how to catch painted crays

[tuppence]

just after a few hints on catching crays will they go into a normal crab pot or what
cheers
tuppence.

[wayneoro]

with slipper lobster you drop a pot on the sand beside a reef leave over night pilchards is the bait crays too ?

[finding_time]

Tuppence
With your handspear mate !!! Just swim down and spear them!!

Ian

[solwota]

do people spear crays in moreton bay. i used to spear them when i lived up north and i know they can be found in moreton bay but is it viable to dive around the bay islands for them. would appreciate any advice
cheers
richard

[Benno75]

OK - I wasn't there, I didn't see it and it sounds suspicious to me, but my uncle swears black and blue this actually happened. A few years back one of his mates caught one of Indian Head while fishing for tailor. Apparently this thing somehow got accidentally tangled in his line. He tried to drag it up over the rocks and it looked like it was not going to make it up. So his mate scrambled down, risked the swells and grabbed it and carried it back. It was apparenly not tagled around the bait either, just somehow caught up in the line. I was also apparently, allegedly, supposedly big enough for 6 people to have a piece of it once it was cooked. I have always doubted this story, but like I said my uncle tells me it actually happened.

I'm not sure many peoplke will recomend you catch them with a standard rock fishing set up off India head though.

[Jitlands]

Have witnessed two actual captures with baited lines
Once fishing a close reef off caloundra and someone in the boat with me hooked one.
Caught one myself off Shelly beach Caloundra on a squid head

These arsey captures aside, the best way is to dive for them

[finding_time]

I've seen one by GBC ( ausfish member) and have been told about another being caught on fishing line. GBC's was at henderson's rock ( Before it was banned) and his pilchard floated to the bottom and the cray was hooked in it's mouth, he originally thought he had a snag but as he pulled on the line to break it of it came free!!

Ian

Benno there are lots of crays off indian head and waddy point on fraser ,there are a lot of other things aswell!!!

[mangajack]

The only way i have heard of up in Qld to catch crays in pots or traps was using a slatted timber pot that is very dark inside. insted of bait a mirror is attached facing the entrance. Aparently crayfish are sociable creatures and will happily share a residence and self invite themselves into a hidey hole. My grandfather was witness to this pot being set in the WW2 era while serving in north queensland awaiting a posting to PNG. He swears its true and insists that each morning for the four days it was hoisted up and low and behold a crayfish was in the trap.

I still think a handspear is the easiest although it is difficult to know if it is egg bearing prior to the shot.

Jack

[tuppence]

thanks fellas for info going around maggi island tomorrow will try a few of the options but one thing for sure i aint getting wet

cheers
tuppence.

[Mick]

Spearing a cray is by far the best way for targetting crayfish in QLD.

However, if getting wet is a problem i have 2 solutions.

1. Try cast netting for them in a Mangrove Creek. Ausfish member 'Devocean' has a pet cray (only a pet until its fat enough ) that was caught in a cast net while casting for bait in a muddy creek. Since this is the only story I have ever heard of a cray being caught in a cast net - I put the odds of this happening at about a billion to one, but you just never know your luck.

2. Fishing for them with a normal rod and reel. I have heard of crayfish being caught this way with a variety of baits but extremely rare. Maybe 5 stories all my life plus the couple posted here which still doest add up to alot. I put the odds at about fifty thousand to one.

or just leave them in the water for me because i dont mind getting wet

Benno, i got no doubt at all that one cray can feed 6 people. As long as the 6 people didnt like crays as much as me... or to a lesser extent bugman

[-spiro-]

i got one at the Barrwon Banks in 65m of water on a line. It was hooked in the leg Still counts as a capture tho

[split-shot]

If you intend to spear crayfish, then be aware that it is illegal to use scuba tanks, snorkel only.

Split-shot

[Leo_N.]

...and I think that Qld is the only state in which you can actually use a spear to legally capture crays.

[peeler]

I have caught two on rod and reel at Peel and near toondah harbour at night while fishing for lippers. No bull and I have witneses.

[dynamicspot]

mate there is heaps of them off shelly beach caloundra if your keen on a snorkell out to brays reef or we can take my boat out to brays be sure and let me know if your keen be warned there is a few bighties when you start spearing


MAD KEEN

Greg