Port Hacking

[Yowie]

Fished near Lilli Pilli early this morning for the tailor, not much else except for the crabs.

Pumped some nippers and drifted over the sandbanks. Caught the bream and a tarwhine around Lilli Pilli flats. The fish are not too big. Released 2 slightly bigger bream (just hooked through the lip) and a few small ones as well. Caught the whiting on the last nipper.

Headed home, cleaned the fish and threw the scraps in, and dropped a bait in with the scraps for a 33cm bream (not in the photo)

A couple of frigates still buzzing about, but numbers have dropped off considerably.

[wrxter]

Hey Yowie

How did you catch the crabs?

Great feed there!

Wrxter

[nbh00d]

Yeah I want to do crabbing as well. Show me the way master crabber!!!

[Yowie]

I had a couple of baits (strips of fresh yellowtail) sitting on the bottom for fish, but for a change, the little reddies were almost absent, so the crabs grabbed the baits instead.

When a crab grabs a bait, they usually move slowly away with the bait, so slowly pull the line to the boat, and when the crab is just under the surface (don't pull it out of the water) slide the landing net underneath.

When pulled out of the water, the crabs are very quick with their nippers. If fishing in a yak, don't let it loose, otherwise you may be nipped in a tender place.

[jenno64]

That's a great session and well done on the handling crabs!

[philfish61]

Well done Yowie, I use to be able to get some crabs at Burraneer sailing club jetty a few years ago

before it was vandalised, good catch yummo

[tumra]

good work yowie.

I always have a handline out with a big sinker and a big piece of fish bait hooked to it and dropped to the bottom while fishing. Every 5 minutes or so slowly raise the bait to the surface and see if there is a crab attached at which point some skill with the net to land the crab.

I have read that having the bait in a stocking will help hold the crab to the line while you are bringing it up as the crab gets tangled. Have you ever tried this?

[Yowie]

good work yowie.

I always have a handline out with a big sinker and a big piece of fish bait hooked to it and dropped to the bottom while fishing. Every 5 minutes or so slowly raise the bait to the surface and see if there is a crab attached at which point some skill with the net to land the crab.

I have read that having the bait in a stocking will help hold the crab to the line while you are bringing it up as the crab gets tangled. Have you ever tried this?

Have never tried this, though many years ago I saw some old Italian fishos use a bait in the stocking, and when the crabs were just on the surface, one of the fishos would grab the crab by a nipper, pull it out of the water and drop it into the boat. They made sure they were not handling the crab for very long by one nipper, as the other nipper was usually swinging quickly towards the hand.

Fish heads are good bait too, as they resist the picking by little fish, however, eagle rays like eating fish heads as well, and when you hook one of those, you need plenty of line and time to bring it to the boat.