# Outdoors > Fishing >  Crayfishing for chumps

## veitnamcam

Tips wanted for potting(and free diving) for cray fish.

Nelson is not renound for crayfish but we put out 3 pots sat and picked up sunday in spots proven by diver a couple of weeks ago.

Not a thing not even a conger eel, two pots were old proven to catch and one brand new alloy/net collapsible.

Bait was snapper frames/roe etc in one, chopped whole kahawai in another, and rotten smelly bait  in another.

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## Tommy

How is the bait held within the pot?

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## veitnamcam

Also if anyone can advise the correct limit when using a diver. 
I have been told that only the diver gets his limit and have also been told the diver may get his limit and his boatman/safety guys limit as well so two limits?

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## veitnamcam

> How is the bait held within the pot?


One was in a s/s mesh bag one in similar to an onion bag and one in a pack and slave bag with a lot of holes poked in it plus a heap just tipped in the pot.

None of the bait looked to be touched at all even the loose stuff.

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## Tommy

All divers get a serve, plus one serve for the skipper. Passengers don't count. 

Dad's mate uses two half 1.5 coke bottles with para cord 'sewing' them together. Keeps the bait smell around but they have to go in to get it, and lasts a bit longer I guess. He's a gnarly old coot but he catches fish reliably

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## Tommy

I wonder if moon/tide etc has anything to do with it?

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## Gibo

Sounds like a barren spot

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## Tommy

The mesh bags should be doing roughly the same thing as his bottle setup

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## veitnamcam

I know down south they let blue cod go rotten and use that for bait but only being allowed 3 here I am eating them!

So definitely another limit for the skipper?

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## P38

> Also if anyone can advise the correct limit when using a diver. 
> I have been told that only the diver gets his limit and have also been told the diver may get his limit and his boatman/safety guys limit as well so two limits?


 @veitnamcam

Cray fish limit is 6 per person per day.

In a boating Skipper and diver situation where the diver collects the crayfish and the skipper stays top side looking after the boat then you are allowed to take six for the diver and six for the skipper.

If you have a smart phone go onto the Google playstore and download the NZ Fishing Rules App

It has all the fishing regs for all species with photos to help indentifiaction.

Get fishing rules | MPI - Ministry for Primary Industries. A New Zealand Government Department.

Cheers
Pete

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## veitnamcam

> I wonder if moon/tide etc has anything to do with it?





> Sounds like a barren spot


Na diver was there a few weeks back and was plenty and they only took the 6 for diver as unsure of the rules.

Yes big tides/moon and I did wonder if that would put them off? I remember being told by a commercial guy you don't catch much when its rough as they don't like to come out of their holes/cracks when there is too much surge.
Was calm but would be a bit of current with the big tides?

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## veitnamcam

Hey @P38 can you link the relevant rules on the skippers quota please Pete?

All I can find is that when a diver is gathering scallops the diver may gather limits for up to two safety persons on the boat but nothing on diving for crayfish?

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## R93

> Hey @P38 can you link the relevant rules on the skippers quota please Pete?
> 
> All I can find is that when a diver is gathering scallops the diver may gather limits for up to two safety persons on the boat but nothing on diving for crayfish?


You are only allowed six crays if only one diver and gear.
Pots are different again as multiple persons are allowed to haul pots and allowed a share.





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## veitnamcam

Ahh crap  :Grin:  this is what I had before, conflicting ideas on the rules.

Not that it matters as I am yet to catch even one!  :Sad:

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## R93

What's up with these banners at the bottom of some posts?

Cam is soliciting Asians for good times at the moment😆

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## veitnamcam

If you are on tapa talk that is the way it is now it would seem, my old pay version of it I cant even find to install on new phone  :3 8 14:

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## R93

> If you are on tapa talk that is the way it is now it would seem, my old pay version of it I cant even find to install on new phone


Yeah! yeah! Ya gunna hook me up or what? I'm partial to phillipinos😆
They love you long time.

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## veitnamcam

Ba ha ha ha ha.

Actually I am sure I could if I put my mind to it!

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## 25 /08 IMP

Seems to be a lot of people that would be in trouble with MOF if they got caught as it is 6  cray's per day per active diver only, nothing for the skipper or boatman, and for scallops 20 per diver North Island and 50 most of South Island and 2 x limits for 2 boat men, or a limit per person helping with the dredge.
But check limits as some areas are different.

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## Munsey

I'm with Dave on the rules 6 per diver , skipper not count . 
 Best bait is fresh! I prefer barracuda , then sea perch frames . And don't be shy . Plenty of  theory's but the ones that I believe true . Pots fish better after a soaking , bigger pots and heavy pots fish better . Make sure the yoke attached to pot has a small float .

