Boy got given 2 of hezzy pots . Single baskets. All work good . Done one small change to hezzy pots. Took plastic necks out and put slats in neck. Catch rate doubled.
lol ...good to see the pots are being refurbished LJ ... most peeps want red necks ,, fingers are not as common ordered ...personally I like the plastic finger necks
have never seen mush difference in catch rates using either type ,,,,imo its more to do with weight , and where your setting them , then bait
people all have their favs , even the pros ...just like cars ..or boats ...
most recs nowdays seem to go with the 3/4 steel base in jarrah and pine combos ..
As pros, we tried it all over the years, all sizes when they were allowed. Meter longs, round steel traps with mesh side entrances, steel beehive with wire or prawn mesh, cane necks, slat necks, red necks...the list goes on. A lot used those small pots now referred to as 3/4 size. I had some, red necks were never good in them, IMO, just too large in proportion to pot size. One bloke who persisted with them his whole career only used slat necks, caught OK. Some tried nailing the red necks to the front frame with two bait baskets behind, they were never any good either, even in the standard size. Single deep wire baitbaskets behind the neck, with the neck set back a bit are good, too. Single standard baitbaskets in the same configuration just never caught as well.
Back to the subject--for small pots, SLOPING slat necks. Taper them in, don't run the slats down vertically into the pot. For full size pots, red necks with two bait baskets, one either side of the neck, are a standard. I have fished mine along a mates up here for a few years in the whites, he has slat necks on pots otherwise identical--we fish together, alternate boats, and he reckons mine always outfish his--is going to convert them.
Disclaimer--none of this may apply to you Southerners
i agree with you on this above generally and definitly this here below
[A lot used those small pots now referred to as 3/4 size. I had some, red necks were never good in them, IMO, just too large in proportion to pot size. ]
that why i use the smaller 9'' red necks , or the smaller 9'' finger neck hole size ...in my 3/4 x 800 mmm long pots .there offset also ..crazy to see small pots with full size necks ..
im also not a fan of smaller 3/4 pots with double bait baskets ...i always feel the front bait basket is too close to the front outside of the pot , and encourages a % of crays to sit outside and attempt to feed in sideways , without climbing up ontop of the pot and down in through the neck
Hezzy my pine pots are 3/4 with 2 bait baskets and slat fingers, no issue with getting 28 whites after a 24 soak. Have been using the 3/4 with 2 baskets for years only type I will use. But that's my choice :)
all pine will catch everything on the whites wal .... bet there heavy and you have done it for ages as well ??? yeh ?? experience is half the battle ,
however , as you point out , your potting 28 whites ...with twins baskets, a single would still give you heaps and you can only take 8/16 from a shared pot ...
hence why its another point imo that most recs really only need the single basket ........... especially fishing the whites imo ...
Yer spot on, been doing it for too long, anther reason I like 2 baskets is 1 can be used for keeper baits, chasing jumbo's would be doing 2-3 day pulls
One thing that doesn't seem to get mentioned--don't let them access bait from outside the pot. Front baskets need to be set back from the front, and have the blank ( no holes) side towards the neck, or a big fella can park himself in the neck , feeding away , and block all the others. Same goes for wiring in bait--make sure it can't surge around and be grabbed from outside if you are using frames. Far better to cut the frame off a few inches behind the head and hang that, and chuck the rest into a basket. Also, if you are wiring in bait--over the years we have come to the conclusion that, until the crays are really running well, wiring extra bait inside is counterproductive because it just seems to more readily draw occies. Once they are really firing, go for it.
Heaps better if you drill heaps of 10 mm holes in them. My thoughts , only my thoughts. May have something to do with them climbing in( better grip) rather than sliding in. Andys pots living proof( x hezzy). Went from 10 Crays to 20 plus( cordless drill) same spot next day. This year put slats. Heaps better again .Only guess been proven wrong many times . All about grip ?? Unsure. Food for thought .
the drill holes in the red neck idea ..may and i say may help .ill expand that out a bit as it could be for several reasons why your catch picked up
1st one is the crays had hardened up abit more & became more active and so you caught better in the same spot than day before ?
