Fishermen in Breaux Bridge catch crawfish in ponds and in the basin

Mike Clay has been crawfishing from a 45-acre crawfish pond since 1985. 

“We start fishing normally around December, depends when the crawfish ready to be harvested and we go till the end of may usually,” Clay says. 

Clay says in a crawfish pond farmers can control water and the crawfish feed. 

“I have a well running right here. we can do this whenever we want we can start flooding around September and we could fly throughout the year to keep pond maintained with water,” Clay says.

The main difference between pond and basin crawfish is that they’re bred in different environments. 

“The basin, they are really depending on the snowfall up north and the river stages to be able to have a water flow. that’s what crawfish need a lot of fresh water going all the time,” Clays says.

He also says with a constant demand for crawfish, the industry depends on both pond and basin fishing. 

“A multimillion dollar industry throughout the parishes. There are about five or six parishes that have a lot of crawfish, Breaux Bridge is probably the oldest parish. Because we have the basin one in and the crawfish pond over here. So that means a lot to Breaux Bridge, Clay explains. 

Now it some people say pond crawfish are better some people say basin crawfish are better. 

It’s really up to you.