CREATURES TO RECKON WITH!

American signal crayfish may be public enemy number one, but plastic versions make deadly lures for specimen perch, says IYCF’s Mark Parker

THE UK’s rivers , canals and even some stillwaters are facing a plague of epidemic proportions. Over the past few decades our waterways have been invaded by a range of non-native species, the most destructive of which is the American signal crayfish. They were brought into the UK for the food industry in the 1960s and, inevitably, some escaped into the nation’s watercourses. The rest is history, sadly, and they are now here in huge numbers, and here to stay. As well as causing mayhem wherever they go - decimating fish stocks by eating eggs and fry, and collapsing riverbanks by burrowing into them - these aliens also carry a disease to which our native European crayfish have no immunity. On the up side, though, these aquatic marauders have been responsible – in some part – for the huge growth boom seen in species like chub, perch and even barbel. To enable them to grow, like crabs and other crustaceans, crayfish have to shed their old shells before a slightly larger one grows back. While they are in this transitional state their shells are soft and this leaves them highly susceptible to predation. In other words, a lovely little (or big) mouthful for a chub, perch, zander or pike! The solution to this plague of the crays might be seen by some to be staring us in the face – simply trap a few of them, slip one on to an appropriately-sized hook and cast the miscreant beastie into your swim to await developments. Sadly, without putting too much of a stick in the spoke of angling, the use of crayfish – even those invasive signal crays – is highly illegal. Our own native crayfish, classed as an endangered species, could easily be confused with the invaders from across the pond. But there is nothing to prevent you from fishing lifelike or even not so lifelike versions made of rubber.

Why use crayfish lures?

In recent years, the soft lure craze has s swept the UK like a tidal wave. Despite the huge range of imitations nowno adorning tackle shop shelves, most anglers stick rigidly to paddle tail patterns, with the occasional dalliance with a fork or pin tail or, for the really adventurous, a curly tail lure! It’s a safe bet to say that most have never considered using a crayfish or ‘creature’ bait, let alone hooked one up and actually fished with it. On pressured and unpressured waters alike,alik fish learn by association. At places like Pitsford Water Park, which sees a lot of ‘big gun’ predator anglers, the fishing gets increasingly harder as the season progresses. Part of the reason for this could be because the perch are being fished for in the same old haunts time after time, with similar types of lure. It doesn’t take a genius to realise that once a large perch has fallen for a chartreuse paddle tail two or three times in as many weeks, it will become wary of such patterns. Using a crayfish – even if none are naturally present – or another creature bait not only offers the fish something different, but the very outline of these baits enables them to produce extremely strong vibration patterns in the water, which predators find highly appealing.

Fishing with ‘creatures’

There are various ways to fish with crays and various other creature baits. My favourite tactic is to use a straight jig head, ideally between 3g to 7g but dependant on the distance I’m looking to cast, the water depth and the flow of the river (if fishing running water). Stand Up jig heads work well too because of the way they make the crayfish lure rear up off the bottom in a typical ‘claws out’ defensive pose. With jigging, there’s a fine line between using a jig head heavy enough to work the lure properly and one that is light enough to allow the slowest

possible fall, as this is when the majority of the takes will come – on the drop, so to speak. If the water is weedy, I’ll swap the jig head for an offset hook and weighted nose cone. This is called Weedless, or Texas style. Attach the nose cone free running on the leader so that it can fall to the bottom, allowing the lure to follow naturally under its own weight. As long as you keep in contact with the lure, you’ll feel even the shyest of plucks. When looking to work your crays and creature baits, although it’s always worth casting to the far bank and covering as much water as possible, it’s important to remember to also fish just off the rod-tip when arriving at a new swim. This is because crayfish, on the whole, prefer low light levels and so are most active during dusk, night, and dawn. By fishing close in, where the crayfish can hide away in bankside burrows, you are presenting the predatory fish with a more natural-looking meal. Never disregard open water either, where your lure will also look like an easy meal for perch, pike or zander! Once you’ve cast out, allow the lure to hit the lake or river bed before making one or two swift jerks on the rod tip. This makes the lure leap off the bottom erratically, before it drops down again. It may sound odd, but if you watch a crayfish swimming, that is exactly how it does it. Although the fish I had on the day we shot this feature wouldn’t threaten the perch record, I had plenty of bites and some great fun into the bargain.

Above: Crayfish lures work well ‘out of the packet’ but a smear of flavour can give you an edge Successful lure fishing involves traveling light and covering a lot of water

Perch don’t know – or care – what type of crayfish it is. They just eat them!

Left: Creatures and crays come in a range of shapes, sizes and colours, and all work well on their day Right: There’s more than one way to hook a crayfish lure!