RECENT, heavy rain has seen good catches of mud crabs on our local mudflats while sand crabs have also been abundant in deeper waters.
Tim Simmonds recently purchased some crab pots after his daughter Darcy foul-hooked a big male crab while fishing with a rod at Wynnum foreshore.
“The buck was full of meat and absolutely delicious and next day I went and bought some safety pots to go catch some crabs,” Tim said.
“I love the thrill of the hunt and not knowing what you are going to catch – it is all part of the thrill of fishing,” said the former Sydneysider, who recently moved to Wynnum.
“I find chicken or whole mullet are the best bait but to date I have only caught a few legal-sized male crabs.
“Not having a boat restricts me to local creeks but the recent rain seems to have flushed the crabs out of the mangroves into the creeks and deeper water,” Peter said.
Queensland Fisheries has recently commenced a crackdown on thefts of both crab pots and crabs from other people’s pots.
In Queensland mud male crabs must be 15 cms across the shell and female mud crabs must be released.
You can’t possess mud crabs with the shell missing or claws without the rest of the crab. Crabbing is prohibited in waters which are closed to fishing. You can’t have more than 4 pots or dillies per person on a boat in the water. A pot or dilly must have a tag attached with the surname and address of the person using the pot or dilly.
Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol District Officer Tom Richards said fishers are urged to crab responsibly when out on the water.
“Check crab pots regularly and remove them from the water when they are not being used,” Mr Richards said.
“Make sure crab pots are heavy enough with the correct length of rope attached to the float to prevent them from being lost or dragged underwater in strong currents, and that the pots and floats are correctly labelled.
“We also recommend pots are fitted with escape hatches and are kept submerged to prevent birds and other wildlife from being accidentally captured.
People who see an unmarked, lost, or abandoned crab pot should record an accurate location or GPS coordinates of the equipment if possible and report it to the Fishwatch hotline on 1800 017 116.
