First time prawn fishing

[cat_88]

Hi All

I was thinking about heading out on the weekend to try and catch some prawns. What sort of envrionment should I look for them in? Beach or estuary?

Is a cast net adequate for catching them? and what depth do you normally find them?

Cheers

Cat_88

[Blackened]

G'day

Cat....... best bet is a bost, but the bank can produce.

What is your location?

Estuary or bay, all depending on their movements.

Depth from 1/2 to 10 M, again, pending tides and movements..

A cast net will suffice, an 8' net is a good start for a beginner and a 12' if you're happy throwing one that sized for the more experienced... I find a 10' comfortable but don't have a worry with the 12.

Just look for the tinnies with the yellow raincoats and you will find the prawns.

For seq, they're still a little while away yet.

Dave

[cat_88]

Thanks Blackened

I'm in Mackay in Central Queesland.

I will have to bank fish cause I don't have a boat.

I will check out a few locations and see what happens.....

[Poodroo]

The deeper the prawns are the bigger the net needs to be and lots of rope to allow it to sink. You also are best using a net that has a top pocket in deeper waters. What I normally do is scout around in the shallows up close to the banks in the mangrove areas. The prawns that sit in the shallows literally flick themselves out of the water when disturbed by the boat so when you see several prawns doing this you instantly know where they are and then you can set your drift up to drift past them and cast your net in on top of them. If they are in the shallows then any net will do and in fact the smaller nets seem to do better than the larger nets with top pockets. So basically it is always good to have two nets to cover the different depths. Hope this helps.

Poodroo

[cat_88]

Hi Poodroo

Thanks heaps for that. I will keep an eye out on the water when I go to to see if any jump. I may also consider a different net to try and snag some.

Cat_88

[Chuckmeister]

G'day,

I've done a fair bit of casting for prawns from the bank (both up north and here in Bris). You'll do better with a prawn friendly net. Also, I reckon I have the most luck during the first half of the rising tide (although, others may disagree). I reckon the prawns (and bait fish for that matter) are keen to move into protective waters but you still have a chance before they can get amongst the mangroves. Early morning's good too.

This is just my observations. Others probably experience better luck at other times. Experiment and see what the local conditions are like for you.

Hope this helps.

Cheers

[bondy99]

anything is possible

[Benny01]

what is the go with the yellow raincoats

[oldboot]

Vietnamese navy.

[bondy99]

The Vietnamese navy can be overwhelming at times, apparently they all work for 1 person and all have yumcha at the same time.

[Benny01]

so you mean if you see a person in a yellow raincoat then its a gook

[bondy99]

so you mean if you see a person in a yellow raincoat then its a gook

Not all of them are "gooks" some are Aussies but the bulk are Vietnamese

[efc]

yep benny you got it in one