Big Swany Blues 21.01.09
With the warm weather over the last few weeks i thought i'd get out for a few hours yesterday to get some big blues. I've been doing well in many different spots in the Swan and there's no doubt the Swan blue manners are big, full of meat and right on our door steps for many!
Nick (FW member) came out for the late morning gentlemans hours sesh and for those 3 hours our effort was our limit of blueys. The wind did pick up after lunch so that was it and on my last string we had to throw back big crabs!
The crabs have been wide spreed with myself favouring the shallows this trip and doing well. Spleen & mullet combination in my drop nets did the trick and i had a feed last night with the meat being sweet and the body chockers with meat!
Here's a few picks;
Our limit;
All crabs were males and no need to measure. The smallest went approx 135mm and most were 140mm to 178mm!
Some of the blues!
Good to catch up again Nick, I had a great day!
till
Posts: 9358
Date Joined: 21/02/08
They're really picking up
They're really picking up there Ryan!
wadetolley
Posts: 2258
Date Joined: 27/06/08
Nice one
Great catch! Good size..people take a dig at the health of the swan...but there wouldnt be many citys around the world, you can catch a great feed like that !
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Bodie
Posts: 3758
Date Joined: 05/11/07
God Ryan those crabs are
God Ryan those crabs are wicked
Ive been out a couple times in the swan (have not done much fishing or crabbing in the swan) but have only managed to get a couple of crabs for the trip.
Are the crabs thicker towards the freo area?
I quite often see many boats working the sand ledges along the kwinana fwy around raffles?
Might get out there this weekend (yeah long weekend and will be packed)
But crabs are my fav eating seafood...can never get enough of them!!
Colin Hay
Posts: 10407
Date Joined: 23/10/07
Nice work Ryan
Great to see the crabs are out and about.
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Adam Gallash
Posts: 15641
Date Joined: 29/11/05
Top feed
Top quality feed there Ryan, got me hungering for a meal of bluies!
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Rodrat
Posts: 1672
Date Joined: 13/01/07
Nice crabs
Big blues ryan well done
Fishing isn't a matter of life or death, it's much more serious than that!!!
FISH FOR THE FUTURE
Peter Mac
Posts: 59
Date Joined: 05/01/09
Thats It...
I'm goin crabbin this arvo! Trouble is I've got no one to go with, all working :(
May have to master the one man steer and pull technique!
Cheers!
Pete
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injected80
Posts: 90
Date Joined: 07/01/09
SWANY SWIMMERS
GREAT HAUL RYAN , GUAGE ON CRAB LOOKS SMALL AWESOME SIZE HAVE TO GIVE EM A CRACK CHEERS DEANO
alfred
Posts: 3097
Date Joined: 12/01/07
Great catch, nice big
Great catch, nice big ones! Do you slow them down on ice or something? Or are they dead? They taste so much better if you kill they just before cooking.
18 Outrage, Johnson 140hp 4stroke and 190 Outrage, 150 Mercury Verado
Daisy
Posts: 789
Date Joined: 24/01/08
Geez those Swan River Blues
Geez those Swan River Blues are massive, great crabbing guys.
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The view expressed in this post is that of a self opinionated bullshitter and does not reflect that of the website owner, it's operators or anyone else for that matter.
The view expressed in this post is that of a self opinionated bullshitter and does not reflect that of this website, it's owners, mediators, other members or anyone else for that matter :-P
johno
Posts: 468
Date Joined: 20/07/08
bait options
Ryan
You said you used Spleen & mullet combinations, what other bait options should be worth trying?... I haven't done much drop netting from a boat before, but what is the typical time you leave the nets in for... I know you can have a limit of 10 drop nets?
Johno
Cockburn Power Boat Member (CPBA)
PGFC
Albee Mangles
Posts: 985
Date Joined: 20/05/08
WOW, You got great Crabs there Ryan!
Top effort mate! Nice to see your sharing your crabs too, very generous of you. Where do i sign up to go out and catch crabs with ya mate!!!
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Brett Ozanne
Lucky Tim
Posts: 2536
Date Joined: 28/11/07
There must've been a few
There must've been a few guys reading this post 'cos I went for a ride this morning from Canning Bridge to Mounts Bay Yacht Club and there were boats and floats everywhere!
Good size crabs tho, I'm surprised they look that clean from the Swan. The few I've caught there always have a browner tinge to them and a fine coating of slime on their shells.
Pete D
Posts: 1681
Date Joined: 07/06/07
Great catch Ryan and Nick.
Great catch Ryan and Nick. Hope ya left some for us poor old divers
Like the finger holding shot!
Cheers Pete
Faulkner Family
Posts: 17979
Date Joined: 11/03/08
One darn nice Feed mate
RUSS & SANDY
"A family that fishes together stays together"
RUSS and SANDY. A family that fishes together stays together
Matt T
Posts: 875
Date Joined: 19/11/07
Tim Jeffs
The ones that are brown with the slime are females - the blues always seem to be clean and shiny! Great catch by the way Ryan!