2nd reason may be that they smell via their whiskers, so by drilling the holes in the red necks , you allowed them to home in on the bait smell better and they went up and in better to the pot , as they could smell it closer from the drill holes rather than the pot sides ... where their whiskers can reach inside the pot just as easy , but a lower % will pot from by not climbing up and in ?..this is also why finger necks generally may catch %wise slightly more crays
3rd one may also be moon phase or just as likly ground swell size and direction ?? iv always found we pot better after the swell is easing ..not when its full on ,,crays do move around a fair bit at night as well ,,, studies have shown they walk several hundred meters per night ot forage .iv always thought this would be very interesting to see if it was possible to video them as well as tag them as was done years ago
i kind of liken them moving around looking for food and shelter on the seabed , like us walking around a semi abandoned street ...checking out the houses as we walk down it ..if half where empty we would see which one had the best kitchen ,full of food and beds etc garage , garden etc and take up residence if we where allowed to ...same kinda goes for crays imo .they move around and locate agood reef , with food close by ..hence why you get pots near nests of crays full and others on ground that looks good , but are low catches sometimes ... this is more noticeable in the autuum / winter i found ,, whites is different nos, game imo
I wouldn't have thought they had any problems with sliding in, but then, we are not crayfish ( waiting for someone to bring the old joke out, drumroll.....)
Crays underwater very timid. If on solid surface cray would feel safer clinging climbing ect. Hence wooden pots heaps more grip to climb compared to plastic pots. I would have thought plastic necks wouldn't have any grip. For climbing in. That's why when I did have them I drilled shit loads of holes in them so they could crawl into them with plenty of grip. 1 real good thing about plastic necks ( getting poxy wobbys out) don't break anything. I don't have gates on my pots. Everything has to come out of neck. All catch big if placed right . 1 thing I love about hezzy x pots skids underneath pot. Doesn't mark andys boat also saves cray legs getting crushed or snapped of. Exellent idea. Putting polyurethane skids under mine next few days
one thing to remember about the necks is that they also need to not help crays climb out LJ
hence finger necks again are thought to be better catches .but is that true or is it that they are harder for crays to climb out of ?? same idea with red necks ?? they are designed to be slippery if your a cray attempting to climb out ...same idea with the neck offset ...& in the middle ..its not impossible , but it is harder for them to climb/cling upside down and climb out ...they are capable ,,,but most will sit and prowl the bottom for a short time period ,
diving you will see heaps upside down .but reef is much gnarlier to hang onto than fingers of wood or placcy ...... add in some bottom surge and degree of difficulty goes up ... etc etc ..
those two pots you scored should have gates LJ ?? wobbies are your friend with gates mate NHR ...lol
never had any pots before, just got a license, what r ur thoughts on the plastic ones form bcf? seem rpetty cheap, but may be good for someone like me to begin with as likley to loose em!
also hezzy, it was mentioned that you make pots for sale? also, whats the deal with the seal repellants?
scano
Posts: 1246
Date Joined: 31/05/07
Wooden pots
Seem to catch the best, look on gumtree, plenty of people make em.
Just make sure escape hatches ect are within the regs.
Bryce Day
Posts: 812
Date Joined: 01/06/15
Hit hezzy up on here. Good
Hit hezzy up on here. Good pots.
little johnny
Posts: 5330
Date Joined: 04/12/11
I've got 3/4 pots 2 bait baskets
Boy got given 2 of hezzy pots . Single baskets. All work good . Done one small change to hezzy pots. Took plastic necks out and put slats in neck. Catch rate doubled.
Son81
Posts: 37
Date Joined: 19/02/17
Slat neck
Hey johnny do you just slat existing hole when red is removed or do yo need to make hole smaller and how deep do yo make the slats ? Thanks
little johnny
Posts: 5330
Date Joined: 04/12/11
I just cut plastic
Up top. Use existing hole. Slats approx 250 mm long. Double nail . Easy. Heaps off people use plastic necks. Just my preference. All work .
hezzy
Posts: 1519
Date Joined: 27/11/09
lol ...good to see the pots
lol ...good to see the pots are being refurbished LJ ... most peeps want red necks ,, fingers are not as common ordered ...personally I like the plastic finger necks
have never seen mush difference in catch rates using either type ,,,,imo its more to do with weight , and where your setting them , then bait
people all have their favs , even the pros ...just like cars ..or boats ...
most recs nowdays seem to go with the 3/4 steel base in jarrah and pine combos ..
