North Pine Redclaw 27/02

[Freeeedom]

Put the traps in near Bullocky's Rest for about five hours. Redclaws were a bit scarce, but to compensate the quality was pretty good. Managed only 22 but most were medium to large, with only one or two smallish ones. The odd heavy shower made life interesting as well.
Cheers Freeeedom

[Canoedle]

Nice one m8, hows the Bass around there at the moment?

[Louis]

Nice catch

Well done

What bait were you using?



Louis

[Freeeedom]

I was using garfish that I caught in the dam last week for bait. I got about 50 gar last Wednesday but couldn't find any other fish - not even an eel-tailed catfish. The water level is quite low and the weed beds along which I was catching nice bass and silver perch at this time last year are completely gone.
Cheers Freeeedom

[Canoedle]

bUGGA :(

[Always_Sunburnt]

Nice catch Freeeedom. I am new to the redclaw game and went out and bought 4 nice new opera house traps last weekend.
A few questions:
-Do you just wade in and put the traps near the bank?
-Do you have floats on your traps?
-What do you look for eg weed, or can you put them in anywhere - I went out to Bullocky's Rest on the weekend and could see no weed, and I don't have a canoe to get out on the dam.
-What can I use for bait ie: pilchards?
-What time is the best?

Sorry about all the questions, but I really want to catch some of the little (or not so little) buggers!!!

Cheers,
Jason

[Freeeedom]

Answers to questions
1. Tie about 10m of light rope to each pot then throw the pot out as far as you can. Make sure you are holding the other end or have it securely tied to a peg. Throw the pots like you would a discus so that they spin in the air and remain upright. Remember you must have a tag with your name and address on every pot or stake to which they are tied.
2. No floats since they are tied to the bank. Water craft and swimming are not permitted on North Pine (except for permit holders) so you can't put them out in the middle of the dam anyway
3. There are no weed beds there at the moment. Just throw the pots out from the edge about 20m apart and check them every 30 - 45 minutes. If there are no redclaws after a couple of runs move them to another location.
4. Almost any bait will do, but I prefer the meat baits. I was out there last week and as a test I put out 4 traps with rockmelon skin and four with garfish. We only got 11 that night, all on the garfish. Last time with a vegetable bait for me! I have also had success using pilchards and lamb off-cuts and bones from the supermarket. Some people use tins of catfood with a few holes punched in them. Unfortunately they then leave them littering the foreshore. I use garfish because they are free from the dam.
5. Night time for me. Last year I fished the dam a lot because the weed problem in the sunshine coast surf was so bad. During the day I was using 4 reclaw traps to catch live shrimp for bait and I would pick up 3 or 4 redclaws in maybe 6 hours. But going back at night using 8 traps we would often get 60 - 80 reclaws in 6 hours.

Since you have to sit and wait between running the pots you can also take a rod or two and fish while you wait (make sure you take a chair). Using garden worms you are likely to pick up the odd eel-tail catfish or silver perch (and a few turtles) to make the night a bit more interesting.
Cheers Freeeedom

[Kayak1]

Hi Freeeedom. Thanks for those pointers... such a wealth of information freely given. I'm sure not only Jason, but all would be redclaw chasers will benefit. I certainly found the mixes of baits quite eye opening. In the past I have used only one type of bait in all of my 4 pots and have probably missed out as a result. I'll be experimenting with a different bait in each pot from now on to see what works best in my location.

Cheers,
Steve.

[Always_Sunburnt]

Thanks a lot Freeeedom for that information. I am going to have a go at it this weekend as it will be blowing a gale on the bay. I will let you know how I go.

Whats the go with those signs out there regarding blue green algae? Is it reason for concern??

[Freeeedom]

No problem with the blue-green algae and redclaws. If the algae is bad they just recommend that you gut any fish you catch quickly to prevent contamination of the flesh from the gut contents after the fish dies. Hopefully this rain will remove any algal build up.
Cheers Freeeedom

[2DKnBJ]

Freedom
What type of pots do you use for the Red Claw.
Cheers Dazza

[Freeeedom]

Freedom
What type of pots do you use for the Red Claw.
Cheers Dazza
Hi Dazza - I've got four opera house traps and four square traps which I use when I take the son-in-law along. I find the square traps a bit better than the opera house type
Cheers Freeeedom

[2DKnBJ]

Cheers Mate
Will have to go and have a look at some.
Where do you suggest buying the pots from.I am at Albany Creek.
Cheers Dazza

[Always_Sunburnt]

Hi Dazza,
I got 4 opera house pots from BCF at Strathpine for $4.75 each. They had a special where they were 4 for $15 but I missed out on that by one day. Bummer!

One more question for Freeeedom. Do you use an air pump in the bucket for your catch of Red Claw?

Cheers mate,
Jason

[2DKnBJ]

Cheers Mate
Will have to go and have a look at some.
Where do you suggest buying the pots from.I am at Albany Creek.
Cheers Dazza

[Freeeedom]

Hi Dazza,

One more question for Freeeedom. Do you use an air pump in the bucket for your catch of Red Claw?

