|
The art of catching crayfish |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Written by Emma Garrard/special to the World
|
|
Wednesday, 31 May 2006 |
|
|
|
|
 In the age of television and video games, some children spend their summers on Tahoe beaches enjoying the challenge of catching crayfish (or crawdads). It doesn't take much - just some bait, bucket and a fishing line.
If you see children climbing around the rocks on Tahoe's beaches, chances are they are looking for crayfish, said Todd Anderson, a Nevada state parks ranger.
"One of the most exciting things for kids, including my son, is fishing for crawdads," Anderson said. "I can remember being a kid and coming up here and doing the same thing."
Another popular location for catching crayfish is at the Hyatt pier in Incline.
Gunnar Kozel, 6, and his brother, Oleg, 10, who visited Lake Tahoe last week from Salinas, Calif., spent three days at the lake fishing for crayfish using pieces of hot dog lowered into the water with dental floss.
Director of the Tahoe Research Group at UC Davis Charles Goldman has researched crayfish in Lake Tahoe for 46 years.
In 1969, as a free gift to Sweden, the Department of Zoology at UC Davis donated 70,000 crayfish from Lake Tahoe because Tahoe's crayfish were found to be highly resistant to a common fungus disease plaguing Sweden's native crayfish, Goldman said.
Crayfish are most prominent on the West Shore because of the abundance of rocks, but they can be found anywhere around the lake. Crayfish are nocturnal and can be found as far down as 150 meters, Goldman noted.
Commercial fishing of crayfish is not allowed on Lake Tahoe because they rarely get large enough to be sold he said. However, there is no limit on the amount of crayfish the public can take from the lake.
The Nevada Department of Wildlife has a regulation that people over the age of 12 must possess a fishing license if they go on a crayfish hunt.
"(Fishing for crayfish) is really good for kids because it teaches them about fishing and about patience," Goldman said.
 Photos by Emma Garrard/Tahoe World
Only registered users can write comments.
Please login or register. Powered by AkoComment 2.0! |
|
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 13 June 2006 )
|
