches the first Monday of May, is it too cold to fish for crayfish now. Lake temps in my area are around 54 to 56 degrees F. If it's too cold now, when might it be a good time to start fishing for them? Or better yet, at what water temp can we expect to start seeing numbers in the pots?

Thanks all.

[sharpshooter223]

the way i plan on avoiding pot theft is to set them out while i fish nearby (i cant go far in a pontoon anyway) and also at night if i camp right by the lake, a buoy wont be visible at night anyway unless somebody has been intently watching me for the sole purpose of stealing my traps. i still need to figure out what im gonna do for a buoy though.

[Aaron]

Buy one? I got everything I needed at the Sportsman's Warehouse. 2 pots, 2 75ft lengths of rope, 2 red/white buoys, 2 weights to attach to the rope to sink it. Everything was cheap.