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Prawns?


moldyform

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G'day there buddy, my dear old Dad use to take us up to Long Jetty for prawning over the xmas school hols whislt we we having our Avoca hols, anyway Dad would say that 6 days after the full moon was the prime run start time, and for the next ten nights the prawns would get on the gallop, and I can remember having some really good fun nights up there always getting a good feed of the tasty suckers, and we were also allowed to stay up late HeHeHe..

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hey Ray, so your saying the next ten nights the prawns are on at long jetty?

No , the full moon this month is the 3rd, so from the 9th which is Monday night, till the 19-20th

you will 10 -11 nights of prime prawn running time.

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Hi Ray R. How do you catch the prawns? I heard you should shine a light to attract them then just use a simple bait net to scoop them. Does the tide matter?

Cheers

We used hand held scoop nets, Dad made a light that could go underwater which was connected to a car battery in a wooden box suspended above the waterline by a car tyre tube, this was dragged along by Dad and we scooped the prawns as we saw them , we only ever went in up to our knees.. Don't know about tide but I'll guess that because they need to run to the open ocean that a falling tide would be best..

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Apparently the prawns have started to run in Lake Illawarra. ;)

In my experience a falling tide is best because when they are on you can just stand there and scoop the prawns up as they swim past with the tide.

If you havent been prawning before its great fun. Just need a light source (prawn light is good) and a prawn net.

I made my own prawn light out of some old electrical conduit, a plastic plumbing pipe reducer and a 12v down light globe. Cost about $8 to make. I have a big plastic box that I put the battery and the prawns into. It floats behind me as I walk against the tide.

Put the light into the water and when you will see the prawns swim past just scoop em up. Usually you see their eyes first - little red dots.

I took my little bloke last year (6 years old) and he loved it. Lost more prawns than we kept but it was a hoot.

Steve

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I have draged nets for over thirth years ,made a few hunder , there is no real set rule for them ,but things that do come in to acount if you want to have a good strike rate ,On the east coast all prawns in lakes and rivers run even if the lake is closed (this is good) all prawns run to the east ,so the best part of a lake to prawn is the most easten part of it ,wind dose play a big part on large lakes more so than tide (apart from in the mouth or run ) strong winds will form wind currents that prawns run in to get to that easten conner ,so if you know where this arears are in the lake your catch rate is very good ,with inconcetant weather pattens prawns will go early or late depending on where these crunts are going to place them for that one mad run you hit now and then ,Kings are always best up to 3 days befot the full moon ,so with this in mind you need to sus out a few places and you will get them any time of the moon ,the pros dont just prawn the drak .they day prawn as well . with crowards getting bigger we now prawn a lot of places that we never used to ,I could not count how many times we have set up 2 hours befor dark to get a place on the beach to beat the crowards and had other nets users tell us you dont get prawns till dark ,befor bag limts we would get buckets of prawn befor dark by running a net with a mud line on it to dig them out of the sand .as you know they will be there if you have the right winds on that day later in the dark , so go get them good or bad weather is the go , i like those real bad nigths big south winds and rain no crowards ,

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Apparently the prawns have started to run in Lake Illawarra. ;)

In my experience a falling tide is best because when they are on you can just stand there and scoop the prawns up as they swim past with the tide.

If you havent been prawning before its great fun. Just need a light source (prawn light is good) and a prawn net.

I made my own prawn light out of some old electrical conduit, a plastic plumbing pipe reducer and a 12v down light globe. Cost about $8 to make. I have a big plastic box that I put the battery and the prawns into. It floats behind me as I walk against the tide.

Put the light into the water and when you will see the prawns swim past just scoop em up. Usually you see their eyes first - little red dots.

I took my little bloke last year (6 years old) and he loved it. Lost more prawns than we kept but it was a hoot.

Steve

i can confirm they are about .but not in big numbers

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Wait a minute!

I 've always prawned at Sussex Inlet around the time of the new moon (ie dark) not the full moon when its too bright and the prawns are less likely to run because the predators can see them more easily.

Can someone confirm that over these years that I am prawning at the correct moon phase? We have certainly enjoyed good catches at the new moon (not full moon).

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Any month with letter "R" in it is when the prawns run (as a rule) , With Lake Illawarra park second car park after the left hand turn after bridge, Heading towards Kiama way. You can walk out on the flats thereon the sand and get yourself into the channels and when they run you will clean up. Last year i got about 9kg in one night with 2 people.

If you want me to post about how to make an underwater prawning light let me know

Steve

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Any month with letter "R" in it is when the prawns run (as a rule) , With Lake Illawarra park second car park after the left hand turn after bridge, Heading towards Kiama way. You can walk out on the flats thereon the sand and get yourself into the channels and when they run you will clean up. Last year i got about 9kg in one night with 2 people.

If you want me to post about how to make an underwater prawning light let me know

Steve

Bring on the prawning light post!

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Bring on the prawning light post!

You need:

1 x Small Vegimite Jar

1 x Conduite

1 x Silicon

1 x Break light globe for Car

1 x Wire

Use a lighter and heat the middle of the vegimite lid on the outside and when soft enough push the conduit through, Silicone both sides of Lid to make water tight

Run wire through conduit and solder the 2 wires to the contacts on the globe

Screw the jar tightly to the lid you should now have a bulb inside the Jar that can be lit by connecting the battery (Car or Motorbike)

Complete the light by siliconing the very top of the conduit to ensure no water can get into your light

I normally use a car battery and place this in a foam fruit box that i have rope attached to that drags behind me when i prawn or use a motorbike battery with a backpack on my back

Steve

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Thanks for the posts guys

Was checking out the tides last night and coparing them to the moon phases and there seem to be very few good times this year? Seems that all the full or new moons will ahve a high tide that is edging on towards 11-12ish and by teh time you add an hr for daylight saving and a bit of time for the lake to fill its nearly time to go to work!! Also seems the second tide of the day are much smaller, which i recon isnt as good as less water is rushing and i recon therefore less prawns on the run?

Also definetly thought it was essential for teh sun/moon to be bwlow the horizon before getting into it. Correct me if im wrong but this too then limits you considerably when its a good night to go.

As for prawn lights never been a fan of the old prawn light, much rather use a head light. this way you have 2 hands free. Secondly the light on your head will cause the prawns eyes to glow like beacons 20 meters depends on how bright the head lamp is, away giving you ample time to scoot in front of the others lined up in front of you and steal the catch!!

Having said that i have just brough a 70 odd buck LED prawn light to give it a burl. What ever flots your boat.

cant wait to get a good feed.!! :yahoo:

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