OFW 11
evil flourishes when good men do nothing
little johnny
Posts: 5330
Date Joined: 04/12/11
Agree
Totally. Your pots very well made. Good solid frames. Placement a must.:)
ranmar850
Posts: 2702
Date Joined: 12/08/12
Red necks no good in small pots
As pros, we tried it all over the years, all sizes when they were allowed. Meter longs, round steel traps with mesh side entrances, steel beehive with wire or prawn mesh, cane necks, slat necks, red necks...the list goes on. A lot used those small pots now referred to as 3/4 size. I had some, red necks were never good in them, IMO, just too large in proportion to pot size. One bloke who persisted with them his whole career only used slat necks, caught OK. Some tried nailing the red necks to the front frame with two bait baskets behind, they were never any good either, even in the standard size. Single deep wire baitbaskets behind the neck, with the neck set back a bit are good, too. Single standard baitbaskets in the same configuration just never caught as well.
Back to the subject--for small pots, SLOPING slat necks. Taper them in, don't run the slats down vertically into the pot. For full size pots, red necks with two bait baskets, one either side of the neck, are a standard. I have fished mine along a mates up here for a few years in the whites, he has slat necks on pots otherwise identical--we fish together, alternate boats, and he reckons mine always outfish his--is going to convert them.
Disclaimer--none of this may apply to you Southerners
hezzy
Posts: 1519
Date Joined: 27/11/09
ranmar i agree with you on
ranmar
i agree with you on this above generally and definitly this here below
[A lot used those small pots now referred to as 3/4 size. I had some, red necks were never good in them, IMO, just too large in proportion to pot size. ]
that why i use the smaller 9'' red necks , or the smaller 9'' finger neck hole size ...in my 3/4 x 800 mmm long pots .there offset also ..crazy to see small pots with full size necks ..
im also not a fan of smaller 3/4 pots with double bait baskets ...i always feel the front bait basket is too close to the front outside of the pot , and encourages a % of crays to sit outside and attempt to feed in sideways , without climbing up ontop of the pot and down in through the neck
hezzy
OFW 11
evil flourishes when good men do nothing
Walfootrot
Posts: 1386
Date Joined: 23/07/12
Hezzy my pine pots are 3/4
Hezzy my pine pots are 3/4 with 2 bait baskets and slat fingers, no issue with getting 28 whites after a 24 soak. Have been using the 3/4 with 2 baskets for years only type I will use. But that's my choice :)
More drum lines, kill the bloody sharks!
hezzy
Posts: 1519
Date Joined: 27/11/09
all pine will catch
all pine will catch everything on the whites wal .... bet there heavy and you have done it for ages as well ??? yeh ?? experience is half the battle ,
however , as you point out , your potting 28 whites ...with twins baskets, a single would still give you heaps and you can only take 8/16 from a shared pot ...
hence why its another point imo that most recs really only need the single basket ........... especially fishing the whites imo ...
glad your doing well with them wal
hezzy
OFW 11
evil flourishes when good men do nothing
Walfootrot
Posts: 1386
Date Joined: 23/07/12
Yer spot on, been doing it
Yer spot on, been doing it for too long, anther reason I like 2 baskets is 1 can be used for keeper baits, chasing jumbo's would be doing 2-3 day pulls
More drum lines, kill the bloody sharks!
ranmar850
Posts: 2702
Date Joined: 12/08/12
You are bang on there
One thing that doesn't seem to get mentioned--don't let them access bait from outside the pot. Front baskets need to be set back from the front, and have the blank ( no holes) side towards the neck, or a big fella can park himself in the neck , feeding away , and block all the others. Same goes for wiring in bait--make sure it can't surge around and be grabbed from outside if you are using frames. Far better to cut the frame off a few inches behind the head and hang that, and chuck the rest into a basket. Also, if you are wiring in bait--over the years we have come to the conclusion that, until the crays are really running well, wiring extra bait inside is counterproductive because it just seems to more readily draw occies. Once they are really firing, go for it.