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## P38

> Hey @P38 can you link the relevant rules on the skippers quota please Pete?
> 
> All I can find is that when a diver is gathering scallops the diver may gather limits for up to two safety persons on the boat but nothing on diving for crayfish?


 @veitnamcam

Best way to know for sure is to get it straight from the Horses Mouth.

Give MPI a ring and have a chat to a Fisheries Officer.

But this is what it says on the MPI Fishing Rules site for Rock Lobster

"Recreational fishing for the daily limit (6 legal rock lobster per fisher) is largely based on diving, but baited pots are also used".

MPI - Fisheries | Recreational | Popular Species | Rock Lobster (Crayfish)

One could argue that the "Skipper" is a "Fisher" as they have actively participated in "Fishing" for this species by driving the boat and by maintaining a safe watch over the vessel while the divers are collecting the catch. The divers are also "Fishers" as they actively collect the species.

Cheers
Pete

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## veitnamcam

Hmmmmmmm.

It clearly states 

Take scallops and dredge oysters for up to two safety people only

The regulations allow extra scallops and dredge oysters to be collected for up to two safety people. No more than two extra bag limits can be taken per vessel, regardless of how many people are diving. So, if you have one safety person on board your vessel, you may only collect one extra bag limit. If you have three safety people on board, you may only collect two extra bag limits, not three.


But says nothing of the sort for crayfish.... best inform my boss he has been breaking the law for years.

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## Chris

I'd go with Munsey bait like barracuda ,skippy frames or trevally with plenty of oil could even try a burly bomb .
Although was talking to a guy up the coast one evening ,he reckons all he uses for cray pots is possum(skinned) 
his where usually picked up off the road. Have a collapsable pot I have yet to try myself so be interested how things go for you .

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## Toby

It probably doesn't matter to much what bait you use.

Baits pretty much bait and clearly everything works. You get told the golden bait is this, but someones else's is that.

I reckon if everybody who's used pots was to say what they use (this goes same for best fishing bait) You'll hear everything is the best.

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## P38

@veitnamcam

Straight from the Horses Mouth.

Rang MPI and spoke with a Fisheries Officer and this is what he said.

*Diving for Crays from a boat:*
6 legal Crays per diver, per day. 
None for anyone else on the boat.
Only those divers actively collecting the crayfish are entitled to the daily allowance.

*Fishing for Crays using pots:*
Only those people on board with their name and phone number clearly written on the buoy attached to a pot can collect 6 Crays per person per day
Only one name and phone number is allowed on the buoy per pot.
Those on board who do not have their name and phone number on a buoy attached to a pot are not entitled to the daily allowance even if they do assist with pulling the pots etc.

Seems clear enough.

Seems I have mistakenly been collecting for the skipper as well as the diver.

Cheers
Pete

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## R93

Ha! Knew about rules ref diver but not about pots. Lots of people I know, break the rules on that one. Most likely out of ignorance but no excuse.

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## Munsey

> @veitnamcam
> 
> Straight from the Horses Mouth.
> 
> Rang MPI and spoke with a Fisheries Officer and this is what he said.
> 
> *Diving for Crays from a boat:*
> 6 legal Crays per diver, per day. 
> None for anyone else on the boat.
> ...


You also need your name on the pot as well as the buoy , I use deer ear tags . Kaikoura  fisheries are anal on that one . 
I'm was of the impression you can have as many names on the buoys as you like . ( mine do and I have been checked numerous times ) . Not saying I'm right but Will check that one out . myself .

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## longrange308

just get in water, find the weed, anything from 1m to as deep as you want to dive, look for holes/cracks that look big enough to put your arm in 
and start looking
when you find one take note of the position that the sea would come in, 9 times out of 10 all the others will be facing that way so you can narrow your search

find 99% of mine in less than 5m

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## veitnamcam

> just get in water, find the weed, anything from 1m to as deep as you want to dive, look for holes/cracks that look big enough to put your arm in 
> and start looking
> when you find one take note of the position that the sea would come in, 9 times out of 10 all the others will be facing that way so you can narrow your search
> 
> find 99% of mine in less than 5m


I like the sound of that...I could almost swim 5m :Thumbsup:  :Yaeh Am Not Durnk: , just a barstard the "close" spot is still 25l of fuel each way in dads boat and that's if it is calm!

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## longrange308

cant drive and do a shore mission?

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## veitnamcam

Could drive half way but then getting boat back on trailer in weather is an issue and actually quicker by boat.

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## mikee

> I like the sound of that...I could almost swim 5m, just a barstard the "close" spot is still 25l of fuel each way in dads boat and that's if it is calm!


Thats a bloody good clue!!

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## veitnamcam

> Thats a bloody good clue!!


Get ya within about 10km of coastline ay  :Wink:

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## mikee

> Get ya within about 10km of coastline ay


Closer than that I think ................................

