Two years ago I found a blue crawfish shell on the bank of a pond with rip-rapped shoreline . This was the first time I had ever seen a blue one. This year my dad found a blue one by a different rip-rapped pond 30 or so miles away . Is the rocky habitat known for blue crawfish or are they around more than I have seen ? Both were found in the spring also .
I think when the molt they turn blue.
I think rocky habitat is just known for crayfish in general.
There are a lot of varieties that get a blue tint when they get older, particularly on the claws. I think I recall reading that the brighter blue colorations result from a genetic mutation that produces a protein that the pigment binds to. That would lend itself to blue ones being more common in a particular body of water versus another as those genes are passed on. I also seem to recall that though the blue is uncommon, it's not that rare with something like 1% of crayfish being blue.
2011 Skeeter ZX225
225 Yamaha HPDI Series 2
Minn Kota Ultrex 112 52"
Console: HDS 16 Carbon
Bow: HDS 12 Carbon, Solix 12 G2, Mega 360, Garmin 106 SV, LVS 34
I've always heard that their colors vary greatly throughout different parts of the country!!
Craw colors change by species, environment, and time of year. Accent color might be red, orange, or blue. Or maybe none at all. Best to flip a few rocks when you go fishing to find the current accent color, if any.
The dried shell fragments aren't usually the actual color of the crawfish. We have smoke colored craws with blue accents, but their shells on the shoreline look shrimp colored.
Yep, made the mistake of thinking there were reddish brown crawfish in a lake I was fishing some time back after seeing one floating dead. Couldn't get bit on a jig that color, but then started crushing them on green pumpkin. One of the first times I've ever seen a relatively subtle change in color make that much of a difference. It was only later that I figured that crawfish probably changed colors when it died, just like they do when you throw them in a pot of boiling water.Originally Posted by dszal
2011 Skeeter ZX225
225 Yamaha HPDI Series 2
Minn Kota Ultrex 112 52"
Console: HDS 16 Carbon
Bow: HDS 12 Carbon, Solix 12 G2, Mega 360, Garmin 106 SV, LVS 34
My brother told me this years ago ( many years) when I was just a kid at the time but never forgot it. Never tried to verify it just accepted it as a kid would. He said crawfish hatch on the full moon (?) & are an opaque color at that time. They will then, over time, change several colors to their permanent color when mature. Color will depend on location, lake environment, species, etc. Like I said, never verified it, but sounded logical, then & now I guess.
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