Put the traps in near Bullocky's Rest for about five hours. Redclaws were a bit scarce, but to compensate the quality was pretty good. Managed only 22 but most were medium to large, with only one or two smallish ones. The odd heavy shower made life interesting as well.
Cheers Freeeedom
Nice one m8, hows the Bass around there at the moment?
Nice catch
Well done
What bait were you using?
Louis
I was using garfish that I caught in the dam last week for bait. I got about 50 gar last Wednesday but couldn't find any other fish - not even an eel-tailed catfish. The water level is quite low and the weed beds along which I was catching nice bass and silver perch at this time last year are completely gone.
Cheers Freeeedom
bUGGA
Nice catch Freeeedom. I am new to the redclaw game and went out and bought 4 nice new opera house traps last weekend.
A few questions:
-Do you just wade in and put the traps near the bank?
-Do you have floats on your traps?
-What do you look for eg weed, or can you put them in anywhere - I went out to Bullocky's Rest on the weekend and could see no weed, and I don't have a canoe to get out on the dam.
-What can I use for bait ie: pilchards?
-What time is the best?
Sorry about all the questions, but I really want to catch some of the little (or not so little) buggers!!!
Cheers,
Jason
Answers to questions
1. Tie about 10m of light rope to each pot then throw the pot out as far as you can. Make sure you are holding the other end or have it securely tied to a peg. Throw the pots like you would a discus so that they spin in the air and remain upright. Remember you must have a tag with your name and address on every pot or stake to which they are tied.
2. No floats since they are tied to the bank. Water craft and swimming are not permitted on North Pine (except for permit holders) so you can't put them out in the middle of the dam anyway
3. There are no weed beds there at the moment. Just throw the pots out from the edge about 20m apart and check them every 30 - 45 minutes. If there are no redclaws after a couple of runs move them to another location.
4. Almost any bait will do, but I prefer the meat baits. I was out there last week and as a test I put out 4 traps with rockmelon skin and four with garfish. We only got 11 that night, all on the garfish. Last time with a vegetable bait for me! I have also had success using pilchards and lamb off-cuts and bones from the supermarket. Some people use tins of catfood with a few holes punched in them. Unfortunately they then leave them littering the foreshore. I use garfish because they are free from the dam.
5. Night time for me. Last year I fished the dam a lot because the weed problem in the sunshine coast surf was so bad. During the day I was using 4 reclaw traps to catch live shrimp for bait and I would pick up 3 or 4 redclaws in maybe 6 hours. But going back at night using 8 traps we would often get 60 - 80 reclaws in 6 hours.
Since you have to sit and wait between running the pots you can also take a rod or two and fish while you wait (make sure you take a chair). Using garden worms you are likely to pick up the odd eel-tail catfish or silver perch (and a few turtles) to make the night a bit more interesting.
Cheers Freeeedom
Hi Freeeedom. Thanks for those pointers... such a wealth of information freely given. I'm sure not only Jason, but all would be redclaw chasers will benefit. I certainly found the mixes of baits quite eye opening. In the past I have used only one type of bait in all of my 4 pots and have probably missed out as a result. I'll be experimenting with a different bait in each pot from now on to see what works best in my location.
Cheers,
Steve.
Thanks a lot Freeeedom for that information. I am going to have a go at it this weekend as it will be blowing a gale on the bay. I will let you know how I go.
Whats the go with those signs out there regarding blue green algae? Is it reason for concern??
No problem with the blue-green algae and redclaws. If the algae is bad they just recommend that you gut any fish you catch quickly to prevent contamination of the flesh from the gut contents after the fish dies. Hopefully this rain will remove any algal build up.
Cheers Freeeedom
Freedom
What type of pots do you use for the Red Claw.
Cheers Dazza
Hi Dazza - I've got four opera house traps and four square traps which I use when I take the son-in-law along. I find the square traps a bit better than the opera house typeOriginally Posted by 2DKnB
Cheers Freeeedom
Cheers Mate
Will have to go and have a look at some.
Where do you suggest buying the pots from.I am at Albany Creek.
Cheers Dazza
Hi Dazza,
I got 4 opera house pots from BCF at Strathpine for $4.75 each. They had a special where they were 4 for $15 but I missed out on that by one day. Bummer!
One more question for Freeeedom. Do you use an air pump in the bucket for your catch of Red Claw?
Cheers mate,
Jason
Cheers Mate
Will have to go and have a look at some.
Where do you suggest buying the pots from.I am at Albany Creek.
Cheers Dazza
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