Crawfish Trapping Report - Goldwater Lake

Crawfish 1

Last weekend Bobby & Sabrina took Crawfish 1 out for it's madden trapping voyage to one of our favorite Arizona lakes to trap, Goldwater Lake in Prescott. This is the earliest in the year we have ever trapped and the first time we have trapped crawfish in Arizona still hosting eggs. We posted a picture Sunday on Facebook; of the comments we received "redneck caviar" was the winner in our book.

Now without further ado, here is the first Arizona Crawfish Trapping report of 2015!

Crawfish eggs

Date: March 14th & 15th, 2015
Bait: Processed Crawfish Bait
Traps: 10 Promar 502 crawfish traps.
Trap Depth: 10-20 feet
Water Temperature: Unknown
Average Time In Water: Overnight /  Noon Saturday - 10:00AM Sunday
Trapping Results: 20 lbs.

Additional Notes: We don't mind when people find our traps and pull them up to inspect out of curiosity and we always appreciate when you have the character to not steal them. However, we do ask you have the courtesy of returned the taps to the water instead of leaving them toss on the bank. Merci!

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Boiled Crawfish

There ain’t a Cajun alive that can’t tell you how to boil crawfish! Exact vegetable contents, boiling methods, seasoning amount and steam time will vary per family/farm, but it all starts the same with ‘as many (crawfish) as you can get!”

Boiled Crawfish

Serving Size: 2 – 4 pounds per person. 5 – 8 pounds per Cajun.

Ingredients: 
Live Crawfish (as many as you can get)
Louisiana Fish Fry’s Crawfish, Crab & Shrimp Boil “pour & boil” & “liquid boil”
Seasoning to taste. Tony Chachere’s or Slap ya’ Mama
Garlic to taste
Butter, two sticks per “drop”
Lemons, five per “drop”
Red Potato’s, one - two per person
Onions, one per person
Corn, one full stock per 2 pounds of crawfish

Other desired ingredients can be added. Sausage, shrimp, crab, radish, asparagus and okra are all common additions. Make sure you add a balance amount to your other ingredients and DO NOT over-fill your boiling pot.



Directions: 
In your boiling pot, fill with water ¾ of the way up basket (not the pot itself). Turn heat on and just before the water starts to boil, add liquid and granular seasoning to taste, butter, garlic and five lemons cut in half and squeezed into the water. When water boils add potatoes and peeled onions. Once potatoes start to soften add the crawfish and corn and bring back to a boil. (Never fill the basket more than ¾ full). Kill the gas and allow to soak for a few moments. Remove the basket and pour all contents into an ice chest, cover in granular seasoning, close lid, shake well and allow to steam for up to 20 minutes before serving. Repeat each “drop” until all the crawfish are gone.

Source: Any coonass you ask!

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Crawfish Trapping Report - Rim Lakes

This week's crawfish trapping report is a little different and holds a little more significance than usual. Generally we highlight one specific location and the trapping time is generally in the range of six - eight hours...but that's recreational trapping. The trapping this week is for the 2013 Arizona Crawfish Festival at Bison Ranch on Saturday August 10th and lots of folks are counting on a taste of these crawfish! They are free to festival attendees on a "first come, first served" basis in an effort to education Arizona outdoor conservationists on the destructive damage these critters can have to our natural waterways. If you're of the Cajun decent, or a crawfish connoisseur, and you would like a little more than a "taste" at the festival, you can pre-purchase festival tickets to reserve a minimum of 3 pounds of boiled crawfish through Thursday, August 8th online at ArizonaCrawfishCompany.com/events.

It's the belief of Arizona Crawfish Company that with a little education on the culinary delight of crawfish and a little help getting set up to trap in Arizona, lake goers, fisherman and people just looking for a little family fun, we can put a significant reduction on the population of crawfish in Arizona!

