A beginner’s guide to crawfishing.

A beginner’s guide to crawfishing.

Crawfishing at South Farm

How to crawfish with nets.

After making a few trips to South farm I decided to put together a little "How-To Crawfish with Nets" information. My friends always ask, how do you catch crawfish, what do you use for bait, where do you get the nets? If it is so easy how come more people don’t do it? Because it's hard work. It can be a great family fishing trip, kids love crawfishing and they will have memories that last a lifetime. You can use set nets in flooded timber or swampy bayous along the roads and spillways.

First, let’s talk about where to go. I have been going to a section of Sherburne WMA called South Farm. Just off I-10 at the Ramah exit. For directions, you can see my other post South Farm Crawfishing here

I don’t have a four-wheeler, so I have to walk with my garden wagon. I have seen people walking, riding lawnmowers with a cart attached, even saw a man with a wheel barrel walk out there.

The set up

I purchased my first set of nets a couple years ago from Superior Bait and Tackle. These are 19” high set nets and they work great until the water gets deep. This year with all the flooding and high water we had, I purchased a dozen 28 “nets from Alario Bros from Westwego LA.

The Bait

Almost everyone I talk to uses beef melt, which is a cow’s spleen, for their nets. Beef melt seems to be the best bait for nets, but they will eat it fast, so if you're using crawfish traps trying using fish for bait. Before you go to Walmart to buy bait, let me stop you right there. I have not seen it at any Walmart around the Baton Rouge area, so find a local butcher or make a trip to Oak Point Fresh Market or Scallans meat market on Airline Hwy. I have purchased from both places, so I know they sell beef melt.

Beef Melt in the net.

To attach the beef melt to the nets I use shower curtain hooks. After I cut all the bait into 3-4” inch square pieces, I pass the hook through the beef once or twice and then attach it to the middle of the net. You can purchase these from Walmart for around $2 or less per dozen.

Net placement

Once I set up the nets, I use my telescopic push pole to set the nets out in the water.  I am reaching out 6-10 feet or more with the pole. I will place the nets 10 feet or more from each other. Near grass seems to work best. After putting the nets out for the first time I may take a break for about 10 minutes and then pick the first one up.

Picking up the nets

Once we start picking up the nets, that is when the real work starts. Lifting the nets up with the pole and dumping the crawfish into a fish basket or galvanized tub. I keep the basket in the garden wagon I purchased from Academy and pull it to the next net, pick that one up, dump the crawfish into the basket and go to the next one. Once I pick up all the nets and walk back to where I started, it is about time to pick them up again. On a good day, after the 10 minutes or so it takes to pick up a dozen nets, the first net should have crawfish in it. If you wait too long, they will eat all your bait.  I have used anywhere from 12 -24 nets.  Once with a friend, we put out about 2 dozen nets each. If you think of a pond as a square, we put out nets on the left side and on the top close to the left corner, we walked back and forth picking up the nets, I think we made about 6-7 trips and we each had a sack of crawfish.

If one nets slows down, it may be time for fresh bait or move the net to a new spot. After I have caught enough for a boil it is time to pack up. Take the time to remove the beef melt from each net and store them by collapsing the nets and folding the twine part of the net around itself.

Now it’s time to have a drink and head home for a crawfish boil. If you're too tired to boil the crawfish that same day you can keep them over night. I put a sack of crawfish in the refrigerator and kept them alive for a few days. Note: this was an outdoor refrigerator that we use for drinks only and yes, I had to clean it out afterwards to get the smell out.

Crawfish boiling time! 

I am not going to talk about how to boil crawfish or how to peel them. I will say that most of the crawfish we get out of South farm is in the medium size range and lots of small ones. I don’t have a way to sort them while fishing if you do please share your methods with me. Most people I see out there just dump them in a bucket or something and take them all home. I will pick out the small ones while fishing but this is not easy when they are trying to pinch you.

Youth Duck Hunting in Big Branch

Big Branch Marsh Youth Duck Hunt

Youth Duck hunt.

Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge located in Lacombe Louisiana 18,000 acres of habitat along the northshore of Lake Ponchartrain. All hunters must possess a Refuge permit. Waterfowl hunting is only allowed on Wednesday, Thursday. Saturday and Sunday of the state season. Please see the rules and regulations on their website. Big Branch Marsh.


