Hi . l wanna catch some crayfish . Ive seen it done on tv and wanna try it myself. So how do l catch them ? What bait should l use ? How do l present the bait?
A phatt 10 points for the best answer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

l am going to assume crayfish in the UK are about like crayfish in the US. Take a milk carton and cut it in half. Sink the lower half in a shallow part of the stream or river (put a rock in it; the lip of the carton should be just under the surface by about 1''). Put a half-slab of bacon in the carton, and come back the next day. You will have crayfish.

First of all, there r native crayfish & there r non native crayfish. The native ones, r getting scarce & r dying out cos of the crayfish plaque introduced with the non native american species. Personally l would ask u to leave native ones alone.
According to the Environment Agency, any crayfish trapping is illegal without a licence. There r hefty fines for illegal trapping. The EA specify waters where & how trapping may be done, & with what sort of traps, & they must also be uniquely tagged using supplied tags. The traps must also be ''otter friendly'' & securely tied down to avoid them causing an obstruction in waterways.
l have tried contacting the EA for a licence but get no-where with them.
The big american crayfish is spreading the disease (harmless to man) that is destroying the native populations. They eat everything in the rivers & lakes, & undermine the banks. They r big & aggresive. They r an alien species that needs controlling. Yet the EA seem to do their utmost to protect them.
So officially, either get a licence from the Environment Agency - or do not do it.
But just between u & me, they will eat just about anything. A piece of bacon on a string will do it. There r crayfish traps available on the internet - try uk-discount-fishing-tackle.co.uk but remember it is illegal without a licence. Since licences r only issued to EA staff who have a dinner party u could simply try the otter friendly method of turning over a few stones in a stream. The american crayfish have red on the claws. You will be surprised how quick u can get enough for a salad.

Here is what worked for us.
Buy a crayfish trapp on line and put a open can of soft catfood in it.
place in stream or pond and come back dayly.
good luck

Get some sort of bottle. put any meat in it. submerge it in the water. make sure it doesnt float. come backthe next day and youll have a crayfish.
or try using your hands

go to e-bay and get a collapsible net trap, approx £5.
go to any river and weight the trap down with a decent size rock, puncture a can of dog or cat food and put this into the trap as well, you don,t need too many holes, its just really for slow release of the bait.
go back daily and check. if that stretch is unproductive then just move the whole lot and try again