Is it just me
Submitted by psion on Mon, 2014-01-13 10:02
Is it just me or is crabbing in the swan more difficult this year?
Last year we consistantly bagged out with good size crabs.
Went out last weekend we only got ten,
On saturday we came out with 4.
They were big with the smallest 1 inch over size, but it was a hard slog. Curious as to possible reasons
has the season started later?
was last year a bumper season?
hell; is it the temp?
or was last weekend just a bad fishing weekend?
some pics..
This baby went 720mm tip tp tip
across the dining room table.
Still those four gave us a good feed. Maybe the next trip is Coburn.
Image Upload:
.thumbnail.jpg "Father & Son bonding")
donteatfish
Posts: 36
Date Joined: 23/07/12
Varied
Mate I'm hearing varied reports. Some people bagging out and some people struggling. Some catching in the deep, some in the shallows.
Aaron Santos
Posts: 300
Date Joined: 12/11/10
Yeah mixed reports and maybe
Yeah mixed reports and maybe just a bit of luck in the swan at the moment. Such luck I haven't had yet in there either. Although I usually wait til mid feb to give them a good crack in the swan. A few more weeks should be good.
Still trying to catch fish!
West Coast Eagles Supporter and Proud Member.
sunshine
Posts: 2625
Date Joined: 03/03/09
With upwards of 22 boats in front of old brewery
That I saw regularly from my office window I am flaming surprised there are any left - a proverbial picket fence of 220 nets - and that is just the area I can see, bluntly the river crab stocks cannot possibly take this type of pressure on an ongoing basis and would not be the slightest bit surprised to see a Cockburn like closure for a couple of years
Aaron Santos
Posts: 300
Date Joined: 12/11/10
Id agree to some kind of
Id agree to some kind of closure in the swan, even just crabbing from the boat during a couple of peek months maybe dec-jan. But still allowed to get from shore and jetties so kids over the school break can still get into them.
Still trying to catch fish!
West Coast Eagles Supporter and Proud Member.
meglodon
Posts: 5981
Date Joined: 17/06/10
+ 1
Yep got to agree with that on some days you could walk from one side of the river to the other on polystyrene floats. No stocks of crabs/fish can put up with that type of catching pressure and remain sustainable.
Troy Summers
Posts: 408
Date Joined: 14/08/11
Yep, struggliing here too..
Yep, struggliing here too.. havent even pulled a crab yet, but Im also staying away from that barrage at the brewery, what a mess!!! but we'll keep trying... I actually went and bought 4 crabs from the seafood van at crawley just to keep the missus off my back on Saturday
silly
Posts: 382
Date Joined: 02/01/09
Swannies always run later
Swannies always run later than the mandurah one.
Still early-ish I think, Wait a month or so and I reckon they will be firing!
Earth Cruiser
Posts: 13
Date Joined: 02/12/13
Been a lean year for us down
Been a lean year for us down in Warnbro Sound so far - we were kickin it by this time last year.
But with the pro out there 24 hours a day, EVERY FREAKIN DAY with over a hundred pots, it's no wonder.
strumpet
Posts: 41
Date Joined: 19/08/13
yeah
lets all blame the pros, its all their fault, rec fishers are the forefront of sustainability!!!
Rob H
Posts: 5808
Date Joined: 18/01/12
I read somewhere that pro
I read somewhere that pro fisherman helped George Bush blow up the World Trade Centre
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
strumpet
Posts: 41
Date Joined: 19/08/13
hahahaha
hahahaha
da_houghsta
Posts: 19
Date Joined: 16/02/12
Plenty of reports of crabs
Plenty of reports of crabs that I'm hearing - especially in terms of size, mostly deep from what I've heard. I've done 2 trips so far though for none with the family, but was crabs every drop in Mandurah... Lots of small ones down there though, the legal ones weren't much over size..
sunshine
Posts: 2625
Date Joined: 03/03/09
17 boats this morning in front of old brewery
And those are the ones I can see from my office window and bluntly whilst a have a good view there is a lot of the river I cannot see, it is midweek, talk about pressure this is getting ridiculous
sea-kem
Posts: 15031
Date Joined: 30/11/09
It was funny about 14 years
It was funny about 14 years a ago when I started crabbing in the Swan early mornings there were hardly any until year by year word started getting out and slowly it has built up. Late Dec early Jan was peak time for us. I haven't bothered the last two years because of all the boats getting out down there. And yep agree with a closure.
Love the West!
Andy_b
Posts: 633
Date Joined: 19/10/11
i have got the limit evey
i have got the limit evey time i have been out, only in 5 meters
they are there just have to find them