[DuckmanParticipant]

brought some whole cooked frozen prawns from countdown $10.49 per kg, saw some others for $24.99 per kg and pak and save were $10.95 per kg raw, i thought the $10.49 per kg were cheap and that was on special

[yellowfinParticipant]

Yeah I picked some up from countdown on special the other day too.

[MiliwolfParticipant]

Shame crabs are so rarely for sale, and when they are, they are normally fairly large. Last time they had paddle crabs the person at the deli marked them down as mussels by mistake and I got them for half price…

When I buy prawns, I normally go for the cheapest ones.

[DuckmanParticipant]

pak and save had paddle crabs for $14.95 a kg

[DuckmanParticipant]

the 2 trays of prawns i got were $4.03 and $4.11 both have around 20- 30, haven’t counted them yet

[HookLineSinkerParticipant]

Duckman

[MiliwolfParticipant]

I find the ones without shells and head a bit quicker to rig (okay maybe a second quicker), when they have a head I normally rip it off and throw it away.

This is how I rig mine, sometimes they are a bit long so I would tear 5mm or so off the thick end. Then I thread the prawn along the curve of the hook like the image shows… then I use excessive amounts of bait elastic in both directions to hold it on very tight… Can last several hours in the surf if nothing feeding, although I normally replace with a fresh baits every half hour or so if nothing happening. I use 4/0 Owner Circle hooks.

If I am using a flasher rig, then I actually wrap the flash down with the elastic and get it to merge into the prawn.

[DuckmanParticipant]

cheers for the pic mili, got a fair idea now, that was how i was doing the tails i got last week but found with no shell the crabs nibbled them off, this week brought them whole and shells on

[MiliwolfParticipant]

Crabs are either in plague proportions where you are fishing, or you are not using enough bait elastic. With the right technique, it only takes a few seconds to wrap on what seems like a meter of the stuff.

Also if there are crabs, catch the buggers and use them instead. Been told that bait in a socking is a good way to catch them when fishing off a beach… I personally use a pot off a wharf/rocks.

[DuckmanParticipant]

i made up a pot using chicken wire netting and weights at the bottom but haven’t been out since i made it, also in the process of making a longline from a beach ball in a small nylon sack attached to a boat rod with 50lb mainline with 5 400mm traces, hoping for nor’west wind to blow it out off shore

[DuckmanParticipant]

also mili, the milk treatment station creek, runs alomg alabama rd east has fresh water lobster and pollard park but not sure if you can wade in pollard park to get them, haven’t been up there in 8 years, should be free bait

[MiliwolfParticipant]

Duckman

[DuckmanParticipant]

treatment station creek is only bout knee deep and a spear and bucket or sack is all that is needed, did heaps as kids

[yellowfinParticipant]

I’ve only ever come across one freshwater cray. That was up the Maitai river in Nelson.

Does anyone use a crab pot in the surf? Most places local to me are surf beaches with no rocks or wharf. I usually only get crabs when we get them in the flounder net.

[MiliwolfParticipant]

Tried it once when it was quite calm, but my rope was not long enough. Only just managed to save the pot

[Author]

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