mud crabs

[CreelReaper]

Hi all,
Tried for a few muddies last week in a local creek off the river. Got sick of sitting at home waiting for the weather to improve. Got to say that the numbers of crabs caught over three nights was staggering. Ended up with 87 mud crabs. :-* It was just a shame there were only 9 legal males amongst them. :-/ Of the crabs caught, there were only 23 bucks. Some of the females were the largest I have seen for many a year.
Interestingly enough we used a variety of baits over the three nights.......assorted fish frames and pillies, whole mullet and some fresh chicken frames.
The fish and mullet accounted for 80 of the crabs and the chicken performed very poorly. :'( I had heard that the professionals use chicken and do well. Is using chicken a falacy or was I just unlucky????
Also the moon phase didn't seem to worry the crabs either......????
Oh and the fishing was lousy but not unsurprising......tiddler bream and a heap of catties.
Cheers

Shane

[cameron walker]

Chicken heads ;D

[Scott Ashe]

Good to hear you still got a few legals for the pot mate. I'm in Victoria Point and was thinking of doing the same thing after the rain, but was worried about crab pot theft at this time of year at night.

I too, have best results when using mullet, but have used chicken before for not quite as good results.

Cheers

Scott

[tiny_tinny]

I've used chicken wings - caught both sandies and muddies on them. I would probably favour fish frames or heads though, if I have them.

Mike

[Michael D]

i did always use chicken frames but the this season and last they just dont seem to tbe as efficient as the good old fish frames....
Good to seem em in good numbers once again .

[CreelReaper]

Hey guys
Yeah I found the same thing about the chicken last year. With all the jennies gettingt around it surely suggests that the non keeping of Jennies is working.....The question I raise though that if there is really an abundance of Jennies maybe the powers that be could relax the laws a bit and maybe allow each person 1 Jenny as a keeper but raise the size limit to say 160mm or 170mm???? Makes you think doesn't it????

[sandbankmagnet]

I agree watta. The big jennies apparently don't breed and kill smaller bucks and jennies.

On chook, I use it exclusively. Caught 6 bucks on it last week in one session. Got pulled up by fisheries and the fella was saying a combination of chook and fish is the best as they put out two different scents. He said the reason the pros use chook is because they get spiked all the time with fish frames and chook is easier to use on mass. His words, not mine.

[CreelReaper]

Hmmm sandbankmagnet that sounds interesting enough....mixing the chicken and fish that is....
Up until last week I would have totally agreed with you about the larger jennies not breeding. One of the Jennies we got last week measured 21cm point to point and was totally full of eggs. She was HUGE.
Another point that i thought was interesting is that in the 3 nights crabbing we did all crabs were caught within an area about 3/4 km. Outside this didn't raise 1 crab.

[Blackened]

G'day

Shane, keep with the chicken frames, $2 a kilo @ woolies

Also throw in a frame or so of mullet to add the aroma, tuna or mackeral would be better still

Had my best crabbing session ever on wahoo head

Dave

[CreelReaper]

Hey Dave,
I have used chicken frames for years but the last couple of years have been leen.

Shane
ps Will I be seeing you over the weekend??? If not after talking to Pete, I might catch up with you next week.

[loophole]

G'day

Shane, keep with the chicken frames, $2 a kilo @ woolies

Also throw in a frame or so of mullet to add the aroma, tuna or mackeral would be better still

Had my best crabbing session ever on wahoo head

Dave

well a mate of mine used a nice big dolphin fish head but i guess i just gotta spend more time catchin a damn dolphinfish or wahoo then going crabbing lol::) ;)

[Blackened]

Hey Dave,
I have used chicken frames for years but the last couple of years have been leen.

Shane
ps Will I be seeing you over the weekend??? If not after talking to Pete, I might catch up with you next week.

G'day

Bloody oath you will, see you in a few hours

Dave

[choppa]

nothing wrong with chicken frames,,,,, and to add a bit of excitement throw in a cup of tuna oil (pure),,,,,

i'm lucky enough to have an exclusive freezer (thanks santa) for the fish bait/berley/frames etc etc,,,, i use a standard plastic bucket with a lid,,, chook frames in 1,,,, fish frames the other,,,, both get a liberal splash of tuna oil,,, and if anything is left over after a trip,,, straight to the freezer to await the next one,,,

can't really say 100% on which i've had more success on,,,, but the chook definately work,,,,,

choppa

[mudskipper]

30 YEARS AGO IT WASN'T THAT HARD TO GET A FEED OF MUDDIES. SINCE THEN THE POPULATION HAS TRIPLED OR BETTER, TO BUY ONE U PAY $35 - $45, and TOO MANY MUGS STARTED TAKING LARGE FEMALES OR ANYTHING THAT THEY PULLED UP OR PULLING THE CLAWS OFF SO THEY COULDN'T FEED. I WOULD PERSONALLY ENDORSE PUBLIC CASTRATION FOR ANY ONE TAKING A FEMALE. IF 50% OF CRABS MATURED (ITS PROBABLY LESS)AND 50% WERE MALES, HOW MANY BREEDERS DO U NEED TO KEEP PACE WITH AN EVER INCREASING POPULATION ? - ANSWER - PROBABLY MORE THAN WE'VE GOT. THE TAKING OF WIDE TAIL BUCKS AND GENDER DISFUNCTIONAL MALES WILL ONLY BRING CLOSER THE DAY WHEN ALL CRABS R IMPORTED, A BAG LIMIT OF 1, CLOSED SEASONS AND 80% OF THE BAY IS A NO GO ZONE ARE THE NORM. THEN YOU'LL BE TELLING PEOPLE ABOUT THE GOOD OLE DAY'S WHEN U COULD CRAB ANYWHERE ANYTIME.

[codz22]

I dont really think the crabs mind what they eat at all its more the fact of how much they can smell it and from how far away. I was speaking to a pro a few years ago and he said he only uses oily fish such as mullet and tuna because the way the oil disspersed in the water and held its smell alot longer. personaly i have had alot of success with this theory although most of the time i just use whats in the freezer

[sandbankmagnet]

very interesting about the big berried jenny watta. goes against a lot of other theories but it's proof they still breed.

my favourite crabbing spot is about 200 metres long by about 2 metres wide. miss it and I catch nothing.

I was at Samie's Girl this arvo. They had 2 live muddies in there. One looked small and the other looked green. Not allowed to touch though aparently so couldn't tell how full they were. $50 a kg. Makes me feel good about getting 6 last weekend. Spoilt maybe.

[CreelReaper]

Thanks guys, Food for thought I must say. Don't ya just love these forums!!!!:)
Sandbankmagnet sounds like you need to guard that area. Is it always productive???
Mudskipper a well put through argument. It is just a shame that a large proportion of the Jennies we got the other night were in fact without at least one claw. Also have to raise the question about how many jennies are taken for the table.
Are mud crabs loyal to eachother???? I thought they kept mating with different partners throughout the season?????
I know years ago people used to camp along the banks of Tinny Creek up toward Horseshoe bend and just cook anything that came into the pot. very hard to prove though unless caught red handed.
Shane

[CHAPPY]

Re crab bait,

My best results has been with pigs heads. You ask your butcher to get them in for you and cut them into bait-size bits with his band-saw. First tried them on the noosa heaps of muddies. Then tried them at Inskip. Caught both sandy and muddie.

Regards BNush Budah.

[bermo82]

Hi all,

Im new to the web site, and ive been waiting to put in a post. This topic is right up my alley.

Mudskipper: I couldn't agree more with you about the castration process for those taking of jennies or breaking claws. I think the day (if it happens) that jennies regardless of size are taken, it will spell the end of crabbing in queensland as we know it. QLD will end up the same as NSW where catching a crab at all is exciting, let alone a keeper( as i discovered on a recent trip to Brunswick heads)

I crab regularly and have no problems catching a feed if i put in a little effort and learn from my unsuccessfull trips, if people can't catch a crab then it is due to poor pot placement or poor choice of tides and not because there are no crabs around. As you all would know trial and error and developing some local knowledge is the best way to get a feed of the sweet tasting muddies.

Anyway enough from me

Bermo

[Bloody Grinner]

new to Australia, new to crabbing.
I have been putting out pots for a few months now but I don't really know what to look out for.

I walk over the mudflats and in between mangroves and look for burrows. I have been placing my pots onto the mangrove shoots because there was no clear ground. However I'm not sure whether the shoots get in the way for the crabs to come in and/or whether they 'help' the crab climb back out the pot. ?????

Also, I hear crabs have good memory. If a pot is placed right outside their burrow, would they recognize that as an 'unfamiliar object' and therefore avoid it???

Any help is much appreciated because I am yet to catch a legal size buck! :D

[CreelReaper]

Hey there Bloody Grinner,
Land based crabbing is so much harder. What area are you targetting? Crabbing to me depends on a number of factors. Time of year, how much rain or lack thereof, and tidal cycle to name a few. What baits are you using??
Generally though I like to find areas where there is a close by mangrove root system....the thicker the better. I don't generally have much luck with pots in under 1.5m at top of tide. Others may disagree and thats cool!!!! I will also look for areas that naturally drain, e.g. small feeder creeks or at least dips in the bottom. The type of pot also could be an issue. Baits I regularly use are mullet, assorted fish frames and pilchards and as stated above......the good old chicken frames. Do a search through these forums and I am sure you will find an absolute bounty of relevant info.
Also having access to a boat just widens your horizons so much more.

Cheers

Shane
pm me if you would like some more info.

[AussieBrad]

this isnt rocket science in brisbane guys

Brissie Crabs Eat Brisbane River Cat Fish.

When you catch those pesky forktails, put them in your pots whole... Crabs in 15minute

Giggity Giggity!

[bondy99]

Well there you go, not long ago (through the grape vine) I heard that Qld DPI&F was going to allow the taking of jennies in Qld waters, but it would have been a braisen balled person to make a decision as all persons have been educated from the onset that taking or possessind female crab (muddy in this instance) is prohibited with heft fines.

In NSW the Fisheries have allowed persons to keep jennies as long as they are not berried, why is this so? Research had been undertaken throughout the state on population dynamics, recruitment, etc over a long long time and was indicated there would be an imbalance.

Hence Qld DPIF have decided to breed and market (sell) mudcrabs to the public (via selected sellers) both bucks and jennies but a receipt would need to be kept. The other hurdle to overcome is to distinguish the bred jennie from the wild jennie in case one does get pulled over by fisheries on a suspicion or random vehicle check (this was also featured on landline and another programme about 2 years ago). Interesting proposition.