Date: August 5th - 6th, 2013
Location: Willow Spring Lake
Bait: Processed Crawfish Bait
Traps: Trap Type: Combination of fifty Promar 501 & Promar 502 traps.
Trap Depth: 8 - 15 foot average
Water Temperature: Unknown.
Average Time In Water: 9 hours between morning and evening pick up. 15 hours on overnight pick up.
Trapping Results: Estimated pounds per pick up: 1 - 3 per trap.
Lagniappe: Total number of beers consumed - All of them.

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2013 Arizona Crawfish Trapping Contest

2013 Arizona Crawfish Trapping Contest

Official rules and regulations for the 2013 Arizona Crawfish Trapping Contest can be downloaded by clicking this link!

NOTE: Rules & Regulations are subject to change prior to the event as Arizona Game & Fish Department sees fit. Rest assured any changes that are made from this point forward, will only benefit the tapping teams and the conservation effort to remove 10,000 pounds from Arizona water ways.

Download the entry form here!

What happens to all the crawfish trapped you ask? We're going to eat EVERY LAST ONE at the Arizona Crawfish Festival!!! Tickets now available online! (Tickets not required for trapping team members).


Send all comments, questions and concerns to arizonacrawfishco@gmail.com or call Romey (602)885-1078 and Bobby (480)299-7866.

Crawfish & Bon Temps Chere!

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Coonass Productions

Introducing "Coonass Productions"!!!  The production company for the Arizona Crawfish Company's videos! Through Coonass Productions you will have access to "priceless" information into the Arizona Crawfish community. Learn what lakes are hot, what traps are catching, what bait they are biting on and most importantly...insight to the 2013 Crawfish Trapping Contest!! ...oh, and we almost forgot, how to secure a video camera to a tripod when the attachment is missing...

Subscribe and Follow.

"I got this" ~Boudreaux.

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Crawfish Maquechow

Boudreaux's maquechox is the best dere is, everybody that ever tried it will tell you dat! Well, we think it may just get a little better next time when we take this technique and add...you guessed it! CRAWFISH TALES!

Crawfish Maque Choux

Ingredients:

12 fresh ears of corn cut
1 onions, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 pods of garlic, minced
1 cup onion tops, chopped
1 cup parsley leaves, chopped
1 can Rotel tomatoes, diced
2 lbs. Crawfish tails
1/2 cup salad oil
1 stick butter

salt and pepper

 

Directions:

Shuck corn away from cob (cut corn away) and have ready.

To cook Corn: In a cast aluminum pot, heat salad oil then add corn and smother-cook until tender.

Smother bell pepper, onions, garlic, celery, parsley and onion tops until tender but NOT brown. Add corn and a small amount of water. Cook covered for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all ingredients are cooked.

In another aluminum pot, melt butter. Add the crawfish, Rotel tomatoes and the juice. Cook until crawfish are red, about 10-15 minutes. Add corn mixture to this. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for about 20-30 minutes for flavors to mix well. Serve hot over rice.

Cajun Crawfish credits this recipe to Marilyn Vidrine from Church Point, Louisiana.

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Crawfish Festival Press Release

2013 Arizona Crawfish Festival

For immediate release:

Who:              Arizona Crawfish Company

What:             2013 Arizona Crawfish Festival

When:            August 10^th, 2013 Noon -9:00PM

Where:           Bison Ranch. Overgaard, Arizona

Why:              Raise awareness of Crawfish in Arizona and educate wildlife enthusiasts on personal harvest and consumption of Crawfish.

Details:          Due to popular demand, the original Arizona Crawfish Festival is BACK!

In spring of 2002 the festival was birthed by Louisianan born radio host Rosie Romero upon hearing crawfish were over populating our waterways. After two years on the shoreline of Willow Springs Lake, the attendance and popularity was growing so rapidly a site with basic facilities and services was required. The festival then merged with a similar event and held on the lawn of Camp Verde’s historic Fort Verde. After a few years Rosie pulled his affiliation with the festival and Camp Verde held it’s last crawfish festival in 2010.

It was during this eight year run of annual crawfish boils that Arizona Crawfish Company’s founders Bobby Avery and Romey Romero met when they faced off for the eating contest in 2004.

