Tiger trout (Salmo trutta), rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), and bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) all like to eat crayfish. Smaller trout, such as brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) can also consume smaller-sized crayfish.
Crayfish go by many names, depending upon where in the U. S. you call home. Names include crawdad, crawfish, crawdaddies, rock lobsters, baybugs, mudbugs, mountain lobsters, and craydids.
I’ll tell you everything you need to know about trout and how they relate to crayfish below, with pictures and fishing tips.
I took the picture below when I saw one of several big red crayfish in a river where I was fishing not long ago. To provide scale, my size 11 wading boot is also in the shot.
Yes, trout relish eating crayfish as often as they can be found and overpowered. Trout hunt these nutritious crustaceans in the rocks and weeds of lakes and rivers across the country. Their exoskeleton is packed with calcium.
A single crayfish is a calorie-packed meal for any trout, with an average-sized adult containing approximately 77 calories. Thus, crayfish are a great source of calories for any fish that is lucky enough to catch and eat one.
The young trout have to eat the young crayfish, but the big trout have the jaws and sharp teeth to kill, crush, and eat the hard-shelled adults.
Crayfish can reach adult size within 4-5 years, and can live for as long as 30 years.
As an avid angler and fishing enthusiast, I’m always fascinated by the connections between different fish species and their prey. One prey that often pops up on the menu for predatory fish is the humble crawfish.
So what fish routinely feast on these small crustaceans? I decided to do some research to find out exactly what fish eat crawfish and why they make such a tempting meal.
An Overview of Crawfish as Prey
Crawfish, also known as crayfish or crawdads, are freshwater crustaceans that live in lakes, ponds, rivers and streams across North America They typically grow to 2-6 inches long and live at the bottom, hiding among rocks and vegetation
With their small size, hard outer shell and tendency to stay hidden, crawfish can seem like unlikely prey. But many predatory fish are built to hunt them down and their nutrition-packed bodies make crawfish a prize worth pursuing
Nearly every part of a crawfish is edible to fish. And they are packed with important nutrients like protein, calcium and omega-3 fatty acids that promote fish growth and health. It’s no wonder so many fish species see crawfish as a tasty target.
The Top Fish That Feast on Crawfish
After looking at the feeding habits of popular game fish, here are the top predators that regularly munch on crawfish:
Largemouth Bass
Largemouth bass are ambush predators that love hiding in vegetation and waiting for crawfish to wander by. Their large mouth is perfect for inhaling these crustaceans. Crawfish often make up the majority of a largemouth’s diet.
Smallmouth Bass
While smallmouth bass mostly eat smaller fish like minnows, they also frequently snack on crawfish, especially juveniles. Crawfish can be a prime food source in many smallmouth waters.
Trout
Trout of all species including rainbow, brown and brook happily gobble down any crawfish they can capture. Larger adult crawfish appeal more to big trout due to their small mouth size.
Sunfish
Several sunfish types like bluegill, pumpkinseed and rock bass routinely munch on baby crawfish as part of their varied diet. Soft-rayed sunfish can easily crush crawfish shells with their pharyngeal teeth.
Catfish
Channel catfish and bullheads often lurk near the bottom waiting for crawfish to cross their path. Catfish use their keen sense of smell and taste to zero in on hidden crayfish.
Walleye
Walleyes are well-equipped hunters that use their large eyes and razor-sharp teeth to hunt down and eat crawfish of all sizes. Crawfish are a favorite snack, especially for larger walleye.
Northern Pike
Voracious pike strike at crawfish with their massive teeth, easily puncturing their shell to get the meat inside. Crawfish make a frequent meal for pike dwelling in weedy areas.
Freshwater Drum
Bottom-feeding freshwater drum use their muscular pharynx to crush and ingest crawfish shells. They can be a major part of drum diet in many fisheries.
So most popular freshwater sport fish will eagerly hunt and eat crawfish when given the opportunity. Let’s look at why crayfish make such an irresistible meal.
What Makes Crawfish Such Prized Prey?
There are a few key reasons why so many different fish species aggressively hunt crawfish:
High in Protein – Crawfish offer a protein-packed meal, which is crucial for lean muscle growth in fish. This makes them an excellent food source, especially in summer.
Packed With Nutrients – In addition to protein, crawfish provide essential fatty acids, calcium from their shells, and other nutrients fish need.
Energy-Rich – A crawfish meal provides a big energy boost thanks to their high fat content, similar to eating nuts or cheese for humans.
Appropriate Size – Average crawfish size makes them a perfect bite-sized package for everything from small sunfish to giant catfish.
Self-Contained Meal – Unlike fish or insect prey, crawfish offer the whole package – meat, shell, guts – for a complete, self-contained meal.
