mudcrab catch problem........

[alcam2001]

So can I assume that the (just) undersize ones live (burrow) locally halfway up the tidal reaches, or do they migrate back and forward to the sea (bay or beyond) ??.

I have also done lots of searches on the internet on this and I have been unable to find anything that tells me exactly what a mudcrab does - where it grows up, how often it migrates, how far up or down river, how far out to sea, how often it moves, how territorial etc etc .

Is there some source of this info in Qld ? - must be fairly common to want to know (I have done many, many lengthy web searches and no good answers at all)
The responses here on ausfish (and older posts also) are by far the most useful practical info I have been able to get.

[TheRealAndy]

So can I assume that the (just) undersize ones live (burrow) locally halfway up the tidal reaches, or do they migrate back and forward to the sea (bay or beyond) ??.

I have also done lots of searches on the internet on this and I have been unable to find anything that tells me exactly what a mudcrab does - where it grows up, how often it migrates, how far up or down river, how far out to sea, how often it moves, how territorial etc etc .

Is there some source of this info in Qld ? - must be fairly common to want to know (I have done many, many lengthy web searches and no good answers at all)
The responses here on ausfish (and older posts also) are by far the most useful practical info I have been able to get.

The research is pretty scarce in moreton bay, but the basic theory is (contrary to my last incorrect statement) is that they crab sporn in the bay but move away to hatch the larvae because they are very sensative to saline levels. The females can only breed when they are maulting. When the mault, they are in their holes, hence the reason hooking is now banned in QLD. Contrary to popular belief, they mault all year round, not just in the colder months.

The reason the mault less in the colder month is becuase maulting is hormonal. Because a crab is cold blooded, hormone activity reduces in winter which slows them down. They feed less, therefore they are harder to catch. This is why in winter you always catch less, but get better crab.

[dfox]

Get yourself a copy of the "Mudcrab book" it will have alot of info your after ... foxy

[alcam2001]

I am also getting the problem of crabs cutting through the nylon mesh of the pot and also the mesh bait pocket - seems to happen if left for more than 6 hours or if the bait is all eaten.........(I guess they want to go somewhere else..). Apart from the obvious of checking more often (not always possible), or buying better pots (the crab'n'gear one seems to be immune from this, but cost 3 times more..) - any hints about preventing this so I don;t have to do big mesh and pocket fixes so often ?

[sandbankmagnet]

gutter guard cut and folded into pockets are good for crab baits. I generally use cable ties to stitch the sides up.

[trueblue]

use home brand cat food cans, punch holes in them with an oyster knife.

"Chunky Pilchard" cat food works well fro me - they can't get into it so there is always bait working for you.

I also chuck lots of fish bits into a bait bag as well (reef fish skins, frames, heads whatever - just leftover crap that in itself would not attract the crabs) because this gives them something to eat and seems to stop them fighting in the pot.

cheers

Mick

[trueblue]

Get yourself a copy of the "Mudcrab book" it will have alot of info your after ... foxy

Where can we get a copy of this book?

cheers

Mick

[rob tranter]

So can I assume that the (just) undersize ones live (burrow) locally halfway up the tidal reaches, or do they migrate back and forward to the sea (bay or beyond) ??.

I have also done lots of searches on the internet on this and I have been unable to find anything that tells me exactly what a mudcrab does - where it grows up, how often it migrates, how far up or down river, how far out to sea, how often it moves, how territorial etc etc .

Is there some source of this info in Qld ? - must be fairly common to want to know (I have done many, many lengthy web searches and no good answers at all)
The responses here on ausfish (and older posts also) are by far the most useful practical info I have been able to get.

Can't answer your questions and it looks as though most have already done that anyway, but I have seen them 20+k's out to sea swimming about.

No idea where they're going

Rob T

[TheRealAndy]

Can't answer your questions and it looks as though most have already done that anyway, but I have seen them 20+k's out to sea swimming about.

No idea where they're going

Rob T

They swim out to sea once they have sporned apparently. The mud crab book (mentioned previously) also confirms this theory.