Shorty
Posts: 1549
Date Joined: 10/05/08
Whats the general thought
Whats the general thought about those bait mate mesh thingyajigs,,those red ones that you put the bait in to protect it some what,,a kayak crabber says not to use them because he gets little to nothing from nets with them in.
I am guessing the crabs get frustrated that they cant get the bait and leave ?
Colin 3 > long standing and highly respect member of the prestigous Colin's club.
shabba
Posts: 484
Date Joined: 26/02/08
fark, they are stonkers,
fark, they are stonkers, plenty meat in them i bet, awsome effort ryan & nick...
nick 404
Posts: 23
Date Joined: 10/08/08
It had been ages since I'd
It had been ages since I'd been crabbing so I was supprised to get so many big (and full of sweet meat) crabs from out of the Swan. What a relaxing way to kill a few hours.
Thanks again for the invite Ryan, what an enjoyable way to catch up.
Big Kev
Posts: 441
Date Joined: 10/06/06
Blue Crabs
Geez there monsters, the word down this way is there's lots of just undersize with size ones amongst them, I'm going out to get a feed this weekend bugger it.
Kev
FISHING IS MY ADDICTION
johno
Posts: 468
Date Joined: 20/07/08
Reading this thread got me
Reading this thread got me so excited yesterday that I needed to go crabbing. Thanks Ryan for the temptation on the article, and what a great catch. Ryan is 100% right again
and there are some bloody big Blueies out there. I also came across a 178mm boy today... yummmy 
C
Cockburn Power Boat Member (CPBA)
PGFC
Colin Hay
Posts: 10407
Date Joined: 23/10/07
Good onya Johnno
That's a bloody big crab. I can taste it now, with some home baked bread and some butter on a side plate.
(Colin 1 - Co-founding member of the prestigious Colin Club)
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Rosco
Posts: 454
Date Joined: 20/11/07
well done
well done ryan. Went out last night and nailed 6 big blues. There were a few other boats out. No need for a gauge as they are all horses and FULL of meat right up to the nippers. two crabs fed me and the mrs. not as prlific as mandurah but heaps bigger and only 10 minutes home from the ramp.
Rosco
abandon
Posts: 204
Date Joined: 23/05/07
Mandurah
I went in the estuary (west side) last week for an hour or so and only managed 4 size, must have scooped about 50 undersize. Great to see so many, hope they get a chance to grow. There was a couple out there at the same time as us...keeping everything they scooped. My mate and I were seething.
If we can hit that bullseye, the rest of the dominoes will fall like a house of cards. Checkmate.
Kasey L.
Posts: 1390
Date Joined: 02/03/06
very nice
very nice
Ryan Thipthorp (not verified)
Posts: 16
Date Joined: 01/01/70
crabbing!
Fully agree Wade, we have a very healthy river system and right on our metro door step!
Bodie, the crabs have picked up in the lower reaches but i've been crabbing between PT Walter & the Brewery, plenty of spots mate inbewteen also!
Yey Pete the one man drive & pull the nets isnt easy but doable with a small gaff and beats not going.....what ever it takes eh!
Alfred, i use a saltwater slurry to slow em down (anethatise) and I also cook them up in the Swan salt!
Johno, nice effort mate on the crabs....descent size too. As for your question; I like my spleen & mullet bait combo but you can use mullies, fish heads, tuna heads etc As for time between each net check, approx 20mins from the last drop net going in the water so ALL nets have approx 20-30mins to sit. I find that works well especially getting a run of big blues in a string is concerned and a time to consume a cold beverage
Brett, we'll T it up mate....always keen.
Pete, Nick came up with that idea and i'll strap the tank on for prawns & scallops.....drop net the crabs i reckon!
Colin, i like using the bait wallets for keeping the bait away from the blowys in the Swan & Mandurah and do well on the crabs. Lately i've been experimenting with using 2 bait clips in each drop net & a combo or spleen & mullet. The catch very similar but my bait got smashed quickly.....both works but the mesh wallets are bait savers for sure!
Good stuff Rosco, agree that you dont need to many to get a feed and normally i get a dozen and thats it but i had a big cookup coming up so the extra's helped out.....about 2-3 max for me!
Was good to catch up Nick, next time for a fish but with da weather being a bit average we'll probably be crabbing again!
* Thanks to rest for your comments,
Cheers
Ryan
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Shorty
Posts: 1549
Date Joined: 10/05/08
Ryan thanks for the info on
Ryan thanks for the info on the bait wallets, i think my kayaking friend should persist in using them ,,he believes his catch rate drops down when using them.
Mind you he got his limit today in just under a couple hours,,its just a matter of getting your limit before the blowys eat the bait i guess,,plus the type of bait must be a factor as well.
Colin 3 > long standing and highly respect member of the prestigous Colin's club.