Moreton bay bugs

[traviso182]

hey has anyone caught/ no how to catch moreton bay bugs? love to try and catch some for myself

Cheers.

[-spiro-]

I think you need a trawler mate. There netted i think

[Marlin_Mike]

They are netted by the trawlers mate. In moreton bay east of green was a good spot.

Mike

[paulez2]

I heard they use some type of specal tray that scoops them up off the bottom.

Surely they wouldn't use a standard trawler. What about all the by catch?

[grant6336]

Hi mate, I caught some last summer in the rainbow channel in dillies, I was after sandies though but got a few keepers over a couple of trips. I thought they were more of an offshore catch though? Cheers!(Sorry, It was spanner crabs I caught not bugs::))

[B_E_N]

bugs where a trawler by catch, my dad worked on a few here in the bay and hated them, used to catch heaps of them. no one really wanted to eat them back then. now look at them!

[traviso182]

well thanks for that boys.

[B_E_N]

might be worthwhile befriending a trawler, never know...freebies

[shayned]

do a search on here for a thread on this topic.

[B_E_N]

yeh there was a thread about this not so long ago

[dogsbody]

The traps for them are flat square with a mesh as the bugs walk on the trap they get stuck in the mesh. I never fished for them so could not tell you as to where.


Dave.

[Noelm]

I am thinking you mean a Spanner crab "trap"

[-spiro-]

Yeah there spanner pots not bug pots.
BEN we used to get a trawler to get us manta shrimp. $5 a 25 litre bucket full. They worked well for reefies aswell as burley. Now i see you buy them at Morgans.
Funny how things change

[GBC]

Easier to catch crabs at the Alex Hills than bugs in the bay.

They're caught all over QLD on the prawning grounds by trawlers - don't know of anyone specifically targetting them though.

[dogsbody]

Ah yes the ole Spanner crab trap now i remember.

In that case i have no idea. Thanks boys.


Dave.

[Sea-Dog]

I alway thought the taste of Moreton Bay bugs was highly overrated.

Tried a couple on sandwiches when working on trawlers years back.

I'd rather have a prawn or sandcrab sandwich.

My favourite snack on the trawlers was crumbed cuttlefish.

Mmmmmm.

[bondy99]

I alway thought the taste of Moreton Bay bugs was highly overrated.

Tried a couple on sandwiches when working on trawlers years back.

I'd rather have a prawn or sandcrab sandwich.

My favourite snack on the trawlers was crumbed cuttlefish.

Mmmmmm.

G'day Sea-Dog
Your bringing back memories for me, I use to work on a prawn trawler at Port Stephens, we had bugs, blue-swimmer and the odd few lobsters on the sorting tray, can be a supsrise package at times,. We chewed on a few prawns, bugs and fresh squid with garlic, hmmmmm, bloody nice too.

About 2 years later I heard she sank in unrecoverable waters.

I wouldn't mind going back on a prawn trawler for a short time but I never got around to making the knot to keep the codend tight, one onboard, a quick yank on the chord and the codend opens...I often wondered to this day how that was made so it never came undone under the pressure and yet so easy to undo above the sorting tray.

Can you clue me in on this one.

Cheers
Peter

[Havetofish]

I don't believe they are generally caught by recreational divers. I suspect they are traled for commercially.
I may be wrong of course.

Cheers and good luck

[jackextracter]

I always thought they were a by catch to from trawlers.

[fozzy]

30 years or so ago I was diving at Brays Rock off Caloundra, and the seafloor was literally carpeted with them. Must have been some sort of mass spawning session.

Not knowing what they were, at the end of the dive I picked one up and took it back to the boat to show the rest of the crew, the skipper took one look and wanted us to go back for a sugarbag full, but we'd run out of air by then.

Now there are plans to grow million's of dollars worth of them in tanks just over the border.

[sunny]

The bad news is that use rec fishos can't take them. See

http://www2.dpi.qld.gov.au/fishweb/2772.html

Seems a bit silly when the commercials can take them in large numbers>:(

[Horse]

The bad news is that use rec fishos can't take them. See

http://www2.dpi.qld.gov.au/fishweb/2772.html

Seems a bit silly when the commercials can take them in large numbers>:(
Its just berried females that have to go back

[sunny]

Ah, my bad.

I misread that. It sounded like they were only talking about spanner crabs in berry.

[Sea-Dog]

G'day Sea-Dog
Your bringing back memories for me, I use to work on a prawn trawler at Port Stephens, we had bugs, blue-swimmer and the odd few lobsters on the sorting tray, can be a supsrise package at times,. We chewed on a few prawns, bugs and fresh squid with garlic, hmmmmm, bloody nice too.

About 2 years later I heard she sank in unrecoverable waters.

I wouldn't mind going back on a prawn trawler for a short time but I never got around to making the knot to keep the codend tight, one onboard, a quick yank on the chord and the codend opens...I often wondered to this day how that was made so it never came undone under the pressure and yet so easy to undo above the sorting tray.

Can you clue me in on this one.

Cheers
Peter

G'day Pete, I have tried to describe the cod-end knot. Unfortunately the description sounds like the ravings of a madman. :-[

Then I though I'd try and draw some pics...... I dunno if they are comprehensible or not.

It is a very easy knot to tie.
I'll try to put the instructions into English once more.

I will refer to the rope that comes from the left side of the cod-end as the left rope and vice-versa.

Start out with the two ends of the cod-end ropes facing you.

Cross left over right.

Form a bight ( Ω not really a loop ) in the left rope and pass this under the right rope.

Fold the loop down and to the left, so that it lays on top of the right rope.

(So what you should have now is just an ordinary overhand knot (like you start tying your shoes with) - except the left rope isn't pulled all the way through. This loop is laying on top of the tail of the right rope.)

Now, reach through the loop and pull out a bight of the right rope.

Pull the left rope up and to the right to tighten the knot.

To start the plaiting, bring the rope that you have pulled up and to the right, downwards. (Enough so that you can reach through the loop in your left hand, and grab a bight from the rope that you just lowered down again)

Then it is just a matter of reaching through the loop to grab the free strand of rope to form another bight, then pull it up tight by pulling on the other strand.

Then just repeat about 6 or more times.

Some finish off the cod-end knot by threading the tail-end of the rope through the loop and pulling the loop tight.

This is to prevent smart-@rse dolphins from untying the cod-end knot to get at the fish in the net.

It is much easier just to show someone how to tie the bl00dy thing.

Anyone know how to translate my ravings into English ????? :-[

[Lovey80]

Is that a draw hitch seadog?

Cheers Chris