How's the crabbing at Mandurah ?
Submitted by Scaly Man Fish on Wed, 2017-03-01 21:04
Planning an assault on the Mandurah estuary some where sometime over the long weekend
just asking about if anyone is still getting a feed
thanks
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Bones 79
Posts: 121
Date Joined: 12/02/14
Had been wondering the same
Had been wondering the same thing I will be Heading down Friday arvo till Monday so hopefully get a few trips out chasing some crabs
petermac
Posts: 2946
Date Joined: 03/03/10
its a joke
bugger all crabs this season lots and lots of undersize which is good for next year
scottland
Posts: 3039
Date Joined: 10/05/10
None?
MAYBE your fishing the wrong areas we killed the pig this war beat year yet
i support two teams eagles and whoever is playing the dockers
petermac
Posts: 2946
Date Joined: 03/03/10
probaly just me
i did ok on the crabs last year (and no not crabs from the swing pig in rocky) i did a few differnt spots at mandurah might need to change my bait i have been using chook necks
letsgofishing
Posts: 35
Date Joined: 23/03/12
Not heaps.
Went last Wednesday and got 9 in 45 minutes( that's enough to feed us) all on spleen
went today and 5 in about 5 hours.
Pots near and around the science platform. Had to keep moving to get them today. Didn't have any spleen today so used chicken and lamb necks and some fish carcasses.
All the boats I saw today hung around for ages so I don't think it was just us.
Went over to dawsville for lunch and the Harvey estuary looked a hell of a lot cleaner than the top section.
Last week was lots of small ones amongst our size crabs. Today not nearly as many but still a crab a pot average over ten pots including undersize. We tried soaking pots for ages and some quick pulls,didn't really matter they are there and you will get a feed but I think I would give Harvey estuary a go next.
meglodon
Posts: 5981
Date Joined: 17/06/10
Mandurah crabs keep moving
Don't put pots in and then do a lot of waiting, they are there or not, you are wasting valuable time. Go early in the morning, no sleep ins be on the water at 0600.
When you get on them do your pot run then slowly motor back to pot one and start pulling them again. If the catch rate drops off move to deeper water straight out from were you were catching them.
If only some of your pots are catching and others not, try and put the non catching pots as close as you can to the catching pots don't string your pots out over miles if they are not all getting good crabs.
Try the east side of the estuary first thing, the sun will not be shining as bright on the water this side of the estuary.
Remember crabs are nocturnal feeders.
Looking forward to reading about your day on the water.
Tom M
Posts: 661
Date Joined: 22/09/15
Good advice
Good advice
Tom M
crasny1
Posts: 7004
Date Joined: 16/10/08
Hey mate
Have you ever tried Night potting using glow stick on the floats. I have a few old milk bottle we also use sometimes as floats and just would throw the stick in there.
Was thinking about trying that, and only 3minutes from the Parkridge Ramp.
"I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact!!" _ Elon Musk
petermac
Posts: 2946
Date Joined: 03/03/10
all true
we are usally on the water at the crack of dawn crabs seem to move more at that time all though i have been that early i have chucked my nets in and looked back an thought" bugger cant see an of the nets " as it was still so dark lucky i could follow my track line from my gps my track line and found them again but would rate this year the worst in the lat 3 years for crabs
meglodon
Posts: 5981
Date Joined: 17/06/10
Agree with you
I think the rain we had was the finial nail in the coffin on the crab run, I've had to work hard to get a feed.
meglodon
Posts: 5981
Date Joined: 17/06/10
I do the following for night crabbing less of a hassle
What you need is'
10 Tomato bush stakes or similar about 1 1/2 m long
10 pieces of old heavy fishing line 1m long
10 lamb necks or half mullet or any other thing you fancy for bait
10 small (25cent size glow sticks
1 crab net
1 good torch
Method tie one end of fishing line to lamb neck, the other end about 30cm up from bottom of stake.
After activating glow stick, tie/clear tape it to top of stake, push stake into bottom in about thigh high water.
Place stakes approx. 4 m apart in a line or what ever spacing you want, wait 10 minutes then do a run along the stakes and scoop the crabs feeding on the lamb necks. I found this easier than moving around in a boat at night trying to find pots even when fitted with glow sticks.
Warning, if you see a glow stick moving around strange manner then you have probably got a bloody great hungry sting ray hanging of the chock neck, a quick bash with the scoop net generally gets rid of them.
Bones 79
Posts: 121
Date Joined: 12/02/14
We went out about 7 this
We went out about 7 this morning and only got 4 in about 8 runs. Hope we have a bit more luck tommorow we are going to try between the bridges in Mandurah as the water is quite clear in there were out in the estuary it is very brown