Bottom Dwellers – Crawfish live on the bottom in structure, allowing ambush predators like bass to capture them easily.
Shelled Food Source – Many fish have evolved powerful jaws and teeth to crack crawfish shells and access the innards.
The abundance of crawfish in many waters, their nutritional value, and conveniently sized packages make them an irresistible diet staple for all kinds of freshwater fish.
How Do Fish Hunt and Eat Crawfish?
Predatory fish have developed some clever techniques and adaptations to effectively locate, catch and consume crayfish:
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Ambush Attack – Bass, walleye and catfish will hide in vegetation and attack unsuspecting crawfish that wander too close.
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Crushing Jaws – Many fish like sunfish and drum use strong jaws and teeth to bite down and crush tough crawfish shells.
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Puncture and Grip – Sharp-toothed predators like pike and trout bite and grip crawfish to puncture the shell and disable them.
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Bottom Feeding – Catfish and drum scavenge along muddy bottoms and use their sense of smell to find buried crawfish.
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Suction Feeding – Using their muscular mouths, fish like bass and sunfish can swiftly suck crawfish in from close range.
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Shell Swallowing – Most fish swallow crawfish shells whole rather than tediously picking out meat, then digest or expel the shells.
So fish employ a range of clever hunting strategies and adaptations to take full advantage of the crawfish bounty in many freshwaters.
Tips for Fishing With Crawfish
Understanding crawfish as an important fish forage opens up tactics for anglers to catch more fish:
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Use crawfish lures and fly patterns during peak crawfish activity in early summer.
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Target areas with rocky or weedy habitat that provides food and ambush cover for crawfish.
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Fish crawfish baits very slowly along bottom structure to mimic natural crawfish movement.
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Match crawfish colors and sizes to the typical craws in each body of water.
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Focus on shady spots, under docks and along steep drop offs where crawfish congregate.
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Impale live crawfish through the tail when using for bait to allow natural motion.
Taking advantage of the relationship between game fish and crawfish can help you catch more fish on lakes, ponds and rivers across the country. Understanding this important food source provides valuable insight for anglers.
In Closing
Crawfish form an integral part of freshwater food chains and are ambushed by all kinds of sport fish including bass, walleye, trout, sunfish and more. Their abundance, nutrition and appropriately bite-sized packages make crayfish a prime target for predatory fish.
Next time you catch a fish, take a close look in its throat and you just might spot the remains of their last crawfish meal! Tapping into this dynamic helps anglers catch more fish.
Frequency of Entities:
crawfish: 28
fish: 25
crayfish: 10
eat: 8
prey: 5
shell: 4
bass: 4
meal: 4
trout: 3
bottom: 3
catfish: 3
sunfish: 3
walleye: 2
pike: 2
drum: 2
smallmouth: 2
largemouth: 2
brook: 1
brown: 1
rainbow: 1
channel: 1
bullhead: 1
pumpkinseed: 1
bluegill: 1
rock bass: 1
Which Crayfish do Trout Eat?
There are over 330 species of crayfish/crawdad in the United States alone, and over 500 worldwide. But these species are most likely to be found in lakes and rivers near you (and be eaten by trout):
Species of crayfish called the signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) are very bad for native crayfish because they are actively taking over their colonies. It’s a drab brown color and has white bands at the joints of its claws.
Rusty crayfish (Orconectes rusticus) This is another invasive species, but very common across the nation. They are a bright red, with long claws. Their claws also have bumps on them.
Its color ranges from brown to olive, and its claws have big bumps called tubercules that make them look a lot like lobster claws.
Northern crayfish (Orconectes virilis): This species is very invasive, and you can tell it apart from other species by the rusty spots on its shell and its black-tipped claws. I often caught these in ponds, lakes, and creeks growing up.
Where do Crayfish live?
Crayfish live in lakes, ponds, streams, and rivers. They like to hide in and around rocks and other things that are submerged near the shore. They never wander out of the water unless they need to find a new home.
They’re entirely aquatic, relying upon their gills to pull oxygen from the water.
Crayfish aren’t endangered, and some of them reproduce year-round, like the warm-water red swamp crayfish. Females carry their egg clutches under their tails until they hatch.
Interestingly, they can regenerate lost limbs and have very good eyesight.
Crawdads are the official state crustacean in Louisiana, where they are found in abundance.
I once caught a crayfish on a beadhead nymph, and I’m still not sure how it happened.
A crayfish got out of its rock home while I was fishing for trout in a nearby river. Here’s a short video of it. Notice it walks forwards, not backwards. Crayfish always walk forwards, and swim backwards.