Cheers mate,
Jason

No - just put about an inch (2.5cm) of water in the bucket to keep them moist. They will survive for days like this as long as you keep them cool
Cheers Freeeedom

[Always_Sunburnt]

Hi Freeeedom,
Thanks for all your advice. I went out to Bullocky's Rest yesterday afternoon (In the rain and wind!) and put the pots in. Considering the weather I did not hang around as I was already drenched as the shorts and t-shirt I was wearing did not offer much protection.
I returned last night (in similar condidtions, but with a raincoat) and was delighted with my catch of eight large redclaw!
I just want to thank you for being so forthcoming with the advice and tips that you offered me so freely.

Cheers,
Jason

[Always_Sunburnt]

And again....

[-spiro-]

the redclaw aren't in population like last year there...... i think the water levels and not much weed around the shore line have alot to do with it?

[Freeeedom]

Glad to be of service, Always_Sunburnt. Good to see you got a few.
Agree with -spiro- that there aren't as many as last year. Checked last years diary - I had individual catches of 112 in 4 hours, 77 in 4.5 hours in February and 67 in 4.5 hours in March on the three occasions I targeted them at night. Gave me so many that I still have one block of frozen tails from last year in the freezer.
Cheers Freeeedom

[Always_Sunburnt]

Have you guys got any good recipies??

[land_based]

I went out there this arvo with 4 pots, only got 2 redcalw so they were released. But picked up a good 25 gar. There salted down and marinating in tuna oil for some top quality shark bait.

[Anne-T-Dote]

G'day Freeeedom - very nice catch of reddies there mate - they're huge.

Always Sunburnt:


Have you guys got any good recipies??

Check this out:

http://www.ausfish.com.au/cgi-ausfish/yabb2/YaBB.cgi?num=1139013445


on a side note and a little tip I can offer others so they don't make the same mistake as I did - I went a couple of times myself recently - the first time I put my redclaw into the bath tub and turned the tap on to fill the tub up to about 2 inches deep. This killed all the redcalw in about 12 hours - apparently (according to some freinds in the know) the chlorine in the town water killed them.

Next time I put them into the bath tub again, but filled the bath (up to 2 inches deep again) with RAINWATER this time from the tank using buckets - they were good as gold this time. So if you want to keep them alive, don't put town water in with them.

[Always_Sunburnt]

Can you catch gar at night??

Cheers!!

Jason

[Freeeedom]

Don't know - I've never tried!
Cheers Freeeedom

[Always_Sunburnt]

G'day again Freeeedom,
I was thinking of redcalwing at night, and to pass the time fishing for gar??
I will let you know how I go.

Hey, what would be your reccommended freshwater spot/ impoundment to go and camp and fish over easter??

Cheers!!

Jason

[Freeeedom]

Easter is one time of year I stay home. It is the worst time to try and get a camping spot and the fishing spots are so crowded it's hardly worth the time and effort. That doesn't help much - sorry!
Cheers Freeeedom

[Always_Sunburnt]

Yeah, I hear you, but I work full time and I am a part time student at University as well, so the only time that I can get away is with the hoards!!

Just wanted to pick your brain on where you think the best place you thought would be at this busy time of year...

Cheers,
Jason

[Freeeedom]

The weather begins to cool by Easter and for me that marks the beginning of the bream and tailor seasons in the salt. I never fish the dams during winter so I would only be guessing if I offered any suggestions. Does anyone else fish the dams in the cooler months?
Cheers Freeeedom

[Always_Sunburnt]

Can you catch Redclaw in the cooler months??

Oh, by the way, I bought a small quill float and hooks today as per your advice to catch gar. How do you attach the quill float??

Sorry for all the questions...

Cheers!!
Jason

[Freeeedom]

Generally the reclaws go quiet during the colder months. Since they are native to tropical north Queensland our winters can be a bit cold for them. I think we have bad redclaw seasons when we have a colder than normal winter which kills most of them off and they take a while to breed back up to good numbers.

Run your line through the eye at the bottom of the float and tie a very small swivel to it. Then add about 20cm of line with your number 12 hook. Tie a stopper knot (I use a piece of rubber band) on the line above the running float to let you set the bait depth to whatever you want and you're ready to go. The swivel provides a tiny bit of weight to take the bait down to the larger fish
Cheers Freeeedom

[young_315]

only just found this post, thanks for the info guys. been trying to give it a go on my own guessing.

[tiny_tinny]

Hi all,

Can anyone tell me if they still close the gates at the picnic area closest to the dam wall (Bullocky's Rest, I think it is??). I was there a few years back and the gates were closed at sunset, meaning that you need to leave your car outside and climb through the fence.

I was inspired by the success described above to have another go for myself, if I haven't left it too late in the season.

Thanks,

Mike

[Canoedle]

Hey Mike, pretty sure they still close the gate, used to be 6pm, plenty of grass to park on tho, and not really an inconvenience.

[The_Walrus]

The gates to all the picnic areas get closed at sundown.

Garfish fishing might be a tad difficult with the present weather. You'll need to find an area sheltered from the wind.

Might try for redclaws tommorow night.

Luc