Me and Chris launched the boat for the first day of youth duck season once again an almost empty parking lot. We launched the boat on Lake road and went out the mouth of Bayou Lacombe into Lake Ponchartrain. Headed north around Goose Point and back into the marsh through one of the small cuts inland. We could only go so far in the outboard the rest of the trip will have to be made through the shallow water in the canoe. After paddling a few minutes in the dark through  the ponds of never ending islands of grass we set up at the corner of a small island and a larger pond.  I set up a small spread of decoys in the larger pond to our left and a few decoys in the opening in front of us.  We pushed down our marsh seats into the thick  grass and set up a temporary blind using camo painted PVC pipes and  leaf blind material.

It wouldn't be long before legal shooting time just enough time to enjoy a cup of coffee and take in the view. Its a pretty site watching the red glow of the sun raising up from the swamp. Before sunrise we could hear the sounds of ducks feathers ruffling in the wind as wood ducks flow over head, we could start to see ducks flying over the ponds I had a good feeling this was going to be a great day.

A few wood ducks were flying right at us I told Chris to get ready here they come they are right in front of us shoot. And shoot he did but no ducks fell. Reload more are coming from our left. Bam! Bam! Once again a miss. I gave Chris a few tips on how to lead them and told him not to shot the high ones, don't worry I said you will get another chance. Another flock was approaching from the lake, I starting blowing the duck call and they circled around us. Let them come in looks like the want to land. When they lowered their feet to land I yelled shoot. Bam! Bam! I watched the entire flock fly away. After a few more misses he was finally able to get that first wood duck. And then another.

The ducks were working and I was able to call in a few flocks of scaups or dos gris as we call them in Louisiana. We would let them circle a few times a beautiful site to watch as large numbers of birds  made their way closer and closer. Little Chris was able to shoot a couple but I soon realized the box and a half or shells I brought was not going to be enough. There was plenty of ducks flying one of the best days I have seen out there. Large numbers of diver ducks where rafting on the open ponds we could see hundreds of dos gris circling the open water. Only one other boat came by that morning with a couple of kids and we could here them shooting in the distance. Chris was able to take a nice bufflehead a small duck with a large white head. And with only a couple of shells left he needed one more duck to make a limit. I nice red head duck flew in range on his second and final shell it fell in front of us.

What a day they ducks were still flying around us as we packed up. Large flocks of divers where coming down and landing in front of us as we picked up our decoys.  Ducks where flying up as we made our way back through the winding twist and turns of the marsh. I talked to one other hunter at the boat landing that brought his nephew. He was around 11 years old and had a nice mottled duck he was proud to show off to me.

Youth Duck Hunting at Joyce WMA

Youth Duck Hunting at Joyce WMA

Bayli doesn't like taking photos.

I have made some great memories duck hunting. I remember some of my first hunts in the early 90's in crawfish ponds and out in the Atchafalaya basin. I remember shooting my first wood duck that I got mounted my first green head, encounters with gators, falling out the canoe. Looking back on those days brings a smile to my face but seeing my kids hunt now brings joy to my life. They are part of the reason I stopped hunting I had to raise three kids alone so that didn't leave any time to hunt or fish. Now that I am married to a great Cajun woman and my kids are older it's time to make them some memories of their own and pass on a tradition.

Youth only duck hunts is something I look forward to each year. The season is early ducks haven’t been pressured, the marsh and flooded timber is mostly empty. We don’t often even see other hunters on public land and it’s a great time maybe the best days for kids to hunt. The first year me and Bayli my youngest daughter went for her first youth duck hunt was also the first time we hunted in Joyce WMA. I had only explored the area a few times. We made it out to the parking area before sunrise and we were the only vehicle in the parking lot. We crossed some of the floating marsh walking carefully and dragging the canoe along with us. After getting to open water we paddled around until we found a spot to set up. We set up some wood duck and teal decoys and hid in the marsh grass waiting for the sun to raise.

Now at 13 Bayli was not an experienced outdoors woman, she never hunted ducks before and only fired the shotgun a few times. The night before I asked her if she wanted the 20-gauge youth model or the 12 gauge over under. She chose the 12 gauge. The first ducks that passed by was a group of black belly whistling ducks I got low and told her to shoot, Bayli followed them with the barrel of the gun but decided not to shoot because they crossed over my side. Ducks seemed to be flying over and around us but not landing or coming in range, so I decided to pick up and move to a new spot closer to the tree line.

I have watched my kids play sports all their lives I watched Bayli play soccer and win game after game score hundreds of goals. I watched her run track and cross country, she has won first place overall in 5k’s, won parish cross-country championship, set middle school long, triple and high jump records. But when that blue wing teal came flying around the rouseau cane and she fired off a round and it dropped to the water nothing made me prouder. There’s no participation trophies in the swamp you must earn it.

And so, it begun Bayli was able to take a few blue wing teal that day and I let her shoot some pouldeau. She must have shot a case of shells and never admitted to having a sore shoulder.

