I'm pretty sure it that crayfish season opens on November 15 though I will have to check this out. I've heard of all sorts of methods of catching them including inticing them out with a fish head on a string, leaving a burley can next to their hole for half an hour, illegal hooks etc etc...
Whats your methods?
my uncle used to use illegal hooks. basically a long piece of metal with a 90ish degree bend on the end, you can use it to drag them from tight spots, and they dont cost much to make and you can drop em if fisheries come by.
never been crayfishing personally, and i'm not condoning illegal fishing methods either, i'm certainly more than happy to fish within the limits of the law
on another note, rohan, i got that snorkeling gear for my birthday last week (a really nice little cressi mask and decent enough snorkel), so i'm keen to have a go at spearing. i dont have a wetsuit, so i might have to wait a month or so for the water to warm up a little, or just be tougher. still keen on showing an amateur the basics?
cheers
My methods for crays are easy - find crays in shallow ledges where you don't need illegal equipment to extract them, then pull them out by hand. Crays in deeper ledges can be baited out if you have the time and patience. IMO you're better off spending your time covering a lot of ground, rather than persisting with a cray in a deep ledge that doesn't want to play <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':th' />
I hope I'm not putting anyone out when I say I have no personal ethical problem with using an illegal cray gaff. So long as you dont exceed the bag limit then who really cares how you get them.
Yeah steeny I dont mind showing a bit of spear fishing mate. Where you based - have you got a car?
Maybe We should start a new forum topic closer to christmas time about a squidfish spear fishing day and we can have a bbq down the beach somewhere and a few beers.
hi rohan, bbq/dive sounds like a good idea to me <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':th' />
i understand where you are coming from re: the illegal gaff. i have no problem with someone challenging the logic behind a fisheries regulation. the reality is that most crays are taken by the commercial fishers anyway and so Fisheries Victoria could always reduce their harvest to offset any increase in recreational harvest (using gaffs). but i doubt there would be the political will to do this any time soon. <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='
' /> its about as likely as recreationals being allowed to use cray pots in Victoria! i won't hold my breath.
cheers, glen
rohan, i'm in seaford. i do have a car, and am willing to travel. a bbq and some beers closer to christmas sounds like a bonzer idea as well.
as for fishing rules and regs, as long as you abide by legal sizes and bag limits i have no problems with the method. i simply cant afford the possibility of them taking all my gear and the car (or boat if your not shore bound like me) on the odd chance you do get caught. therefore i prefer to err on the side of caution in all things fishing related.
cheers
Sometimes the regs seem stupid, but they are the rules, and when tempted I always ask myself "Is this crayfish worth risking my gear, car etc" The answer is always no <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='
' /> Besides that, the feeling of satisfaction you get when you extract a cray using nothing but your bare hands is priceless <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/xyxthumbs.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':th' />
So its settled then, looks like we're having a cray gaffin / abolone poaching bbq family fun day around christmas. Hehehe, just kidding folks.
I'm looking for work out in the mines at the moment but provided I'm still kicking on in the garden state around christmas then keep watching this space and I'll start a new topic about having a squidfish diving day.
ok well good luck with the mines. are you going to be driving one of those big monster trucks? <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':th' />
[quote name='glen' post='7512' date='Oct 12 2006, 04:41 PM']ok well good luck with the mines. are you going to be driving one of those big monster trucks? <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='
' />[/quote]
Could well be there Glen. Only thing stopping me is the alure of the mighty squid.
Me and a mate got 4 crays over two days last week out the back of blairgowrie. Also, I saw a massive octupus hiding under a deep ledge. I reckon its head would have been almost the same size as a 44 gallon drum. I saw the tentacles first and couldnt work out what they were untill I saw them connected to a massive head.
Thought about spearing it for a second and then decided against it. It would have been too hard to kill it and drag it up out of the water since it looked like it would have weighed as much as me. Also I was worried it might latch onto me. Let sleeping dogs lie I say...
Anyone else been getting any crays lately? I'm hopefully heading down to port campbell on australia day weekend for a top aussie cray-off.
hi rohan, what happened with the mine job? <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':th' />
cheers, glen
[quote name='glen' post='7941' date='Jan 11 2007, 09:46 PM']hi rohan, what happened with the mine job? <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='
' />
cheers, glen[/quote]
I'm putting the mining work on hold for the moment Glen and instead I am going to South america at the end of march for a 6 month trek which Im sure will include some diving round the galapogas islands. Might even spear myself a few patagonian tooth fish and smuggle them back to australia in me undies for the annual squid fish bbq.
[quote name='rohan' post='7997' date='Jan 18 2007, 12:07 PM']I'm putting the mining work on hold for the moment Glen and instead I am going to South america at the end of march for a 6 month trek which Im sure will include some diving round the galapogas islands. Might even spear myself a few patagonian tooth fish and smuggle them back to australia in me undies for the annual squid fish bbq.[/quote]
just mind those teeth! LOL
galapogas would be great!
you would be diving with lizards/iguanas!!!! not people have done that.
sounds like a great trip rohan. i'd love to be able to tour south america. galapogos aint cheap though.
so how has the cray season been? got any more than the 4 you posted about?
[quote name='Steeny' post='8000' date='Jan 18 2007, 11:54 AM']sounds like a great trip rohan. i'd love to be able to tour south america. galapogos aint cheap though.
so how has the cray season been? got any more than the 4 you posted about?[/quote]
No still only got the 4 so far steeny. Went out the other night again after work in Rye but it was pretty rough challenging conditions. I reckon this weekend could be the go - weather permitting of course.
Hows your quota been going?
i actually haven't been out. went for a snorkel at mornington the other day, and didn't see a single live thing in the water. pretty ordinary.
i'm thinking of trying to get out and test out the spear at some stage, but not sure when. trying to find a nice day when the wind is not too strong is not that easy at the moment.
perhaps i'll have time on sunday and i might try and get out at mount martha or something and have a go.
I was back in Melbourne for Easter and managed a few crays down the west coast - 3 of us got our bag limits, no illegal equipment required <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':o' />