How's the fishing/yabbying at Somerset ATM

[Axl]

Heading back to the dam on the 17th, has anyone been there lately that can report on how The Red Claw catch rate is going?

All reports I have read say that this has been the worst year ever for Red Claw at Somerset, it looks like the catchment area had around 25mm of rain last week hopefully this is enough to stir them up.

[aussiebasser]

Great news for the bad year for Redclaw.

[Axl]

Second pull of our eight pots this morning and we have 52 Red Claw tails in the freezer, not great numbers but at least we are getting a feed.

[39NESP]

is that for 2 nights or 1 nights
cheers snap

[Axl]

is that for 2 nights or 1 nights
cheers snap

That was two nights, got another 29 this morning. Not great numbers but a feed non the less.

[39NESP]

hi akl
how did your redclaw trip end up did they improve with the rain
cheers snap

[Axl]

hi akl
how did your redclaw trip end up did they improve with the rain
cheers snap

Hi 39NESP we ended up with 124 tails frozen from six overnight soaks, not huge numbers but a nice feed to take home none the less. The majority of the catch were all good size not manly small ones at all really except a few in the first pull (which is pictured below), I thought the rain may have stirred them up a bit more as the week went on but it didn't seem too. Talking to others in the park who were yabbying they weren't getting massive numbers either. We took a cryovac machine with us and used this to freeze the tails for the first time as we have lost a few to icing up in our freezer at home in the past, only time will tell how this goes but it went well at the time of sealing them up. Hopefully we will get back out there around Oct/Nov for another run.

Once the skiers left on the Sunday afternoon we ended up with all the powered tent sites to ourselves for the next 4 nights20170321_093301.jpg
The rain was getting to be a little annoying though this was one of the lighter days20170320_154810.jpg
There were a few nice big ones in amongst our catch20170318_085907.jpg20170318_090102.jpg

[39NESP]

thanks for that Axl

[Axl]

The wife and I are heading to Somerset on the 13th of next month for a week to hopefully restock the freezer, are there any reports on yabby movements as yet?

[Axl]

.............................................

[39NESP]

The wife and I are heading to Somerset on the 13th of next month for a week to hopefully restock the freezer, are there any reports on yabby movements as yet?

hi Axl
been here for a week red claw are slow some days 5 or 6 other days 10 -15 fish are the same 1 -2 yellars one day none the next but improving another month they should be ok
cheers snap

[Axl]

hi Axl
been here for a week red claw are slow some days 5 or 6 other days 10 -15 fish are the same 1 -2 yellars one day none the next but improving another month they should be ok
cheers snap

Thanks for the update 39NESP, looks like some decent rain will fall in the catchment area on Monday-Tuesday which will hopefully help stir up the Red claw before we get there in two weeks time.

Where abouts are you yabbying down Queens st way or up in the sticks on the other side? I hope to run a string down around the Queen st area and see how a couple of pots go up in the sticks in the 5knt zone, obviously the water temp and depth will play a big part in where we eventually set our gear.

[39NESP]

Thanks for the update 39NESP, looks like some decent rain will fall in the catchment area on Monday-Tuesday which will hopefully help stir up the Red claw before we get there in two weeks time.

Where abouts are you yabbying down Queens st way or up in the sticks on the other side? I hope to run a string down around the Queen st area and see how a couple of pots go up in the sticks in the 5knt zone, obviously the water temp and depth will play a big part in where we eventually set our gear.

have tried every where

[Axl]

Well we had very wet and for want of a better word adventurous week up at Somerset. We only managed to get three pulls of our 8 pots over the week taking home 30 cryovaced Red Claw tails, they were all nice size but it was slow going. All up I think we had 200 plus mm of rain and when it wasn't raining we had high winds.

Firstly some pr^&k stole the kill switch key from my motor and as you would know this totally immobilises it. With 8 pots 5klms down the dam I was spewing to say the least, after trying to rig something up with what I had in the van rubber bands, pegs, bits of plastic sticks etc my patience had all but gone when the neighbour mention something that in my frame of mind I simply had not thought of. Tip for others if this ever happens and your no where near a marine shop ZIP TIE.

A couple of mornings later whilst making a cuppa I heard some of the neighbours talking about a swamped boat down at the ramp Oh S!%t I thought mines the only one down there, the dam came up that quick over night it swamped the little car topper . I had the bung out so the rain water could flow out and it had floated away, stupidly I didn't have a spare. Thankfully one of the other campers/yabbyers who was leaving that morning had a Stacer tinny and a spare, we had met last year and he wouldn't take any money for it so I said I would put a few in the van and when I see him next time ill repay him (I slipped his wife a ten spot while he was busy as well).

The day we were leaving our neighbour who had his pots up to the north in the 5knt zone brought in a nice haul of 80 odd in. Prior to the influx of fresh he was getting 20-30, so if you were thinking of trying for a feed of Red Claw I would be heading out there over the next couple of weeks.

All and all we had an adventurous week drank heaps, ate heaps, spent heaps of quality time together learnt that our caravan is quite small when it doesn't stop raining and brought home a nice feed, once the storm season settles around March next year we will be back.

Once I got all of the water out 20171018_080636.jpg
The 30 we caught were all good size 20171016_181941.jpg
I reckon this pic was taken in a lull 20171015_165816.jpg

[Bremic]

That red claw looks tasty. Shame about the boat wash, but I guess a lesson learnt.

I saw some commercial fishers using an adjustable spanner to act as the kill switch key, if you or anyone else should get caught out. The zip tie is a good one though, at least it cant fall out like the spanner will.