I remember catching Crawdads in the creek as a child in WV. Grandma would make some of the best tasting stew with them!
I would take a round barrel hoop with burlap fabric sewed onto it, with small pieces of meat or fish tied to it and a pair of ropes on it. I'd drop it in the water and let it set, Crawdads have a very good sense of smell. And when they get their claws on food, they won't let go, all it takes is to raise the hoop and remove any I wanted to keep. The others would sometimes still be on it when it was lowered again into the water.
Wonder if today's Crawdads/Crawfish are "farm" raised?