Western Rock Lobster Season Over - For Now at Least

Happily pulled the pots from the water today.  Over the last 10-12 weeks we have been solidly “at it” with the pots in deeper water – I’m pleased we have a winch.  Over 200 nice big crays in the time, with at least as many berried, tar spot and setose females thrown back, and it has been one hell of a season.

It’s time to go fishing.  The pots are good, and we have cleaned up, but the effort required to pull them when conditions allow certainly eats into the fishing time.  We made a pact a week or more back to put 20+ vacuum packed individuals away for future use and have now achieved that goal.  In fact, the last few days have produced well more than that and we have a freezer full (but within Fisheries keeping limits).

A small snapshot of the ones we got is shown below.  Quite a few male jumbos with the biggest carapace about 180mm.

 

I don’t eat them, so the best part is that we have lots of kilos of heads, etc that have been minced for the next burley run to attract the nearshore pinkies in Autumn and Winter.  Let’s just say that the wife, family, relatives, friends and neighbors have appreciated our efforts.

I dare say we will go again in April when the females should be “collectable”, but for the next couple of months the time will be spent chasing the pelagics.  If I have learned one thing, it is to find the ledges on the sounder and drop next to them and bait hard with fish that you have caught from the general area.    

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Ability is what you are capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it - LH.

 

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tim-o's picture

Posts: 4657

Date Joined: 24/05/11

Room in my feeezer

Sun, 2015-01-25 17:12

If the 20 is due to freezer space limitations

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I am, as I've said, merely competent. But in an age of incompetence, that makes me extraordinary.

Paul_86's picture

Posts: 1449

Date Joined: 27/03/09

 Good work mick, that's a

Sun, 2015-01-25 17:15

 Good work mick, that's a great season in anyone's book! 

Posts: 1535

Date Joined: 30/12/08

Good report Mick

Sun, 2015-01-25 18:08

 Thanks and great pics

Posts: 1535

Date Joined: 30/12/08

Good report Mick

Sun, 2015-01-25 18:08

 Thanks and great pics

Posts: 6454

Date Joined: 08/08/11

 Great report mick.  good to

Sun, 2015-01-25 18:28

 Great report mick.  good to get some ideas for next season when I hope to start some serious cray fishing.  thanks for sharing!

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Fish! HARD!

southcity104's picture

Posts: 1659

Date Joined: 27/01/09

180mm!

Sun, 2015-01-25 21:08

 180mms is a big jumbo!

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"Its a life style job"

Mick C's picture

Posts: 607

Date Joined: 26/12/13

Jumbo

Mon, 2015-01-26 18:12

Don't know how it got in the pot really!  It took a hell of a lot to "extract" it, and caused a bit of damage in the process.  Those big males are always very angry beasts. 

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Ability is what you are capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it - LH.