Is it possible to catch mud crabs without a boat?

[Yuffie]

Been seeing a few posts about mud crabs, thinking it must be mud crab season.

We just took up fishing as a hobby and have very basic rods etc, and no boat, but I love mud crabs!!
Is there any ways to catch mud crabs without a boat to drop traps and pots?
Any help's appreciated~

[bidkev]

Welcome to the site yuffie. Mate, it ain't that easy to catch 'em with a boat nowadays, let alone without one.

My last trip to the pin last weekend produced not one oversize buck in haunts where we usualy get 'em. Plenty of big jennies and small bucks but a complete dissapointment compared to previous catches considering that we had given these spots a complete rest for 12 months. They are spots that no-one else (to our knowledge know of). Luckily, we have other spots that we have also "rested" for 18 months so hopefully we'll fare better next time out.

Most of these spots are out of water 20 hrs a day and we have even seen muddies enter the pots when they were high and dry. We enter the creeks initially in a 10ft stessl and the most productive spots are accessed by walking into the mangroves to small lagoons that only flood at high. Not the "mainstream" method of catching 'em but opf use nowadays as most spots that were once productive are either fished out or subject to pot thieves.

If you can use your UBD in conjunction with a Beacon to beacon, you may be able to suss some spots that are accessible on foot whilst also spending time in the vicinity chucking a line.

After a big wet, the muddies push out to find salt and some of my biggest bucks have been caught from sandgate pier and hornibrook bridge, whilst I was fishing shore based without a boat.

Good luck

kev

If things get better with age, I must be approaching magnificent!

[Louis]

If you don't have access to a boat then try dropping pots into any mangrove lined creeks in your neighbourhood.



Louis

[fish2eat]

as long as you can get access to a mangrove lined creek, you can do well.

last crabbing season i went up to a property fronting Elimbah Creek (off the Pumicestone Passage) and a guy there drops his pots in from the creek bank and gets up to 7 crabs from just a couple of pots.

as with land based fishing, strat with a map to suss out likely spots then do a foot patrol....

[marlinqld]

Plenty of spots on the banks of Tingalpa creek you can get a pot in without a boat.

The council have put 2 dedicated fishing/crabing platforms on the new bicycle/pedestrian bridge over the creek on Rickertt rd.

What part of town you from?


Mike

[Yuffie]

Thanks for all the quick responses, glad to know I'll still be able to try crabbing without a boat! ;D

Mike, I live in Parkinson, about 30 - 40 minutes drive south of CBD.
I don't think there's any creeks near my area, but happy to drive up to an hour to a spot. Although the closer the better, so that we might be able visit weekdays sometimes too. ::)
Been checking out Paradise Point, and been up to the Sunshine Coast last week when I had a couple of days off. Enjoyed the area there, and caught a few bream. Although I was a bit disppointed not finding any pipies.
Have also tried Brisbane River from Pinkenba, and Port of Bris, but didn't catch any fish there. Must be our skills, need more practice :-/

Flo

[mangomick]

Yuffie
If you have access to salt water creeks or river banks just cut some long sticks and hang dillies off them. The crabs can access the bait quicker if you use dillies. Try the suicide type . They tangle up and cant get away as easy We used to hang them off the river bank and check them every 20 minutes or so while fishing. If you are around mangrove country you can walk them in but be prepared to get pretty dirty and be prepared to feed the sand flies. At least if you use dillies you are pretty sure no one has lifted your pot while its been sitting in the water over night. Being new I hope you know how to tell the difference between a male and female by the shape of the flap underneath. Pointy flap and its a male and broad its a female.
Cheers
mangomick

[DazSamFishing]

Yuffie,

Also, if you do end up fishing mangrove lined creeks/etc and you have a spare rod, attach a hefty peice of meat/bait on a hook... and wait till the line goes tight... I use to do this when I was young in the logan and coomera river... We use to sit off a public pontoon and wait until the line went tight... usually meant a muddie was walking away with the bait... all you need to do is slowly and patiently retreive the line... and wait with a landing net... If it lets go... stop winding and free spool more line!


Good luck

Daz

[Poodroo]

I used to do okay throwing the pots out off the banks of the Logan river. Slowly but surely however my pots mysteriously vanished over the years most likely because other people thought they were poorer than I and they deserved to own the crabpots more than me. :-/ I never replaced them thinking it was cheaper to just buy myself a muddie or two from the vendors on the side of the road when I see them. Good luck though. Keep an eye on your pots. ;)

Poodroo

[chrisfish]

I have caught muddies on the rod and reel as well - wind them in slowly and they will hang on for the ride. They usually only let go when they break the surface of the water so if you have a net to scoop them up you'll do OK.

[Scalem]

We were holidaying at the broadwater tourist caravan park and caught a legal buck right there at Lota creek while my daughter caught her 1st ever fish. ( a bream) It was a great holiday!! ;D That was when I was saving my pennys for a new motor on the boat, being restricted to little throws into the water from the bank. Certainly can be done!!

Scalem

[zach]

hey mate
i use to catch muddys of land base fishing u can do it of bridges but make sure the rope is bright colour so boaters can see it and u can tye it of to mangrove trees on a muddy bank hope this helps
cheers
zach

[fish2eat]

forgot to mention that I was fishing the beach at south straddie a few months ago with Lone_wolf and he pulls up this BIG mudcrab from the surf ......bugger it was a jenny!!!! so you can get them anywhere

[Duyz72]

When I used to live on the Coomera River I would throw out a pot "discus style" at low tide.
Tie up on a tree.
I would then come back at high tide (sometimes would be left in all day while at work) and pull it in.
Always had a stack, but getting a male was the tricky part!

Luckily no bugger stole any of my pots which is a bonus!

[KelvinH]

I've caught a few using lift nets in the canals.

[Kendall249]

Long hook/ wire coathanger, finding a hole and pulling them out. Pretty sure its not legal, but crawling around mangroves in lizard country can be unforgiving to say the least. So between the fishos and lizards this technique is not recommended. Though you may find it interesting all the same.