| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| Mat S |
Crayfish - success!Saturday night.Place - http://multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?lat=52.363&lon=-1.5021&scale=25000&icon=x River Sowe, Baginton, near Coventry Airport - upstream from the sewage works. Kit - 2 crab lines, bait & weight lowered into the water from the end of my 10 foot-ish pole and rod to clear the weeds etc. Butterfly net to aid landing. Bait - luncheon meat initially. Bacon works better because it doesn't fall apart as easily under the weight of a greedy crustacean. Time of day - I arrived about 1730. Was about ready to go home in a huff as it got dark around 1930 when - very exciting - there was some resistance and flapping around on the end of the line. Got a net under it as it came out of the water and there was cray number one. Waving claws at me indignantly, showing red underneath - a signal cray. Bingo! Got 6 in total (including one tiddler and 3 really big'uns), boiled up and eaten with garlic bread. Yummy. Can't wait to get more. I know that technically I probably broke the law (live transportation?). However, I removed creatures of an invasive species, no water from that river was dropped down a drain (little went on the garden) and the post boiling remains were bagged up and binned so I don't think I've spread disease or eggs. I'm not sure if they only feed when it's dark (couldn't see the bottom but it was black mud) or if it took 2 hours for the smell of my bait to get to the critters. Ideas for spotting areas where there are loads of crays appreciated.. |
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| nettie |
Wow what beauties! Nice one Matt. And thank goodness they were upstream from the sewage works. Don't think I've got the stomach to drop them in boiling water though, I'll leave that to someone else! | ||||
| ziggy searchfield |
wow ! result or what.
not seen em that big since we drained the tillingbourne. nice one 
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| dougal |
Splendid specimen!
Mat, did you "hold" them for a couple of days in clean water? |
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| Jonnyboy |
Nice one Mat. excellent foraging | ||||
| cab |
Brilliant, Mat. They look very tasty 
How do you pick a likely bit of river? |
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| Res |
I used to catch them by hand in the river stort when I was a teenager. They used to love it in the overflow offshot, nice fast running water and only ankle deep.
Never cooked one though, just chucked them back 
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| Mat S |
In order then -
Nettie - I did feel a bit guilty dropping them in the pan but it soon passed. Made sure it was a rolling boil, mind. Dougal - No, took them home and cooked them. Cab - used the nbn gateway thing, I have a feeling it was you who put me on to it. Looked for a largeish river (don't fancy my chances in the stangnant ditches sometimes marked on the OS), somewhere quiet and with a footpath running alongside. Checked for obvious industrial estates, sewage works etc. Still looking for somewhere with a greater population of crays. Res - is the Stort near Bishops Stortford or elsewhere? MIght need to start looking for weirs... Everybody else - thanks for your kind comments... Mat |
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| Mr O |
Mat S
You are in my neck of the woods there! the blue line out of your circle to the right goes right through my holding! I will keep an eye out for you!
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| Res |
Yes mate. The stort goes through B/Stortford, then Harlow. |
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| Mat S |
Were they your horses that followed me across the field then? Scared the life out of me when one appeared out of the darkness! |
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| Mat S |
I kinda guessed. |
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| Mr O |
No not mine! There is one field between me and the river, It would have been GOS sows if you were on my land, much friendlier than horses and tastier too! |
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| Jeff |
You'll be pleased to know that you can avoid having to do this! Do what chefs do with Lobster, put then in the freezer in a tub, scientists say this is the most humain way to treat them because they unknowingly shut down... Once you're sure they've passed then drop them into the rolling water as you would normally... |
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| ziggy searchfield |
arr, i do that with the prawns i catch | ||||
| 2steps |
my brother caught a crayfish once while we were fishing. Scared the life out of him  well, he was only about 5 at the time.
what do they taste like? and do you only eat certain parts? |
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| sean |
Like chicken Not really, more sort of prawny. You eat the meat from the tails.
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| Treacodactyl |
Is there much meat in the claws? | ||||
| sean |
Not a huge lot in my limited experience. If we have crayfish or the like I usually save the shells, claws etc. for making a bisque anyway. | ||||
| 2steps |
thank you
I like prawns
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| ziggy searchfield |
went prawn fishing last nite, bad result
. only shrimps for first hour, then, as darkness came, so did the prawns, but they were only tiny so none to take home. caught 5 pollack by accident. something was nibbling off the worm on the pier rig but coudnt catch it. but other wise a good evening |
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| Mat S |
Enough for me to bother cracking them open. Just like crabs / lobsters inside, same structures and meat. I do so enjoy dissecting and eating crustaceans. |
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| mandycharlie |
hi Mat,
Your not far from me, I've always fancied cray fishing.. I've been watching various little snippets on the tele for a while and one expert recommended, puncturing a tin of cat food in several places for the bait, apparently the cray fish love it, (very smelly) and it stays around in the water for ages before all the catfood is washed out the tin. |
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| dougal |
Nice idea! Important, I'd guess to choose an old-fashioned firmish corned-beef-style one rather than a modern sloppy "chunks in gravy"... |
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| Mat S |
Where are you? You considered coming on the East Mids meet?
Another method to try. Ta. |
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| mandycharlie |
Hi Mat,
I doubt I'll be able to make it, as weekends tend to be a tad busy at the mo. Thanks for asking though
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