General prawning advice..

[abitfishy]

Can anyone give me a link to some general advice on how to prawn, conditions, etc etc to look for. I have no idea how to start other than shing the torch in the water and 'scoop', but I think I need more than that or I will be scooping a lot of nothing.....

[marco]

hi , i found this on the site somewhere a while ago , i hope it helps
mark




Cast Netting for Prawns

Several weeks ago I turned up to the 4BC 1116AM radio studio for our weekly Talking Fishing program, which goes to air 4.30am - 6am every Saturday and Sunday morning, with a feed of cooked Logan River prawns. Breakfast for Ronnie!
As a result he promised listeners and readers of BNB (thanks mate!) that I would divulge three "hot-spots" to throw a cast net when the much anticipated banana prawn season arrives. I've deliberated over this for some time because of several reasons; the prawn schools move constantly and where you find them one day may not be where they are the next. Their location also varies with the tide, or I should say depth of water, as well as the time of day, amount of boat traffic, moon phase and whether it's early or late in the prawning season. Prawning is made up of a lot of variables. Therefore as well as the three spots I've promised to give, I'm also going to give some details that should help you locate prawns and find your own "hot-spots". The banana prawn season in the tropics coincides with the end of the wet season, starting around March and going through to June. April was the peak month last year. Although unpredictable, the season in our area roughly coincides with this tropical run, however it can also be said that as a general rule, the less rain we have during the latter half of the year the less prawns that will show up.
Droughts on the land produce the worst banana prawns seasons and floods produce the best. This is primarily because floods, and in particular the wet season, is an integral part of the prawn's growth cycle, washing juveniles out of the shallows into nutrient rich water where they grow rapidly. One of the first indicators that the banana prawns are in good numbers is the commercial beam trawlers. For most of the year you will see them working the rivers and bays pulling a single rope just above the transom. This single rope pulls a spreader bar with skids on it along the bottom scooping up prawns. When the banana prawns arrive they change nets, which is obvious once you know what to look for. The net used for banana prawns is monofilament and it has a "top flap" that is held up by a rope running up to the gantry. This is designed to stop the prawns jumping out. When you see the pros working these nets consistently, there is a fair bet that bananas are around. Don't bother in the area they are in as the nets scatter the schools, making cast netting results slow and remember a boat doesn't have brakes, especially a big boat towing nets and rigging. In my experience prawns are in deeper water during the day and move onto shallower banks at night. During daylight hours I concentrate on areas that vary between 15-25 feet and particularly look for "melon holes". In fact I mark them out in the off-season to go back to them when prawning. A melon hole is a deeper depression or hole than the surrounding water and it doesn't need to be much deeper, just a depression or gutter is enough to get my interest. Because of this, a good sounder is crucial to success and you need to turn those bloody little fish symbols off! With the symbols off, prawns can often be seen as a dense concentration or "cloud" and not always near the bottom. Any "cloud" showing on the sounder that is not structure is worth a throw. But once a school has been found they can easily be scattered therefore I prefer to throw at a leisurely pace giving them time to re-group and not drawing attention to yourself. Casting frantically is an open invitation for the "bees" - hoards of yellow rain coated casters swarming around you. Here's a tip. Lots of cast netters means scattered prawns, so move a few hundred meters away and start looking again as you can usually find a small re-grouped school that has evacuated the "hot action" area. Another "locating" tip is to motor as slow as you can but just on the plane, and look for prawns jumping out of your way. On a typical morning chasing prawns I start in an area that I know has been a good producer in the past. Then I start sounding around looking for a show on the sounder. I drift over ground and have a throw in any depression or if I see schooled or scattered prawns on the sounder. Provided you have your gain set correctly, scattered prawns show up as "rain". Imagine a small isolated downpour on a football field and you should get the picture. The spots I've chosen to describe are deliberately spread over a wide area to cover the upper river, river mouth and Pin area. They are areas where I would normally start looking. My preferred tide is the last few hours of the run out especially when you have a few melon holes to work as the prawns drop back into deeper water as the tide drops. Best time is the crack of dawn but that's not set in concrete as they often turn up in the middle of the day for no apparent reason. Moon phase is a debatable issue. I like the slower tides, therefore the between moon phases, a week after the full or new moon. A lot of time goes into cutting and sewing a cast net, especially one with a top pocket like I use. I've found that the best cast nets you can buy are custom made by "old timers" but they will cost you a bundle because of the work that goes into them and make you cry when you hang them up on some unseen snag. If you're in the market for a prawn cast net, I recommend monofilament. Also get a net that has a top pocket and buy the largest legal net you can. I don't see the point in throwing half a net and halving your chances unless you physically can't throw a big one. Remember that mono nets are much easier to throw than cotton ones, and you might surprise yourself. Well that about covers it. Remember that there is an "in possession" limit of one 10-litre bucket per person on prawns these days, as well as a maximum net length size of 3.7m with mesh not exceeding 28mm. Check out the video section of my site for instructions on how to throw a cast net.




Map 1. The area around the moored boats between Cabbage Tree boat ramp and up past Horizon Shores Marina is a regular producer. Just watch out for lost anchors and mooring weights, as they will destroy a net.



Map 2 .The most consistent area for me last season was between the green buoys at Aggeston Sands up to Pitt Rocks. Aggeston Sands is identified as the last green beacons as you head up the Logan River and Pitt Rocks is a steep rock wall on your starboard side before the sharp bend.



Map 3. Eagleby bend is a sharp bend about a kilometre up river from the trawlers moorings at the start of the Albert River. The area is a hive of activity at times as baitfish and prawns congregate around the small drain that feed the corner of the bend. Stay out of the darkened area in the centre of the hole as it is filled with snags. Work the banks around the edges.

Back

All information and images on this site are subject to Copyright
© 2002 ausfish.com.au, Dave Downie