little johnny
Posts: 5330
Date Joined: 04/12/11
Red necks work
Heaps better if you drill heaps of 10 mm holes in them. My thoughts , only my thoughts. May have something to do with them climbing in( better grip) rather than sliding in. Andys pots living proof( x hezzy). Went from 10 Crays to 20 plus( cordless drill) same spot next day. This year put slats. Heaps better again .Only guess been proven wrong many times . All about grip ?? Unsure. Food for thought .
hezzy
Posts: 1519
Date Joined: 27/11/09
LJ the drill holes in the
LJ
the drill holes in the red neck idea ..may and i say may help .ill expand that out a bit as it could be for several reasons why your catch picked up
1st one is the crays had hardened up abit more & became more active and so you caught better in the same spot than day before ?
2nd reason may be that they smell via their whiskers, so by drilling the holes in the red necks , you allowed them to home in on the bait smell better and they went up and in better to the pot , as they could smell it closer from the drill holes rather than the pot sides ... where their whiskers can reach inside the pot just as easy , but a lower % will pot from by not climbing up and in ?..this is also why finger necks generally may catch %wise slightly more crays
3rd one may also be moon phase or just as likly ground swell size and direction ?? iv always found we pot better after the swell is easing ..not when its full on ,,crays do move around a fair bit at night as well ,,, studies have shown they walk several hundred meters per night ot forage .iv always thought this would be very interesting to see if it was possible to video them as well as tag them as was done years ago
i kind of liken them moving around looking for food and shelter on the seabed , like us walking around a semi abandoned street ...checking out the houses as we walk down it ..if half where empty we would see which one had the best kitchen ,full of food and beds etc garage , garden etc and take up residence if we where allowed to ...same kinda goes for crays imo .they move around and locate agood reef , with food close by ..hence why you get pots near nests of crays full and others on ground that looks good , but are low catches sometimes ... this is more noticeable in the autuum / winter i found ,, whites is different nos, game imo
not fact , just thoughts and observations ,
OFW 11
evil flourishes when good men do nothing
ranmar850
Posts: 2702
Date Joined: 12/08/12
Thats an interesting take on it
I wouldn't have thought they had any problems with sliding in, but then, we are not crayfish ( waiting for someone to bring the old joke out, drumroll.....)
little johnny
Posts: 5330
Date Joined: 04/12/11
My take ( try to explain)
Crays underwater very timid. If on solid surface cray would feel safer clinging climbing ect. Hence wooden pots heaps more grip to climb compared to plastic pots. I would have thought plastic necks wouldn't have any grip. For climbing in. That's why when I did have them I drilled shit loads of holes in them so they could crawl into them with plenty of grip. 1 real good thing about plastic necks ( getting poxy wobbys out) don't break anything. I don't have gates on my pots. Everything has to come out of neck. All catch big if placed right . 1 thing I love about hezzy x pots skids underneath pot. Doesn't mark andys boat also saves cray legs getting crushed or snapped of. Exellent idea. Putting polyurethane skids under mine next few days
hezzy
Posts: 1519
Date Joined: 27/11/09
one thing to remember about
one thing to remember about the necks is that they also need to not help crays climb out LJ
hence finger necks again are thought to be better catches .but is that true or is it that they are harder for crays to climb out of ?? same idea with red necks ?? they are designed to be slippery if your a cray attempting to climb out ...same idea with the neck offset ...& in the middle ..its not impossible , but it is harder for them to climb/cling upside down and climb out ...they are capable ,,,but most will sit and prowl the bottom for a short time period ,
diving you will see heaps upside down .but reef is much gnarlier to hang onto than fingers of wood or placcy ...... add in some bottom surge and degree of difficulty goes up ... etc etc ..
those two pots you scored should have gates LJ ?? wobbies are your friend with gates mate NHR ...lol
hezzy
OFW 11
evil flourishes when good men do nothing
Sea goat
Posts: 941
Date Joined: 26/03/17
hey guys,never had any pots
hey guys,
never had any pots before, just got a license, what r ur thoughts on the plastic ones form bcf? seem rpetty cheap, but may be good for someone like me to begin with as likley to loose em!
also hezzy, it was mentioned that you make pots for sale? also, whats the deal with the seal repellants?
cheers guys!