Crab Pot

[chipps]

Hi again folks.

Just bought a crab pot. rectangular shape with nylon mesh.

Using in a local tidal creek & need to know the best time to use it.

So far have caught 1 crab (good sized buck), but that was a week ago & no luck since, just heaps of big bream (I throw em back cause I follow rules, plus I am soooo sick of eating em :D).

Is there an advantage with time & direction of tide movement & day or night? Been very dry & plenty of salt about, even getting schools of gar moving up here.

Any other hints much appreciated.

Cheers

[lubbing5cherubs]

Hi We use Mutton neck chops in our pots you can put the clip through the spine chord hole and nothing can pinch and crabs are the one thing we do catch when we go fishing not fish but we always come home with a feed of crabs. They seem to like mutton. :D
bye Toni

[Foo]

Hi Chipps,
Generally speaking you get the best catches at night.If you put them in during the day,put them into a area that is shaded for best results.:)You could try a can of cat food or,kangaroo tail if you have any road kill around.:shhh:

[chipps]

Thanks for the advice Toni & Foo.

Never thought about using shade, just chucked it out & hoped :D

Have a few large camphor laurels on the edges, so might try under them for a change.

Been using mullet with a zip tie thru the gill area, will grab some neck bones & cat food for a change.

Hope it works

Thanks again

[Foo]

Hey Chipps,how'd you go,with your pots?:)

[chipps]

Zilch so far :(

Keep getting fish though, even a monster bullrout, blinkin thing was a nightmare to get untangled without getting stung :o

[weisyboy]

mud crabs are quite teratorial and if you caught a big buck it is quite posabe h had chased all the others away and it may take a wile before more move in.

fresh fish skeletons i have found to be the best bait.

[chipps]

Added a real rough diagram.

Shows how I position bait. It is suspended from top of trap right in the middle & can't be grabbed from bottom or sides.

Is this how everybody sets it?

Only things is if fish / eels get in first, they degut the mullet & leave the body, so I check every 1/2 hour or so.

Tried the bones, they just went slimey.:C

What's the oilyest & smelliest cat food on the market :2tsup:

[Buzza]

I think we can only use the flat string nets here in South Australia, and yet another new law, only fishy things can be used for bait these days. Chicken frames and beef or lamb chops etc; is now a no-no. :((

I put one or two little mackeral type fish, or Tommy Ruffs in a folded over piece of mouse wire. This makes for a nice wrap, and the blue swimmers scratch away trying to get to the fish, attracting others with their noise. Even after a couple of hours in our colder waters, the fish baits are as good as new, and go back into the bait freezer at home. :cool:

[chipps]

Crab pot pot now lives on garage wall for a short rest :2tsup:

Found out one reason for zilch tucker...............Caught some kids raiding it & running like scared rabbits when they spotted me :o

Won't bother chasing them again........... Never try running along a muddy river bank with a stubbie and a smoke while your swearing :roll:

[Buzza]

Hilarious Mate!! I cracked up when I read your tale. All the time we were trying to work out your problem, the were pilfering. So not all kids stay at home with a Nintendo, some actually stick to traditional ways. :D

[whitewood]

I had a friend who lived on the bank of Ross River in Townsville. He had the problem with kids checking his pots before he could. He did 2 things. One was to use a nylon line and he anchored it at low tide just below the water line and only checked his pots at low tide. When the kids worked this out he just tossed the pots in the river and retrieved them with a rope and grapple. His were wire pots so they could withstand being dragged around.

John

[Foo]

Crab pot pot now lives on garage wall for a short rest :2tsup:

Found out one reason for zilch tucker...............Caught some kids raiding it & running like scared rabbits when they spotted me :o

Won't bother chasing them again........... Never try running along a muddy river bank with a stubbie and a smoke while your swearing :roll:
Well there you go Chipps!:(( The rotten little a****holes.If I were you,I'd be setting up a trap for them,to make them pay dearly for their little exploits!!:~

[chipps]

Nah Foo, all's good, kids are kids & as Buzza says at least their doing something besides nintendo (at my expense :rolleyes:).

Dunno what would have happened if I'd caught em anyways, if not a coronary, prolly would have calmed down & suggest how to make their own pots.
I suppose having my own kids makes me act that way.

Anyhoooo.........School holidays are over, so I might have another crack this arvo :2tsup:

[Timbre Surfer]

talking about stolen or raided pots, police are now involved around mackay as the raiders are using a knife to destroy the pot to get to the crabs, so not just lost tucker but lost dough as you have to pay for another.
i used to use zippy ties so that i could tell if they were raided, but a mate's father used to put small hooks in the rope in the 2m above the pot, if someone ripped it out of the water that didn't know they ripped their hand apart. only problem was fisheries guy was checking them for names (in qld have to have names on float and in pot and 4 per person max) and he required stitches.

[Foo]

That'll teach them!:D They should not have, needed to take them all the way out of the water, to see the details.:wink: