Gold Coast mud crabs

[Braddles]

I have been fortunate enough to have days off coinciding with a mate mid week and decided to go crabbing.

Dropped 8 pots around paradise point - fished for two hours and checked pots - already 1 keeper buck and loads of undersized and jennies.

Emptied out, and dropped again - this time leaving for the night.

Back at 7am - a guy in a tiller steer unpainted approx 15ft new looking hull with new looking 70hp Johnson was meters from our pots when we rounded the bend and he took off.. I was so disappointed that 1 of our $50 pots were gone (? In his boat). Why couldn't he take one of the cheapies grrrrr!! I couldn't prove anything - and he was long gone - but very very suss. He didn't even wave when we waved - just stared at us and took off..

Anyway - we got 9 keeper bucks, through back loads just under size and heaps of jennies. With the one the day before we had 10 crabs!!

They were turned into Singapore chillie mud crab and black pepper mud crab - sensational!!!!

pics attached (hopefully).

[metal magician]

what a mongrel had that happen to me at the pin very annoying

[bermo82]

Great work mate, the next couple days look really good for putting the pots out.

Those meals are making me hungry!

Cheers
Bermo

[Braddles]

Went again today (dropped pots last night, pick up this morning first thing) - only to have had our pots tampered with or stolen!

TBH I'm not sure I'll bother again - some filthy scum repeatedly stealing of people's hard work and good fortune.

our first run of pots closest to ramp were all over the shop (not a neat line) and our gps dots were off - these were our cheap BCF pots... 4 for $60 with rusty rings type jobs - pulled them up - no crabs, no bait, zip tie sealing pot gone! Every one!!

fuming - we proceeded to next spot....

no pots, anywhere. These were the $60ea pro crab pots. ($50 pots, floats, clips, new rope I'd just bought and fitted Grrrr)...

i am so angry that some people think this is ok - and probably watched us leave...

Anyway we we did have two pots difficult to spot and scored 5 keeper bucks from just 2 pots. 1 went 2.6kg!!! All very full.

I have to acknowledge how wonderful fisheries were when I reported this. I have photographed the boat I believe may be involved - we seen him checking various styles of pots - so may have caught him.. Fisheries are following up!!

fisheries are are also increasing patrols, random pot pulls, equipment and catch checks too and some other tricks in their bag which I probably shouldn't mention here - suffice to say - you never know what technology the crab in someone else's pot is carrying :-)

im also buying a go pro or similar to mount in bushes to keep watch over my pots if I can't stay with them :-)

Watch your pots guys - $250 worth of pots and my time to replace these really sours an otherwise awesome catch.

Regards,

Brad

[Braddles]

Pics from today.

[Swanie1975]

Last sat middayish I mate and I put out 8 pots starting from the first corner out of paradise point and around up to couran cove, went to tipplers for a quiet couple and checked on the way back. 2hr soak I guess and had crabs in all pots but mainly Jenny's and half dozen just undersize bucks (1-2mm under but still too small) with only 1 real big full keeper which I gave to a mate recovering from an operation thinking I would strike gold in the morning.

left overnight and checked again early sun morning only to find the first 6 pots had been opened (zip ties cut) and they hadn't even bothered to close the pots. Last two pots had the biggest blue blubber jelly and a dirty slimey eel so not exactly happy when I got back to the ramp.

I guess you have to sit and watch the pots now, kinda sad the state it's come too around that area. Didn't see any boats interfering tho. Might have to start a crab watch roster lol!

cheers Ryan

[Braddles]

We need a neighborhood watch for our pots! :-)

if we can get a night shot fish eye lense with 12hr record capacity it would be awesome. looking at a few now... .

my next days off we might wait in ambush too...

If we do catch them - we won't have to buy crab bait for a long time!

[Swanie1975]

Yes it would be nice to have the time to catch the buggars but with the young family I've got and my 2 day old new boy I'm gonna be lucky to put the boat in the water lol!

meant to say I always wanted to try that Singapore chilli crab recipe and your pics of it are mouthwatering - good job well done.

cheers Ryan

[Scalem]

Braddles I feel devastated for you, I lost one pot but I think due to a big tidal run.... Only 1 pot and it hurt, so I can only imagine how you must feel. That's why I changed to sand crabs ( as much as I miss the bulk of a big muddie), you can mark your GPS spot out in the middle of the bay and it's less likely some scum bag decides to share with you. Nice work on the chilli crab , is that corriander? Same ingredients as I used recently, even the chilli. But you would have more hair on your chest than me putting in chilli with the seeds, too hot for me, just the right amount of bite if I take the seeds out. Next time you want more chilli, grab some off my bush for free, I've got more than I can give away at the moment. 5 mins detour off the M1.

Being local I would love to see a photo of the suspected boat so I can store that image in my memory....

Scalem

[jmwarner]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2j2C7149xGA

Always wanted to try this, or i wonder if there's a way to put a GPS tracker in the float to see if you can catch them red handed. Maybe use a hole saw and seal with white silicone but not sure if the signal would still work

[kingcray]

gee they look good. 2.6kg is a monster. Hopefully I can get a few over the weekend

[Braddles]

Thanks guys for your kind words - much appreciated.

Fisheries will do their best - but they have a massive area to patrol, with limited resources and although I am assured they will concentrate on the area I was in in the immediate future - these guys are cunning, and the problem is wide spread over the Broadwater and up to and including Moreton bay.

Last week - we left our pots late in the afternoon and came back first thing in the morning - and we had been targeted.

Yesterday - we were again back first thing in the morning - so we were being watched - or they come in, during the cover of darkness and rape and pillage other's property.
Last week was the shiny (near new) unpainted tinny with either tiller steer or rear side console, with a new yammy 4 stroke engine idling around near our pots as we rounded the last bend... When he seen us he sped over the other side of the river, then when we were near our pots - he took off. We waved - he didn't... just sped off... and its 6 knots through there. Very sus!

The guy yesterday we watched from a distance go from float to float pulling up pots about 1km from where ours were set - as we got closer - we could see some were dark coloured mesh, the last one had bright red mesh - plausible to have various pots yes - but weird... and he was one up, and checked many pots - so illegal in any case! We went passed him and went out of sight around a bend, we then turned around and came back at him, and as we rounded the bend - he was back to pulling pots! I photographed his boat (which Fisheries have) and went over and came along side... He had NO fishing gear visible (hoping to see my pots) but did have a large forward locker and a massive seat which I suspect was like a 150L - 200L padded esky... which I didn't see in obviously.. He was friendly and said he had also had his pots emptied that morning - but then after leaving him - we thought what better way if you were a crook being caught - then to be calm and nice as pie and play a victim too....

Bermo: Yes full moon always works favourably for me too with mud crabs. You should try the Singapore Chilli Crab - Amazing!

Ryan (Swanie 1975) - Sorry to hear you have been affected too mate. We met a dear old man (82!!) who was launching his old dingy (Alone!) with a little parsun's outboard at the ramp - he goes crabbing around there at least weekly - he too told us his pots have been checked and stolen of late. I felt more sad for him than ourselves - as pensioner - its making it unaffordable for him to buy bait daily for no crabs and having to replace pots all the time.. Its so great to see a fisherman of that age with a level of independence to take his boat out and enjoy our great hobby - and to see some mongrel try and take that away from him infuriates me!

Scalem: Thanks mate for your kind offer of chillies! I love a bit of heat in my cooking :-) We have the birds eye chillies which just self propagate and pack a punch! Yes - that was coriander over the top.. The washed roots went in the curry - and the leaves over the top at the end.. Also some diagonally chopped shallots and chillies, with seeds (good spotting!!).. Scalem - I have the pics - but I cant be certain this is the guy.... the shiny tinny was equally as suspect but my phone / camera were in the car back at the ramp.. I can email you the pic - but I don't want to ruin an investigation or tarnish a guy for a crime he may not have committed. In any case though - he was operating more pots than he was allowed.

J M Warner - The fisheries now have various ticks up their sleeves. A GPS tracker the size of grain of rice can he harmlessly fitted to crabs and left in a pot marked as a recreational fisher - and once poached - tracked! They take it very seriously - I was actually expecting a brush off from fisheries, as I have no firm evidence etc - but they were fabulous, and followed up with several emails seeking clarifications etc and have involved the water police for a joint operation.

Recipes for Singapore Chilli Crab and Singapore Black Pepper Crab were from sbs.com - I can find the links again if anyone interested cant find them.

Kind regards,

Brad.

[Braddles]

King cray - yes - he was an absolute monster! He could fit a coke can in his open claw. He was rusty orange colour underneath and made the other crabs look tiny. It must have been a tight squeeze for him to get in the pot... I boiled them last night - and had our big boiler filled and bubbling with seawater - but only he fitted - I had to cut the ties to fold up his claws to put the lid on hahaha!

His mates had to wait in the ice slurry before going into the "spa" after him!

I need a big crab cooker!!!

[Braddles]

one thing I forgot to mention: PLEASE REPORT IT if you experience theft of crab pots, people taking from your pots, and take photos of any boats you see interfering in pots / suspicious activity (eg checking more than 4 pots if only 1 person on board). Fisheries have been excellent and very proactive in this. Fisheries is 1800 017 116

Information you provide will help the officers with allocation of resources specifically targeting areas with active problems. They really are on our side and I think the only way we can get these scum bags is if we work together as a team :-)

Good luck to the guys who are going out, and thanks again for your kind words - I appreciate it.

[Phydeaux]

I wonder how legal would it be keep my spear fishing gear in the boat ......i swear to God if I ever catch one of these pricks I will put hole in their boat and leave them there to sink

[Scalem]

I wonder how legal would it be keep my spear fishing gear in the boat ......i swear to God if I ever catch one of these pricks I will put hole in their boat and leave them there to sink

Phydeaux, can't talk like that mate! Hurling sinkers etc etc. Braddles is onto it, deal with it within the law, there are enough AF members here to shut them down I reckon, if we all keep our eyes peeled and have the fisheries phone number handy. Off to print a Brother PTouch label right now.....

Scalem

[Phydeaux]

not in my books! I drop my pots in Logan river, friend owns some land and I use it to anchor my pots, one day a little dingy was there checking my pots and the guy said "your pots mate?" I said yes! wtf are you doing? he said "just checking your pots mate" and he showed me the middle finger and left ... I swear I felt like swing after him, next week 2 pots were gone.

these people are the lowest of the scum the fisheries will open an enquiry and do not much else unless you have solid proof, which if you have you have to check with the fisheries and demand a written explanation of the outcome of your complaint, else it just gets filed

[Scalem]

Let's say you catch them red handed mate. I hope you are a front row footballer and know how to handle yourself..either way, start researching when visiting hours are, if you aren't up for assault yourself you might make headline news for all the wrong reasons. Just looking out for ya!

Scalem

[Phydeaux]

I'm not a front rower but i can hold my own. The reason people target specific groups to steal from it's because punishment from big brother is non existent. The way I see it these people take some pliers with them on a dingy an at the crack of dawn check all the pots and go home with a full esky, if they see a good looking pot they just take it, they throw the tags overboard and it's their property, unless you film them you have no proof and they won't be stupid enough to stay there so you can film them, they just move along like nothing happen. I'm against violence but sometimes you have to sort things out mano e mano

anyhow back on topic ... with the fresh up the river I think the mouth of logan river and Cold Coast should be crawling with muddies, i'm of dropping a few around the gateway bridge this weekend and see if I get a feed, haven't take the boat out for over a month

[Braddles]

Spear gun? WHat spear gun? Must have fallen over on a mangrove root officer.

[jmwarner]

If anyone has facebook theres a page called crab watch QLD https://www.facebook.com/crabwatch?fref=ts could be good to get a name and shame album if people are caught red handed

[Braddles]

with the fresh up the river I think the mouth of logan river and Cold Coast should be crawling with muddies, i'm of dropping a few around the gateway bridge this weekend and see if I get a feed, haven't take the boat out for over a month

Hey Phydeaux -- how did you go around the bridge? I have a few little spots between the bridge and the mouth - tried them around G20 time but nearly got arrested (long story) - must have been too early in season then as only got one legal buck..

I've been doing alright down Gold COast way - so have not bothered to go back in Brissy River.. I know they say its OK to eat stuff out of it these days - but the smells tell me otherwise some days - and thinking they have been burrowing around in that muddy sediment makes me worry a bit what is in the meat :-)

I see you are in Mt Gravatt area (Meet and Greet page) - Im in Salisbury!!

Brad :-)

[Phydeaux]

Hit about 8 per pot, about 18cm each, all females! i all 4 pots, I think its been crabbed out

moved the pots to the channel markers outside in the bay and targeted some sandies, I'll let you know how it went when I go pick them out sometimes tomorrow.

yup I'm in upper Mnt Gravatt and normally launch from cos, if you go down the coast let me know, might tag along, got a 16 footer sky converted to center console

[Braddles]

Hahaha bugger!

I would go today - days off mid week - but my Jeep is in getting the hail damaged fixed - and the little colt our second car wouldn't pull the empty trailer lol.

Next week hopefully!!

Good luck with the pots when you pull them tomorrow! Hopefully no one has shared your success.

[Phydeaux]

it's interesting that the closer to the bridge from the mouth of the river side you are the more sandies you get, i had one closer to the bridge and was full of sandies, undersized and no muddies in that pot at all the others were full of females

I'll see if i can get out tomorrow morning to collect the pots, I don't expect anything in them as they would be emptied by now, would be nice if they throw some chicken frames or fish frames in when they empty them...

[BLOOEY]

Gotta say i've never had pots lifted from the brissy. Ben

[Phydeaux]

Headed to the bay today but after an oil change on the df50 I got there in the run in tides and only managed to lift one pot before the waves were getting too big and the tide was running in really hard. Baited and left the pot there and went home, going tomorrow morning to pick them up. I think the bay is safer for crabbing, these low life scums don't make it that far into the bay

[Phydeaux]

tried to launch from brisbane port this morning at about 6am and was full, no car spots left so drove to Coms and was all good, din't take the fishing rods with me. Water was nice and retrieved all pots and got a decent feed. Will crab again next weekend but the amount of females was insane, two pots were absolutely full with them, I guess it's pretty fished out

[Flash the toad feeder]

Another thing for the bastards to steal! Those Gp Pros are expensive.
There are cheaper cameras around but you just might need the resolution of a Go Pro to capture rego numbers and descriptions.

[Phydeaux]

you can get the hunting cameras which have motion sensors like http://game-camera-review.toptenreviews.com

[Flash the toad feeder]

That would be better for this purpose than a Go Pro.
Except the motion detector only works out to 12 metres.

You might have to get a video and run it all the time. The cheapest Go Pro has a similar resolution to the best camera on that link and for a similar price.
Don't know about the infra red though.

[scottar]

Many moons ago heard a story about a pro in Pumicestone Passage who had a solution for blokes checking his pots. When he caught up with them they received a 12 gauge cartridge - unceremoniously discharged through the bottom of their boat. Rumour has it one bloke simply calmly placed his foot over the hole - but then couldn't reach the other one that was placed at the other end. He did get a holiday in the big house for his efforts though.

I do agree with the other lads about not getting into a stoush with these lowlifes. I know a few of the objects that get carried in the side pockets on my rig - besides the obvious knives that would make pretty handy weapons and I'm pretty sure my boat would not be the only one with them. A time out may be the least of your worries if you go this way. Smart thing is get some piccy's or even better video footage to make Fisheries job easy for them.