Like the original festival at Willow Springs Lake, this year’s crawfish will be from Arizona’s waterways. Trapping teams are being assembled and assigned to lakes, rivers and streams along the Mogollon Rim for maximum extraction. In the past this had always been a challenge because of the transportation regulations on crawfish in Arizona set and enforced by the Arizona Game & Fish Department, in order to prevent further infestation. However, special permitting has been granted for this event. The goal is to remove 10,000 pounds of crawfish in the week long trapping contest leading up to the festival.

All trapped crawfish will legally be transported under Game & Fish supervision to Bison Ranch for the August 10^th Festival where they will be boiled and served to festival attendees Cajun style with corn, potatoes and onions! For a complete list of Rules, Regulations and participation details, visit Arizona Crawfish Trapping Contest.html.

There will be a crawfish eating contest, Cajun food vendors, frozen daiquiris, Abita Beer, live music, the performance of Arizona’s own Taylor Family Circus and more! For the kids there will be inflatable bounce house & slide, train rides, horseback rides and face painting to name a few!

The festival will be held Saturday from Noon to 9:00PM in the lawn courtyard at Bison Ranch in Heber/Overgaard, Arizona. There will be a $5 parking fee benefiting the local lions club and a $15 admission fee per person/$25 per family ($3 per kid 12 years of age and older, under 12 free) to cover staff, entertainment and facility use. Pre-Purchase tickets by August 7th to ensure you receive at least three pounds of crawfish at the festival!

$2 of every ticket sale will be donated to Jared Allen’sHomes for Wounded Warriors Project.

Stay up to date with new developments by following this blog and/or joining the facebook event page.

An event this size takes community involvement to make it a fun, safe, success family event. We extend our sincere gratitude to the people and sponsors involved.

·      Sanderson TomCar 

·      Rosie On The House 

·      Arizona Game & Fish Dept.

·      Bison Ranch

·      Lone Eagle Outdoors

·      Wild Woman Saloon

·      Abita Beer Co.

SPONSOR VIDEO

For event details, call
Bobby Avery at (480)299-7866 or
Romey Romero at (602)885-1078
or send an email request to arizonacrawfishco@gmail.com.

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Crawfish Report-Bartlett Lake

This picture was sent via text to Bobby's lovely wife, Sabrina, from some friends who spent the weekend at Bartlett Lake's SB Cove camp ground.

Romey's only trapped below the Mogollon Rim twice. Once in Canyon Lake once back in 1998 and again at Alamo Lake in 2011. Between the two trips, one catfish and one crawfish was all that was yielded and again why we stick to the high country for crawfish trapping.

The report we received with this photo stated "there were so many (crawfish) the kids wouldn't go in the water!" Now we've come to learn over the years our definition of "a lot of crawfish" compared to anyone who has never been to a Louisiana Crawfish Pond or Boil are completely different. However, judging by the size of this crawfish and the word that bass are biting, may just be enough for us to try a third trip to a desert lake...

Where are you seeing crawfish? Email us at arizonacrawfishco@gmail.com and we'll share your report!

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Crawfish Pot Pie

Jambalaya, a-crawfish pie and-a file gumbo;
Cause tonight Im gonna see my machez a mio;

Pick guitar, fill fruit jar and be gay-oh;
Son of a gun, well have big fun on the da bayou.

~Hank Williams.

Hope his crawfish pie was this good!!!

Individual Crawfish Pot Pie

Serving Size: 4 individual pies

Crust Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons cold butter

3-4 tablespoons ice-cold water

            Directions: In a mixing bowl, whisk the flour and salt to combine. Cut the butter into small pieces, and add it to the bowl. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse meal. Add the water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing it in with a fork, until dough forms. Turn the dough out on to a floured surface, and shape it into a disc. Divide the dough into four discs, and wrap each in wax paper. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Filling Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, chopped

1medium bell pepper, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 cup chicken stock or broth

1 tablespoon dry roux

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 pound cooked and peeled crawfish tails, with fat