I have spoken with a game warden about the lack of hunters on youth days and he thinks it is  because the adults don’t get to shoot. I am fine with that I can wait until opening day of big duck to get my turn. Let the youth have their fun and turn it in to a teaching moment it’s something they will remember for the rest of their lives.

Jigging for Goggle eye.

Getting Jiggy with it

I am not a professional fisherman I am just normal southern boy who was raised by a single mother. I learned to fish by fishing with friends and going out there on my own.

I recently received a 12 foot jig pole as my 5 year award from Turner Industries. It is a B’n’M Sam Heaton Super Sensitive Crappie pole. When I picked this pole out I figured 12’ is a very long pole. After a few trips using it I don’t think 12’ is long enough I may get a 16’ or 20’ pole. I often find myself bending over trying to reach just a little further.  I came home one day with a sore back I had the boat anchored just a little bit out of my 12’ reach and I was bending over trying to get closer to where the sac-a-lait where hitting the surface chasing them minnows next to a cypress tree.

I have been jigging for goggle-eye or warmouths as some people like to call them.  I made a few trips out to Blind River and I have been learning where the goggle-eyes are and what color jigs they like. One thing I will say about this river is water depth matters a lot. We have done much better when the water was higher. When we have to duck down to get under the railroad tracks and water is flowing out the small cuts in the woods it makes for a better day fishing.

When the water is higher there is more cover I can fish, more cypress stumps and knees available. Some of the knees are setting in mud when the water drops . I am looking for a stump or cypress tree that is out in the water away from the bank. I troll up in my small boat and drop a jig right next to the tree. With a 12’ pole and 4-5’ of line hanging down I can drop a jig right down next to the tree without casting. I start about a foot down and if they don’t bite immediately I give it a little wiggle just a gently shake of the rod tip will have that jig dancing. Normal water depth I have been catching them in is 2’ or less.  I may drop it down to the bottom and pick it up a few inches and wham! Goggle-eye normally bite hard, all I do to set the hook is pull back the rod a little. I don’t real them in I just pick the rod tip up and that pulls them closer to the boat. Lift them up and take them hook the off. We normally catch a few from each tree or stump. One tip is that if you bump the tree or get snagged up they will return pretty quick.

My wife always says I catch more fish than her and we use the same jigs. She is casting hers out under a cork. If nothing bites she has to reel it in and cast again. Meanwhile I am just lifting my rod tip up and dropping it down around the next cypress knee or slowly swimming it around the tree. I am covering way more ground jigging then she is casting. Not to mention I can lower the rod and now I am fishing deeper.

Here is my set up B’n’M Sam Heaton Super Sensitive Crappie pole, Mr Crappie spincast reel which I will never buy again. Pink and white 2” fat grub on a 1/32 oz jig head. Will switch colors and bodies around until I find what they are biting on the best. Black and chartreuse crappie magnet split tale, and blue and white tube has been there favorite lately. Crickets and worms will also work.

Ice chest tip.

I will add a bag of ice and then fill it up about half way with water. This ice slurry mix will keep the fish colder and straight. So when I get home to clean them they are not all curled up when we scale them. This also gets all sides of the fish cold.

Blind River Goggle-eye fishing trips

I made a couple solo trips to Blind River and brought the wife a couple of times to fish for bream and goggle-eye or warmouth like some people call them. We found out about this location from a kayaking article I read. It described a scenic cypress swamp with little boat traffic.  Our first trip out there was a photo session and we just took in the scenery.  

We launched our canoe from Hwy 61 across from the St James Boat Club. There is a small gravel parking area with a shell launch.  After paddling north and west a few hundred yards we crossed under the railroad.  We had to lay down in the canoe to go under the bridge. This is the reason for little to no boat traffic. After enjoying an afternoon paddle and taking photos of owls, ducks and other birds, a few small gators we decided to come back the next day to fish.

Launching from the same location we hit a few spots here and there looking to catch some sac-a-lait. What we started catching was goggle-eye. When then each tied on a blue and white tube jig under cork about 12-18 inches.  We found them near cypress knees in 2-3 foot of water. We managed to catch a few bream and a small bass along with some goggle-eye.

Over the next few trips this time with crickets and worms we targeted bream and goggle-eye. What we found was the goggle-eye like to be near stumps and knees. We fished a few locations where water was coming out of the flooded woods, with not much current. We would catch them right next to a cypress tree or knee always in about 2 feet of water. I also noticed that the best spots where right next to a drop off into deeper water.  In these spots we would catch both bream in the flats and goggle-eye next to the stumps. We would often see bait fish fleeing the surface being chased by fish below.

