Rick Tomlinson dips a net for crawdads. Last Sunday at the spot he dipped 536 in 20 minutes.
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Michael Pearce / The Wichita Eagle
Crawdads often lose pinchers in battles with others. If they lose one, another soon grows in its place, like on this crawdad.
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Michael Pearce / The Wichita Eagle
Larry Fry dips up several dozen crawdads at Cheyenne Bottoms. Locals can't remember a summer when the crawdad fishing has been this good.
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Michael Pearce / The Wichita Eagle
Larry Fry of Great Bend lifts a trap set for crawdads at Cheyenne Bottoms.
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Michael Pearce / The Wichita Eagle
Crawdads enter pillow traps through funnels. One end of the trap can be opened when it's time to remove the crawdads.
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Michael Pearce / The Wichita Eagle
Part of more than 1,000 crawdads trapped and netted on two trips to Cheyenne Bottoms
.
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Michael Pearce / The Wichita Eagle
An unusual white crawdad was one of more than 1,000 caught one morning.
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Michael Pearce / The Wichita Eagle
Most who handle many crawdads do so wearing gloves. Still, some pinch hard enough to inflict pain even through the gloves.
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Michael Pearce / The Wichita Eagle
Part of the more than 7,000 crawdads three friends have caught at Cheyenne Bottoms in the past few weeks.
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Michael Pearce / The Wichita Eagle
Rick Tomlinson, left, and Larry Fry dump buckets of crawdads removed from traps or scooped in nets. They'd netted and trapped the same location a few hours earlier.
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Michael Pearce / The Wichita Eagle
Friends Larry Fry, left, Jason Black and Rick Tomlinson gather to clean crawdads. The social aspect of catching and cleaning crawdads is a big part of the sport for all three.
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Michael Pearce / The Wichita Eagle
Crawdads use their pinchers in disputes with others over food and mating. They're also used to grab potential meals and ward off predators.
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Michael Pearce / The Wichita Eagle
The crop of crawdads at Cheyenne Bottoms average very large this summer.
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Michael Pearce / The Wichita Eagle
Cheyenne Bottom's healthy population of crawdads benefits a variety of predators, like these egrets feeding in the shallows.
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Michael Pearce / The Wichita Eagle
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