Hooking Crawfish for Bait

What is your preferred way to rig crawfish for bait on trotlines/jugs? Do you put a hook down their tail and leave the body hanging, or do you only put half of a crawfish, or do you use a whole small crawfish, or what?


I have been using large crawfish.

When using them on a rod and reel, I like to hook them behind their "horn" with a kahle hook, it lets them swim and walk, etc.

On trotlines, I tried that, and my bait was being robbed, but I was using large, eating size crawfish.
So this morning I set about 20 hooks out on 2 short trotlines, I slipped a hook down their tail as far as I could go, popping the hook through the body to expose the hook, and then I pinched off the rest of the body. That made a fully baited hook that didn't have much hanging off to be grabbed, and it left all of the fats and juices to be released into the current. I can't wait to see if the ole tail/pinched body juice trick worked.

How do y'all rig your crawfish, or are crawfish something most of you don't use for bait?

I typically only use them for fresh water redfish, they seem to like them a lot.

I find the big arse ones are usually not the best, smaller ones seem to get more action. I hook them hole from the underside of the tail out the top on a Carolina rig. Definitely not a go to catfish bait in my experience though.

Only time I ever used one was when I scavenged a tail from a puddle where a bunch of stranded crawfish were massacred by birds or some other animal. I hooked the tail through the bottom with a circle hook on a santee cooper rig. It caught a decent channel, so i'm 1 for 1 with it, I guess.

They're great bait, especially on a rod n reel, and they're really really easy for me to get, which is probably one of the biggest reasons I like em too.

Hook em behind their horn and let them get themselves eaten...they'll pull slack walking around, you can bounce em off the bottom and they'll swim or slowly fall, and everything eats them.



I'm just fairly new to trotlines in general, so I'm learning...., I've logged many'a hours with a rod n reel though.

I like to put 2-3 lbs in a sack and smash em....works great for trailing scent

Belly up, tail towards thumb & index finger, insert hook thru tail hole bring point out before body. This is the way I hook them for trotlines or jugs.

Well, it was a disappointing check this evening. I didn't have a single fish, the bait didn't even look like it was touched. The water went from low yesterday to over its banks today. It probably came up about 12 feet.

My lines were in the main channel at low level, I baited them when the water was coming up to flood stage.


Should I have set my lines right against the bank??

Typically fishing rising water fishing the bank is best.

That's what I figured....the bad thing is that my lines were set up for normal levels, I've been fishing them for a week or so. I knew the water was rising, I baited them as is. I now know I should have set new lines on the shelves where they're feeding, but I didn't. Now I know. I knew where the water would be soon, but it wasn't there at the time. I didn't want to leave a baited line out of the water.

Next time I guess I'll let the water rise then set new lines. It's all learning experiences for me. Looking forward to getting it down pat!

I started using smaller, softer crawfish, and I pinch the head to let the juices get out. It kills the crawfish, but if they're threaded on a hook, rather than hooked behind the horn, they die anyway. Last night I caught 7 nice channel cats on a total of 14 hooks, baited twice.

I really think that the crushing the head so the juices can flow helps it out, because crawfish are pretty solid.

Just passing on the information....