Goggle-eye would hit our bait quick and suck down the bait in one aggressive gulp. The thicker bream like fish don’t fight as well as big bream do. They seem to attack the bait and just allow us to pull them in. I will have to make another trip in the boat with my 12’ jig pole and see if I can get in the stumps and knees easier without casting.

We had several successful trips out there catching fish in what seems like feeding frenzy. We fished one day right after a rain and ran out of crickets and worms. A cold front was moving in and the fish where baiting everything we throw at them even the bobbers. I even caught two fish with one hook. The second fish both goggle-eye was wrapped up in the line.  All thought not the largest fish is quite enjoyable to see those bobbers going down and pulling in fish after fish.

South Farm Crawfishing

South Farm Crawfish trip

South Farm is located on the east side of Sherburne WMA.  Sherburne is located just north of I-10 between Whiskey Bay and Ramah. It is part of the Morganza Floodway system of the Atchafalaya Basin. Over 43,000 acers of bottomland hardwoods, dense ground cover and bayous.   From Baton Rouge travel west on I-10 and take exit 135 Ramah. Turn right on Ramah rd and take the first left near L&L Bait shop, then take the first right and another right on the levee. Follow the levee north be on the look out for cows crossing or sleeping on the road. You will see a sign for South Farm you will have to go up the levee and down to the other side to park.

To access the ponds, you will have to walk or ride a four-wheeler. A gravel road will lead you to the ponds take note that some of the roads do not allow four wheelers or ATV’s.

My first trip to South Farm I was by myself. I arrived just after sunrise on a foggy March morning. After checking in at the self-clearing permit station. I started my long walk pulling my garden wagon with all my supplies down the gravel road. After arriving to the first set of ponds I could tell the water was low. The water on the edge of the ponds was shallow and clear. Crawfish don’t like clear water maybe because birds that prey on them can see them. It was foggy and I couldn’t see but maybe 50 yards. It’s a great area that I now love to revisit to see the birds and wildlife. Wild swamp hibiscus grow in abundance along the roadside. You can see garfish swimming in the ditches and sometime a small gator or two.   

Most of the crawfish we caught where small to medium. 

I set up a few of my set nets. A triangle set of 4 wires that spread out like a pyramid, a mesh net on the bottom holds them together. I tied a small strip of reflective marker to the top of each one and tied on a piece of beef melt to the center of each net. I later learned from a couple I meet out there that they used cheap metal shower curtain hooks to hold the beef on the net. After placing them in the shallow water with my push pole I waited about 10 minutes before checking them. I had great dreams of coming home with a sack or two of big red crawfish and inviting my friends over for a crawfish boil. But when I picked up the nets they were empty.  Some other people had rode by me in the morning with four wheelers and nets.  I followed the direction they went in and tried some other ponds. These are old rice and crawfish ponds now managed by the department of wild life and fishers. Some are clear with open water and pockets of grass. Some have flooded timber and have become overgrown.

My son picking up the nets,

These ponds also looked low but had some spots with knee deep water. I placed a few nets in these ponds and decided to walk through the fog out towards the middle of the pond. After walking off the road into the pond the water seemed to get shallower the grass began to get thicker through the fog I could  see open water and ducks. There were had about 20 teal swimming in the water without a care. Seems like they know when duck season is over.  Once they flew off I moved towards where they were swimming. That water was to shallow for crawfish nets. After returning to my nets I picked them up and then had a few medium sized crawfish each. I put them back in and walked to another pond. This one had knee deep water and grassy areas that crawfish seemed to like. I set out a few nets and returned to my first few. I walked back and forth until a found a pond that was catching the best.

I set about a dozen nets out in the pond some about 15 feet or more apart and as far as I could reach out with my pole. As the sun started to come out and the temperature started to warm up the nets started filling up. With each net I picked up sometimes they had only a few sometimes a dozen or more. All this hard work and walking back and forth made me thirsty. I looked in by bag for a bottle of water and could not find any. This is not good I was hot and sweating and getting thirsty. I was maybe a mile or more from my truck.  I meet an older couple from Central Louisiana out there, they  also flooded in the great flood of 2016. They were kind enough to offer me a bottle of water.

I walked up the side of the pond picking up the nets and dumping the crawfish in a basket.  After my basket started get about half full around 25 pound I started thinking to myself. It’s a long walk back pulling this wagon and I am out of water. I better head back. I didn’t want to dehydrate. I wanted to stay longer I was still catching crawfish but my lips started getting chapped and thirst kicked in.  On the walk back pulling the crawfish and all the nets, I had even brought some crab nets rigged for deep water just in case I need them, my folding chair, hip waders which I never used. I was really getting hot and tired from not drinking. I looked in the wagon for an extra shirt I had brought what did I see? Two bottles or water! All this time I was so thirsty and I had water the whole time.

