I've never had that problem, touch wood. As soon as you can the Crays should go into an esky which has an ice slurry in it. I normally freeze those rectangular honey pots or you could use ice cream containers. When you get back home the water the Crays are in should still be painfully cold to the touch. Break off the antennas, I then stick a lacky band over the tail so it's tucked neatly under the body/tail. Then wrap the cray in cling wrap. Then they go into a deep freezer.

What you may want to do is lift out two Crays to start with so the water can drain off them a bit, wrap the first one, lift out another cray, then wrap the second one, a so on until you've done them all. The freezing part is all about getting them frozen as quickly as possible.

 Not sure how lond u defrosted them for mate but i usually take them out of the freeser the night before im going to cook them so they fully defrosted, After you cook them (8 minutes for the minimum size i work on) put strait into ice water or they will keep cooking and go mushy.

Good luck.

Hey Andy mine are always put in the livewell and are still alive and kicking when I get home as other have mentioned I snap off the antennas and they are wrapped up in glad wrap widgth ways then length ways I have also been useing heavy duty cryo vac bags as also mentioned when cooking boil them in water with a bit of sea salt and then straight in to the sink which has cold water and ice stops them cooking,most times I just bbq them as thats the preferred way the kids like them

 The best way to store them and care for them would be to give them to me

 Andy as the others have said straight into a ice slurry. Once home I cut the antenna off and let them drain through the antenna, dry them and wrap them in butchers paper. Works the best for me. I have found once frozen they dont steam well but boiling or bbq are perfect!

I tuck their tail under them, fold the antenae back, then wrap them up in newspaper and then place an elastic band over the paper to keep them togther. They will easily last 6 months like this.

I only steam them, never boil

Willy

Lord of the Squid Rings

 I put mine straight from the catch bag onto ice then when I get home chuck em in the freezer as is. Never had a problem with them. 

 Mate of mine snap anntenae, cut the tops off 1.5lt or 2lt then put in depending size of cray and filled with sea water, stand till frozen, then stack, defrost till complete, then cook as normal. taste like fresh caught.

 I put them strait into saltwater ice slurry then, remove and drain at home wrap each one individually in a large freezer bag and Freeze em. 6 months is the longest I've left em. Not as good as fresh but still pretty good 

 Thanks for the feed back guys , appreciated.