Bush 'n Beach Fishing Magazine Location reports & tips for fishing, boating, camping, kayaking, 4WDing in Queensland and Northern NSW
I’m so glad we’re starting to see slightly cooler weather.
Some of the days in summer were super humid and hot.
I have to admit that, as I’m getting older, I do enjoy having the comfort of a bimini on the boat.
The last trip I did with my daughter, we certainly needed it and then, on the next trip, I had it up once again to get a bit of shelter from a downpour.
If you don’t have one on your boat, I highly recommend getting one.
That’s enough about sun and rain safety, let’s get down to business.
Most reports I’m receiving at the moment are that mud crabs are moving very well.
You have to still put the time and effort in to get good numbers but, with a bit of effort, the rewards are there to be had.
When chatting with a few crabbers, we got talking about bait.
Everyone has their own secret recipe, however, at the end of the day, something that’s oily and gets a good slick or scent trail going is key.
I prefer to use mullet or mullet heads as well as any fish frames I have in the freezer.
I have noticed that some frames seem to work better than others.
Some crabbers I know swear by beef heart and others use chicken frames.
The best thing you can do is run a bit of a selection and record the results.
In my opinion, the best bait are the ones that obviously catch crabs but are also cost effective.
The more expensive the bait, the more expensive each crab is that you catch.
Though much better catching your own than paying $70/kg.
Speaking of bait – what about bait holders?
Some crab pots have little bait-holder mesh pockets built into them, which is a cool idea.
Other people simply run a zip tie, which is still a great way to do it.
I went one step further and built some purpose PVC bait keepers.