One my next few trips out to South Farm I learned what to bring and what not to bring. If your walking in bring minimum supplies but please bring water. I rarely stopped moving so a chair is pointless. I bring my retractable push pole, 1-2 dozen nets, plastic fish basket, beef melt, water and a couple snacks.  I also bring scissors and a machete, I like to walk out there in my tennis shoes and will sometime bring a pair of boots to crawfish in. 

Wild Azalea 27 Mile Trail Run

Wild Azalea Trail Challenge

So to start the year I decided to get back in to trail running. What better way to start than to take on the longest continuous trail in the entire state of Louisiana? After a long break from running I put down my ice-cream bowl and decided to start training again. Four months later and with only a few long runs under my belt (15-18 miles) I was ready. LOL! The mind always thinks my legs are still in my 20’s and I can still run ultras like I never stopped.

                Doing some rough calculations I believed I could run around a 9:30 mile for all 27 miles. Just take it slow and finish, as long as I accomplish my goal pace I will be happy. Then Race Day comes and were off. The first part of the race is an almost 2 mile road run before we enter the trail. A friend of mine Jason rode up with me and we ran together. I started counting head in front of us 3 runners took off really fast and a few more ahead of us. Once we hit the trail I started my lap time. Seemed like we were going faster than planned. Hit the first few miles around 8 min miles. I told my friend I can’t keep up the pace for much longer and his response was “its time in the bank”. After about 4 miles I felt my left calf cramp up. I pushed on with 2 people on my tail I wasn’t going to stop. We crushed the down hills and started gaining on runners ahead of us. Wild Azalea may be in Louisiana but it has some hills. Jason took the lead of our pack and went out ahead of the rest of us.

 There was plenty of mud at the bottom of the hills and after the mountain bikes passed through them it was nothing but sloppy mud for us. The two runners in front of me would slow down to avoid the mud so I decided to plow right through the middle of the puddles. What’s a little mud hell this is trail running right? I soon passed them on the up hills and muddy sections. I could still see Jason not far ahead and soon another runner in front of him. Within minutes he passed and then I passed him. My calculations now had Jason in 3^rd place. 

We meet up close to the 14 mile mark and made our way to the aid station. I went past the aid station to meet my wife to refill my Mott’s Applesauce packs no more GU for me. Once I started up Jason was not in sight then I spotted him off in the distance on the wrong trail! Not again! We yelled and yelled but he never stopped running the wrong way. He would eventually turn around.

The second half of the trail seems a little easier it’s higher so less mud. My run seemed to be going well I fell into a good 9 min or so pace.  What a great trail they have wide open space you can see down and up the small valleys, clear water in the creaks, large pine tree forest with not much under brush. A few times during the race I had to jump over horse poo. They do have wild horses out there but I haven’t been lucky enough to see them.

Somewhere after 20 or so miles I started slowing down and had to take walk breaks. My time dropped to 11 + min per mile. I just couldn’t keep going. I would look back every now and then and sure enough I spotted another runner a couple min behind me.  My lack of training was starting to catch up with me. Eventually he caught up to me and I let him pass. I this point I would be in 4th place. Not that I planned on winning or even getting in the top 3 I am happy with an age group award if any. The last few miles where brutal on me. My legs were tired the pain starts to build up, stamina is drained, stomach cramps started to flare up but I had to keep drinking and push on.

 I would try to calculate my finish time and it keeps getting higher and higher. That’s when I started trying to motivate myself and tell myself “hey you are doing what you love to do. You are out here making it happen while other people are sitting on the sofa iPhone in hand looking up Facebook they will be reading about what you are doing. “

No other runners behind me came up so I figured they must have slowed down too.  I was getting closer to the end and spotted the tall fire tower in the distance and to my surprise a runner. He was bent over stretching. I asked if he was OK he had fallen early he said and twisted his ankle. Same thing happened to me my first race out there. 

I continued on and soon came over a hill and spotted the Lake Valentine. I was overwhelmed with emotion. Happy for it to be over and thrilled to finish under my planned time.  With the finish line in sight the runner with the sprained ankle was right behind me. There was no way I was going to be past at the end of the race. I pushed the pace hard down the hills and turned to go around the last cove. My arms started to tingle and had to run with them hanging by my side. Finished the race in 4:19 and got third place. A little lucky on my part since two of the much faster younger runners fell and I was able to pass them. But that’s racing for you.