What color are crawdads in early spring on your home lake?

In this area most of them seem to be some combination of dark red, brown and perhaps a hint of orange at times.

If you're interested, here's a bit more crayfish 'info'

 that I found fairly helpful.

https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/211811-brown-bass-tools-~-questions-answers/?do=findComment&comment=2389892

 

A-Jay

They must be black with blue flakes. ? Because that's what catches more bass for me than any other color.  

I used to trap minnows in a creek the routinely floods and runs into my local lake. It was not uncommon to catch crawfish in the trap so I studied them. Most of the craws I've caught have been a combo of brown and green pumpkin with blueish highlights especially on the claws.

11 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

They must be black with blue flakes. ? Because that's what catches more bass for me than any other color.  

Ditto- all year round

Red of course ?

 

 

3 minutes ago, Catt said:

Red of course ?

 

 

That's one to munch!

25 minutes ago, Catt said:

Red of course ?

 

 

Thanks! Have to tell the wife that we're headed to Louisiana tonight. 18hr drive, but that looks soooooo worth it.

1 minute ago, Sir Shamsalot said:

Thanks! Have to tell the wife that we're headed to Louisiana tonight. 18hr drive, but that looks soooooo worth it.

They're high right now...very high!

 

As for jigs, black-n-blue, black neon, Okeechobee Craw, & something to match Falcon Lake Craw.

1 hour ago, DitchPanda said:

I used to trap minnows in a creek the routinely floods and runs into my local lake. It was not uncommon to catch crawfish in the trap so I studied them. Most of the craws I've caught have been a combo of brown and green pumpkin with blueish highlights especially on the claws.

We must have the same craws here in mid Mo.

My favorite jig color, not just pre spawn is Bama craw color. This one caught two days ago slowly drag across the bottom. 

My waters have a lot of these guys:

https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.aspx?SpeciesID=2249

 

They range from a very light brown to a dark brown, sometimes with a slight greenish or reddish tint, depending on time and place. 

 

Michigan folks should check out the DNR's Field Guide to Michigan Crayfish:

https://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/mi-crayfish-id-guide-8-2020_699856_7.pdf

 

1 minute ago, MIbassyaker said:

My waters have a lot of these guys:

https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.aspx?SpeciesID=2249

 

They range from a very light brown to a dark brown, sometimes with a slight greenish or reddish tint, depending on time and place. 

 

Michigan folks should check out the DNR's Field Guide to Michigan Crayfish:

https://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/mi-crayfish-id-guide-8-2020_699856_7.pdf

 

That is awesome 

Thank you.

A-Jay 

The crawfish around here are kind of a burnt umber.  But the water is rust colored (literally, there's a ton of iron oxide in our water).  So black and blue are the colors that catch bass, year round.  

One year right after the ice thawed , I spotted a bunch of purple crawdads where water was flowing through a culvert .

California has 1 native species the Signal Crayfish, it’s charcoal black with a white dot on the claws. 

However several species have been imported predominately the Southern Swamp crayfish, it’s coloration varies as it molts and soil, rocks, aquatic vegetation etc. The crawdad shell isn’t a solid color it’s a dot matrix of variety colors that changes depending where it lives. Where I fish at Lake Casitas the crawdads have a tan undershell, outer shell is anywhere from dark reddish brown to brownish green. Lake Castiac  the crawdads lighter coloration more cinnamon with blueish tones...same species of crayfish adapting to the ecosystem.

My most successful jig color is Anytime Anywhere; black/purple/reddish brown using trailers ranging from black, brown, purple, blue and green. I just change trailers until the bass decide what the want to eat.

Tom

6 hours ago, A-Jay said:

In this area most of them seem to be some combination of dark red, brown and perhaps a hint of orange at times.

If you're interested, here's a bit more crayfish 'info'

 that I found fairly helpful.

https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/211811-brown-bass-tools-~-questions-answers/?do=findComment&comment=2389892

 

A-Jay

That is a great article. Thank you

1 hour ago, WRB said:

California has 1 native species the Signal Crayfish, it’s charcoal black with a white dot on the claws. 

However several species have been imported predominately the Southern Swamp crayfish, it’s coloration varies as it molts and soil, rocks, aquatic vegetation etc. The crawdad shell isn’t a solid color it’s a dot matrix of variety colors that changes depending where it lives. Where I fish at Lake Casitas the crawdads have a tan undershell, outer shell is anywhere from dark reddish brown to brownish green. Lake Castiac  the crawdads lighter coloration more cinnamon with blueish tones...same species of crayfish adapting to the ecosystem.

My most successful jig color is Anytime Anywhere; black/purple/reddish brown using trailers ranging from black, brown, purple, blue and green. I just change trailers until the bass decide what the want to eat.

Tom

Wow ! You know your crawfish. 

Blk/blue is my favourite.

5 hours ago, MIbassyaker said:

My waters have a lot of these guys:

https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.aspx?SpeciesID=2249

 

They range from a very light brown to a dark brown, sometimes with a slight greenish or reddish tint, depending on time and place. 

 

Michigan folks should check out the DNR's Field Guide to Michigan Crayfish:

https://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/mi-crayfish-id-guide-8-2020_699856_7.pdf

 

I have GOT to figure out how to navigate the USGS website. Tonight I’m going to give it whirl. Thanks for the lead 

Black& Blue and PB&J are the colors I use the most. I rarely use any other color.

I can’t find anything on USGS about Texas crayfish except that raccoons love to eat them. Bummer

Black and blue is super popular! This makes me think perhaps I should throw it more. 

Crayfish on the Columbia above Portland Ore.  are very dark brown with the ends of the claws a bright blue.  Crayfish on the lower River and sloughs are more of an avocado peel color in the early spring.  As the water warms they transition to rusty browns with orange-red sides.  So dark jigs or hula grubs with blue tips or accents early and mud craw or brown/purple or brown/orange later.  

This is slightly off topic, but this thread seems to have loads of crawfish knowledge.  I mostly fish a spring fed natural lake in Michiana.  I've been on this water for 13 years, fishing, swimming, boating etc.  The water is 12'+ visibility naturally, and about 5-6' when the weeds and boat traffic have reached their maximum.  Everything I've read and heard is that crawfish have to be in this water, yet I've never seen one.  My question is, can a huge and healthy turtle population out compete crawfish making their population low?  

 

scott

Same here. I’ve never seen one on the lake I fish. Never caught a bass with pincers hanging out , either .