1 cup fresh or frozen peas

Creole seasoning to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions: Melt the butter in a heavy pot; add the onion, bell pepper and celery; and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, bring the chicken stock to a boil in a small pot, and whisk in the roux to dissolve. Add the stock to the vegetable mixture. Add the tomato paste, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add the crawfish and green peas, and season with Creole seasoning and black pepper. Divide the mixture among four 8-ounce baking dishes, leaving a space at the top of each for expansion. The recipe may be prepared to this point a day in advance and refrigerated. If refrigerated, allow baking dish and contents to come to room temperature before proceeding. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Assemble the pie:

On a floured surface, roll out disc of dough so that it is at least an inch larger than the baking dish. Place the dough on the baking dish, and press edges to seal. Leave about a half-inch overhang, and trim any excess. Repeat with the remaining dough. Place the dishes on a heavy baking sheet.

Using a pastry brush, coat each crust with an egg wash. Cut vents in each crust. Place the baking sheet in preheated oven, and bake until the crust are browned, about 30 minutes.

Source:. March/April addition of Louisiana Life Magazine.

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Time to start trapping em' up!

San Francisco Peaks, Flagstaff Az.

Arizona has had the most beautiful spring we can remember for at least the last twenty years. In fact, I'm sitting in Flagstaff, Arizona with a light jacket on gazing at the still snow-capped San Fransisco Peaks as I type this. I'm sure one day when we are old men sipping morning coffee in the cafe with the other local old-timers talking about life, and of course the weather, this spring will be the topic of more than one conversation.

But those days will have to wait because today these two Cajun Cowboys are still young and full of 'piss and vinegar' as granddaddy put it, and it's time to pull up the waders and get to crawfish trapping. With the water in the rim lakes finally starting to warm up, the crawfish will be coming out of hibernation making it prime time for crawfish trapping and where y'all are likely to run into yours truly!

With the exception of the Colorado River about 25 miles upstream from Lake Mead (and we'll go out on a limb and say you wouldn't trap anything all the way upstream to Lee's Fairy) we have yet to find a river, lake or stream in Arizona without crawfish in it. With the States' variety of beautiful scenery it's impossible to find a place you won't like or have to trap at the same place so much that you won't loose a sense of adventure.

Crawfish Trapping Kit

If you are a first time trapper or new to Arizona, some of our favorite locations include Woods Canyon Lake, Willow Springs Lake, Big Lake and Lake Mary. For traps, tags and professional bait that won't leave your hands full of raw chicken (and cost a lot less) visit our online store and order now so you don't miss a single prime time day Arizona Crawfish Trapping...don't forget your Arizona fishing license!

Arizona Crawfish Company
www.ArizonaCrawfishCompany.com

Cajun Practical Joking! Trapping Log: July 24th, 2010

How does one desert R.C.A. (Registered CoonAss) torture another? By sending picture texts of all the crawfish he is catching to the other stuck working in the office. Boudreaux set out Friday afternoon to trap crawfish for a private party featuing a live crawfish boil. While setting traps with his trusty Chocolate Lab Phoenix, and alone with his thoughts, he got the notion to amused himself by sending picture texts of his successful trapping adventure to Romey at work. Knowing full well that Romey would much rather be out in nature and setting crawfish traps than behind a desk, Boudreaux roared with laughter thinking of what Romey's reaction must be with each new picture text he received.

At the end of his trapping session, Boudreaux pulled over 80 pounds of crawfish out of Goldwater Lake.



Averaged out Boudreaux trapped 4.7 pounds per trap in a 16 hour window...We do believe that is another Arizona Crawfish Trapping record! We have not found any state or Game & Fish documents that keeps such records so stay tuned as that will soon be featured on our website! There are a few notable difference's that attributed to the success of this trip over our July 4th log:

1. Foot Traffic: Unlike our July 4th weekend, Boudreaux had the lake almost all to himself which allowed the traps to be completely undisturbed while submerged.
2. The use of our crawfish bait that was delivered earlier this week which maintains scent and form in the traps for longer periods of time than other forms of bait i.e. raw chicken, canned cat food, etc.