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## Savage1

Easiest way to get crayfish is to find a person that likes diving for them but doesn't eat them much, I'm one like that, give most of my catch away, six crayfish is a hell of a lot as well.

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## Graeme Sturgeon

> Na diver was there a few weeks back and was plenty and they only took the 6 for diver as unsure of the rules.
> 
> Yes big tides/moon and I did wonder if that would put them off? I remember being told by a commercial guy you don't catch much when its rough as they don't like to come out of their holes/cracks when there is too much surge.
> Was calm but would be a bit of current with the big tides?


I pick its moon/tide/surge Cam. Fishing is poor up here at the moment. They just don't seem to do much late Jan/Feb spawning is over and condition is back on the fish. Can only get one or two flounder in a set and a couple of snapper if I am lucky

Very much like the deer. Fawning is over, velvet is mostly grown out. They come out late to feed and go home early. Everything is on a sort of a rest period until the stags feel that surge of life running through their veins in the cooler shorter days of March then they start roamimg, checking out where the hinds have been pissing and play fighting.

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## stingray

Could be a few things, but i personally think the numbers in areas we / you are working over are down at present, and I do believe its a seasonal thing and about mid Feb / early March numbers should improve. The local crays held their eggs late this year and bucks were soft right up to dec. Hell we were still getting softies down at kaik's till just after xmas (good bucks to not smalls growing fast).

Also dived crays that are stirred up by a diver will exit the area overnight, so potting on a rock that had a good result being dived means you can be chasing crays that have buggered off already, and alot of the coast has had a fair old flogging recently with the clear weather. 

That said alot and I do mean damn near all of my regular spot x's have fished very lean this year, even holes i haven't dived for over six months are holding only one or two crays not their normal numbers. Last weekend we were at Okiwi and got only two crays from turf we have left alone for quite some time, the bloke (oil rig diver) next door limited the same day but hit *45* meters to do it, he said the same alot of his good turf was empty also.

Kaiks crays are very shallow this year, 10 ft at low tide and yes I have personally seen a legal cray taken in waist deep water three weeks ago.

So in summary, barracouta or cod / perch frames. Pot deep (100 ft +) in you local area now but shallower (40 - 60ft) should produce crays  (fingers crossed) in about a month or so.

Or if you've got a spare day over the next couple of weeknds we could do a day or overnight trip to kaik's.

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## veitnamcam

100 foot! Gotta go 5 miles from land to get that deep up this end Joe.
Was in 5 and 10m tho it was dived just before Xmas so I guess they might have moved since then?

Could be keen on Kiak trip. Flick me a tx

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## Mohawk660

I scuba , but the theory is the same for free diving.

Things I have learnt.

If you find 1 cray stop and look there is usually more than one within a few meters if not a whole nest.

Terrain is important ie, you wont find crays in a kina bed , but I have found them on the edge of a kina bed.

Crays dont normal live near crabs, but they do live in the same atmosphere/terrain as the black and white stripped fish I think its called Paroarey? And if you see  yellow sponge stuff covering a boulder look hard at the cracks I have always found crays with Paroary and yellow sponge stuff..

Check holes and cracks.

I use to check every hole and crack ( Keep it clean boys) But have learnt in good visibility dive a little higher and you will see more., in dirty water you will have to check every hole.

I got 5 on saturday , it was luck thou, water was so dirty I literally swam into them.

I have found crays in the thermal layer, ie within a couple of meters of when you feel the water get noticably colder on the cold side.

Different times of the year they will be in the shallows.

The ones on saturday were caught in 6 meters of water.

Cover the ground quickly slow down stop and have a good look when you find 1.

Another trick is if you are unsure of what depth they will be at dive deep at the begining of the dive, crays are often at the bottom where the sand meets the rocks, if your like me and have a compass, set it and on your return back to the boat you can traverse at a higher depth thus covering new ground. Have caught plenty of crays on my last 50 bar...

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## Savage1

And when going into caves always look up, easy to miss when they're directly above you.

Use a noose, I get 90% of mine with one and does less damage, get the long ones not the short ones.

Don't waste time/air on hard to get crays, move on and find easier ones.

Do you have reds or packies down there? Packies are very transient, and don't taste as good.

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## stingray

Off end of Soucis runs out to a hundred if your overnighting down that way. 

Nearly all reds Savage, very odd Packy heard of but I've never seen one,

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## Bill999

my missus caught a cray on her hook over the weekend, bait was skipjack

best to just hold your breath and pull them out of their hole yourself

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## Gibo

> my missus caught a cray on her hook over the weekend, bait was skipjack
> 
> best to just hold your breath and pull them out of their hole yourself


Marlin Saturday. Want to come get dumped in amongst em?

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## Bill999

and spear one?

