Crayfish attacking carp bait is a problem that one photograph can explain better than a thousand words.
picture was sent to me today, and if you fish a water containing crayfish, take a good look at what is actually happening.
This isn’t simply a crayfish somewhere near a rig. It has physically grabbed hold of the hookbait presentation.
For anyone who has experienced crayfish attacking carp bait, this photograph captures the problem perfectly. You can cast out with complete confidence, but what happens to that hookbait once it reaches the lakebed can be a very different story.
A conventional boilie or other soft hookbait can be picked at, damaged or completely removed. The worrying part is that the angler sitting on the bank may have absolutely no idea that it has happened.
You could potentially be fishing for hours with a rig that no longer has a properly presented hookbait.
You’re Not Going to Stop the Crayfish
This is where I think we sometimes approach the problem from the wrong direction.
If crayfish are present and they find your bait, you’re unlikely to persuade them to leave it alone. They are doing exactly what comes naturally to them.
So perhaps the question shouldn’t be:
How do I stop the crayfish getting to my hookbait?
Perhaps it should be:
How do I make a hookbait that can continue fishing when they do?
A Different Approach to Crayfish Attacking Carp Bait
That thinking is one of the reasons the Multi-Bait Delivery System is so useful on waters containing crayfish.
Rather than relying on a conventional edible hookbait to remain intact, the Multi-Bait uses a durable artificial outer body. The attraction can then be carried within the bait itself using paste, liquids or other suitable attractors.
The crayfish may investigate it. They may grab it. They may try to interfere with it.
But the principle is simple: the hookbait itself is designed to remain there and continue fishing.
And this photograph demonstrates exactly why that matters.
What Condition Is Your Hookbait Really In?
This is the part anglers cannot see.
We spend enormous amounts of time getting rigs right, choosing spots and deciding where to place our bait. Yet once that rig disappears beneath the surface, we’re relying on everything remaining exactly as we intended.
On a crayfish water, that’s a big assumption.
The photograph above gives us a rare glimpse of what could be happening while we’re sitting behind the rods.
It also explains why simply making a bait more attractive isn’t always the whole answer. Sometimes durability of presentation is every bit as important as attraction.
What This Photograph Actually Shows
What makes this photograph particularly interesting is that we can see the problem happening rather than simply guessing what might be taking place beneath the surface.
This photograph gives us a rare opportunity to see crayfish attacking carp bait exactly as it happens underwater.
When crayfish are attacking carp bait, they don’t care how carefully you’ve tied the rig or how accurately you’ve positioned it. If they can get hold of the hookbait, they can pull at it, damage it and potentially change the presentation completely.
That’s why I think there is an important distinction between protecting the attraction and protecting the presentation.
With the Multi-Bait, the attraction inside can still do its job, while the durable artificial body remains the hookbait. The crayfish can find it and investigate it — as this photograph clearly demonstrates — without us relying upon a conventional soft bait remaining untouched.
Sometimes seeing what happens underwater changes the way you think about the problem.
The Picture Says It All
I could write thousands of words about crayfish attacking hookbaits.
But look at that photograph again.
That’s the problem.
The question is what you’re going to do about it.
Why the Multi-Bait Is a Game Changer
This is where I believe the Multi-Bait becomes a genuine game changer when crayfish are present.
Traditionally, protecting a hookbait from crayfish can mean compromising somewhere else. Make the bait harder or more resistant and you can also reduce the attraction you’re trying to deliver.
The Multi-Bait separates those two jobs.
The outer body protects the presentation. The internal chamber delivers the attraction.
Paste, liquids and other attractors can continue working from inside, while the durable hookbait remains attached to the rig.
And Vinnie Durn’s photograph demonstrates exactly why that matters.
The crayfish has found the hookbait. It’s attacking it. But the presentation is still there.
For me, that’s the game changer.
Enjoy. It’s fishing.