Thread: Crayfishing for chumps

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

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

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!!

Originally Posted by mikee

Thats a bloody good clue!!

Get ya within about 10km of coastline ay

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Get ya within about 10km of coastline ay

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

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.

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

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.

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.

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

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...

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.

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,

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

Originally Posted by 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

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

and spear one?

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