Congratulations on the safe & successful trapping trip, but look out! Romey is coming for you Boudreaux...

Thank you for your support. Y'all come back now ya' hear!?

The Arizona Crawfish Company Family
www.ArizonaCrawfishCompany.com

Crawfish Trapping Log: July 4th, 2010.

When most folks think of Arizona they think dusty, dry, rattlesnakes and cactus from Tombstone to the Grand Canyon. These are the common keywords and very rightfully so, but Arizona has much more to offer. In fact, if you've never been to Goldwater Lake you probably wouldn't associate pine trees, mountain lake, family picnic destination, trout fishing or even Blue Heron to the name. But not only can all this be found and enjoyed along the shore line of this quaint 15 acre lake, it's also the habitat for thousands of crawfish!

Located a few miles south of Prescott on old Senator Highway, Goldwater Lake was originally built in the 1920's as a water source for the anticipated growth Yavapai County and opened to public use by Prescott's Park Service in the 1970's. No one really knows when Crawfish were introduced to Goldwater Lake or exactly how many crawfish lurk below the surface...but we can tell you it's close to the number of Nutria nesting in the the cypress knees along the banks of the Lacassine Bayou. In other words, A LOT!

Trapping large volumes of crawfish requires a lot of mobility around and on the water. Since the banks of the Goldwater Lake are reserved for pedestrian traffic only, please welcome the newest member of Arizona Crawfish Company known as the Desert Green Gator.

This little 14 foot boat really earned it's keep! It enabled us to set "trout line" type assemblies for the traps all over the lake and made transporting our catch back to the lakeside picnic area a much simpler task than carrying them by hand as we have done in the past. Honestly, we probably would have caught just as many crawfish without the boat and crawfish trap lines assemblies, but we would have missed out on other important outdoor activities such as wetting a fishing line, napping under the shade of pine trees or boiling twenty ponds of trapped crawfish to share with all the people present at the lake that day filled with curiosity at the concept of actually eating 'those nasty mudbugs.'

It's always a highlight watching and listening to people's reaction when trying boiled crawfish their first time. One of these day's we may write a book with all the one-linners we've heard over the years like "what is that black line?" or "Is it healthy to suck out their brains?" and a personal favorite "I can afford not to eat these!" One of the most common questions we are repeatedly asked is "what do you use to bait crawfish traps?" The answer is simple: if there are crawfish in the water, it doesn't really matter. Canned cat food, fish bones, bacon, catfish blood bait, raw chicken, hot dogs or even processed crawfish bait, you name it! As long as it creates a smell, it will attract crawfish! What's more important about bait is quantity, not necessarily quality. If you're using Open Two Ring Crawfish Traps in shallow water that need to be checked often, then a slice of bacon tied in the middle will suffice. If you're using a vinyl coated pillow trap several feet deep off a rock ledge and you may not be checking but every 12 or more hours, then up to 1/2 chicken might be required. In other words, the longer you're gone from your trap, the more bait you want to load it with as you want your bait to produce scent that will attract crawfish the entire time you are away from your traps.

This weekend we used primarily chicken since there was a sale at the grocery story of whole chickens for $3; so for less than $30 we were able to keep seventeen crawfish traps full of bait for two full days.

All said and done at the end of our 48 hour trapping expedition, we weighed out a grand total of 150 pounds of live crawfish. Averaged out we were catch 2.2 pounds per trap per 12 hours with very little relocation of traps. You would think numbers like that would make a dent in an Arizona lake but we saw no indication we made the slightest dent in crawfish population. In fact the traps were just as full the last time we checked them as they were the first time.

We've yet to decide which water source we'll be trapping at next, but we'll keep y'all posted and send trapping updates as well! No matter what body of water y'all hit next, please remember to be respectful of our environment, courtesy to other outdoors men, patience with young ones who could be experiencing nature for their first time and messing with another man's crawfish trap could consequently lead to you being the crawfish bait...

Y'all come back now ya' hear!?

The Arizona Crawfish Company Family
www.ArizonaCrawfishCompany.com