GoingFishing Posted May 15, 2017 Share Posted May 15, 2017 Hi All Two part question ! Part A - in your opinion what is the best eating crab ? I have only ever tried blue swimmer. I am wanting to try a coconut cream/chilli dish soon Part B - i am looking to try crabbing soon. I have done some reading here and online about setting crab pots and likely locations. Just wanting some "lessons learnt" or tips from those who have it down pat per se. Any advice would be appreciated sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirvin21 Posted May 15, 2017 Share Posted May 15, 2017 don't skimp on the bait, put lots of bait in your pots and if you have a strong stomach eel is excellent bait but absolutely rank after 24 hours in the water Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bessell1955 Posted May 15, 2017 Share Posted May 15, 2017 In response to part A, I feel that any crab that is fresh and cooked correctly is delicious to eat. Part B This is not the optimum time of the year to catch crabs around Sydney. September onwards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seasponge Posted May 15, 2017 Share Posted May 15, 2017 best eating - if you want to sit around and eat fresh cooked crab straight out of the shell, i reckon blue swimmers are best eating. just put them in a pot of boiling sea water for 7 minutes. But if you're wanting to make chilli stir fry etc a more meatier crab like a mud crab may be better. as far as how to catch em - i wish i knew the secret. Blue swimmers are relatively easy but they're still a bit hit and miss for me. I've used flathead frames, raw chicken carcasses and tins of cat food as bait and have had mixed success on all of them. I wouldn't say i've noticed a preference. I normally set them and leave em to go fishing for the day, which is probably not the best approach to specifically target them, they're more of a by-catch from a day's fishing. If you've got time and wanting to specifically target them, one tactic i'm keen to try is to set the traps out in various locations, or across a stretch of water. Check the traps after 45 minutes, and if you find one location that was more successful than the others, move all your traps to that location, and keep checking them every 45mins. That's not a tried and tested tactic, just one i heard about that i'm keen to have a go at. It is getting late in the season for them, but up my way in the Hawekesbury it's been a great season for crabs this year, and they're definitely still around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoingFishing Posted May 16, 2017 Author Share Posted May 16, 2017 thanks for the feedback guys all very helpful. What is the best season to target them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirvin21 Posted May 16, 2017 Share Posted May 16, 2017 3 hours ago, GoingFishing said: thanks for the feedback guys all very helpful. What is the best season to target them? months with the letter R summer being the most productive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogbox Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 I started fishing for crabs last November 2016 boy I'm hooked last week I got 10 of Towra in botany bay and a few Flathead. Now i thinking of chasing lobsters and spending more time on the squid. I have even started thinking about what else I'm missing that you can add to you culinary dinner. for me any crab for chilly crab dish and I'm not a chilly fan but there is only a very small amount of chilly, I don't even notice it dogbox Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mojo4fishin Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 51 minutes ago, dogbox said: I started fishing for crabs last November 2016 boy I'm hooked last week I got 10 of Towra in botany bay and a few Flathead. Now i thinking of chasing lobsters and spending more time on the squid. I have even started thinking about what else I'm missing that you can add to you culinary dinner. for me any crab for chilly crab dish and I'm not a chilly fan but there is only a very small amount of chilly, I don't even notice it dogbox how long did you leave the crab pots before you started to check? day or night time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ribs Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 Part A- MUDCRAB! Hands down, but happy to eat bluees if caught myself and big enough. Part B- well I'll be here all day, but fresh fresh fresh bait wrapped in chicken mesh tied to the bottom of the trap , bit of fresh water (rain) flushes out the big ones, traps set between 1m ( if exposed at LT the shag bird /Pelicans will rip your trap and mesh apart ) and 3m just off any tidal flow.... Agree with best time is all months containing a R, however me and mate got these last week in the Georges, left out for 6 hrs containing a ride change, u just never know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sydney south Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 1 hour ago, Ribs said: Part A- MUDCRAB! Hands down, but happy to eat bluees if caught myself and big enough. Part B- well I'll be here all day, but fresh fresh fresh bait wrapped in chicken mesh tied to the bottom of the trap , bit of fresh water (rain) flushes out the big ones, traps set between 1m ( if exposed at LT the shag bird /Pelicans will rip your trap and mesh apart ) and 3m just off any tidal flow.... Agree with best time is all months containing a R, however me and mate got these last week in the Georges, left out for 6 hrs containing a ride change, u just never know! Good hall there. They all look pretty good..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoingFishing Posted May 17, 2017 Author Share Posted May 17, 2017 Thats some great feedback guys. Really appreciated. One more question ! Is there any opinions on which crab traps work best ?? Hoop or pot ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogbox Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 14 hours ago, Mojo4fishin said: how long did you leave the crab pots before you started to check? day or night time? i soaked the pots for 4 hours for 6 blue swimmers then i moved the pots soaked for another 2 hours for 4 crabs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogbox Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 Ive been looking for where you can catch mud crabs in the Georges. All my attempts have gone with O. where do you find mud crabs in the Georges river? dogbox Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sydney south Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 15 hours ago, dogbox said: Ive been looking for where you can catch mud crabs in the Georges. All my attempts have gone with O. where do you find mud crabs in the Georges river? dogbox Muddies will be very slim at this time of year in the Georges. Try the warmer months for muddies. Anywhere with mangroves or mud, put your traps = depends on where they are at the time... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishing TT Posted March 26, 2018 Share Posted March 26, 2018 Hi bud Do you drop your traps around the sticks? I've got 4 new crab traps that I'm eager to try out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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