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## Munsey

Two more pots almost finished . Trying to experiment on how deep the sides need to be . Going on commercial pots big is good .  I hope to test over weekend

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## veitnamcam

Had a go at the king fish down the boulder bank last night Munsey, onto them for  a start then another boat with diver turned up and scared them off. Not having a sounder I just trolled round blindly for 2 hours to no effect.

There was some hands on hips lemon sucking lady watching me drive up the bank, maybe it is not allowed I don't know but the next big tide will remove all trace of my prints.

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## Munsey

> Had a go at the king fish down the boulder bank last night Munsey, onto them for  a start then another boat with diver turned up and scared them off. Not having a sounder I just trolled round blindly for 2 hours to no effect.
> 
> There was some hands on hips lemon sucking lady watching me drive up the bank, maybe it is not allowed I don't know but the next big tide will remove all trace of my prints.


Must be some good ones about , spoke to a mate. Yesterday , his dad lost a "horse " fishing on the other side of bay . His girlfriend "balls up " the gaffing of it ,at the boat , suffice too say he does not have a girlfriend anymore ! . 
I would have thought the b/bank be hard work too drive down ? Maybe the sour woman owned the local tractor and was pissed you not get stuck ?

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## veitnamcam

Na I have a four wheel drive not a sheep shagger lol.
Got one on but only a rat, didn't really have the gear for the job for trolling, had a jig that probably would have gone alright but lost the school.

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## mikee

> Na I have a four wheel drive not a sheep shagger lol.
> Got one on but only a rat, didn't really have the gear for the job for trolling, had a jig that probably would have gone alright but lost the school.


You should have said, I could have given you more shit to take than a woman going on holiday. Got raparlas coming out my ears

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## veitnamcam

Want to have a go tonight?

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## mikee

> Want to have a go tonight?


Committed otherwise at the moment (and in the dogbox) Weeknights are difficult. Next week am off so should be able to do morning or afternoon before / after you finished work but the weathers bound to upset plans

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## veitnamcam

Cool will keep it in mind then.

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## stingray

Crayfishing for chump divers.... Don't think you have all your gear ...... ,
Make bloody sure you do. 

Great vis warm water full tanks no mask!! I kid you not the first time in 20 Years of diving , I did grab dive bag and Im sure it's all there. 
Oh the shame! Oh the embarrasment! Oh the crays I didn't catch.

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## gadgetman

> Crayfishing for chump divers.... Don't think you have all your gear ...... ,
> Make bloody sure you do. 
> 
> Great vis warm water full tanks no mask!! I kid you not the first time in 20 Years of diving , I did grab dive bag and Im sure it's all there. 
> Oh the shame! Oh the embarrasment! Oh the crays I didn't catch.


I'll bet the rocks were crawling with them, if only you could see them.

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## MassiveAttack

> If you are on tapa talk that is the way it is now it would seem, my old pay version of it I cant even find to install on new phone


Root your phone and then install AdAway.  It puts entries into the hosts file that resolve the addresses of all the ad networks into nothing.  Long story short, you will no longer see ads in apps or on the web afterwards.

https://sufficientlysecure.org/index.php/adaway/

If you are on iOS then you are shit out of luck, enjoy your ads!

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## Nimoy5414

Seems like a perfect spot dude...

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## stingray

> I'll bet the rocks were crawling with them, if only you could see them.


Returned to spot dived the shit out of it, huge 12lb+ moki over a dozen of em terakehe school of kingis buzzed in an out again...... One lonely bloody cray. Went from 40 ft - 65 ft nothing. Tanking 

Moved up the coast to shot some butters freediving.. 5 mins 4 crays 3 lb -5... Less the 20 ft. Crazy stuff but what a blast. :Have A Nice Day:

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## veitnamcam

So I should have given you snapper and flounder instead of Greg?

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## stingray

we fluked a couple of snapper as well, but owe you one for the founder trip last year. See you in about half an hour if your home.

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## veitnamcam

Bloody thank you very bloody much !!!!!!!!!
surprise attack you were gone before I knew you were here!
Thanks for the crays Joe. :Have A Nice Day: 
Next net full is yours, hopfully not weed and rays !  :Thumbsup:

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## stingray

Your welcome cam,from the many that have shared and enjoyed your hospitality. Thanks.

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## veitnamcam

> Bloody thank you very bloody much !!!!!!!!!
> surprise attack you were gone before I knew you were here!
> Thanks for the crays Joe.
> *Next net full is yours*, hopfully not weed and rays !


stinger

Hope you like flounder @stingray  :Grin:

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## stingray

@ Veitnamcam you are a very good barstard ... My old man and mum and Lisa's say so. Thank you from us all. 

Nothing like a feed of fresh fresh flounder. Thanks for the beers and a yarn. And making my old man smile... Fresh flounder he said... Then just smiled and said thank you ... Then tell tell cam thank you .....so a huge cheers cam!

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