Educate me on prawning pls

I had the modified hose reel as well. Cut it up and put a Scotty mount on it. Worked pretty good.

Now I’ll share the new patented design. Aluminum bracket with a spindle that mounts to Scotty. The hose reel slides onto the bracket and you can store 450’ of line on each reel. Just spool it up and no dealing with tangles. Two spools fit into a bucket. So you can have four sets (8 traps) down and only take up two buckets worth of room on your boat when you bring the lines back up. Works great for guys like me with small 18’ boats.
 

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WOW! Corey - very cool. You MUST BE a VERY serious rec prawner. Thanks 4 sharing :)
 
Ok folks - here I am with my two Ladner traps, needing some advice on how to rig them. Here’s what I have for one set of traps:

450’ of leaded line, A-2 buoy, 3 x 7 lbs weights, 50’ of floating twisted poly rope, lockable carabiner clip

Traps come with a snap on each of them
FEF6812F-EEA4-44FD-9571-B268E6C86D4A.jpeg

Should I go with a double surgeon knot at the end of the leaded line then first trap with 7 lbs weight in it, 30’ above the 2nd trap with weight, 30’ above floating rope with 7 lbs attached to it to work like the anchor and then all the way up to the buoy?

Maybe I’m just overthinking this but don’t want to loose any expensive gear on my 1st newbie drop :)
 
Ok folks - here I am with my two Ladner traps, needing some advice on how to rig them. Here’s what I have for one set of traps:

450’ of leaded line, A-2 buoy, 3 x 7 lbs weights, 50’ of floating twisted poly rope, lockable carabiner clip

Traps come with a snap on each of them
View attachment 43585

Should I go with a double surgeon knot at the end of the leaded line then first trap with 7 lbs weight in it, 30’ above the 2nd trap with weight, 30’ above floating rope with 7 lbs attached to it to work like the anchor and then all the way up to the buoy?

Maybe I’m just overthinking this but don’t want to loose any expensive gear on my 1st newbie drop :)
Since you have 450' of lead line you probably dont nees the poly (depending how deep your prawning). At the end of your line tie a knot or make an eye. Snap on trap #1 put 7lb weight in it. Peel off 30 -50' of line and make a alpine butterfly knot (easy knot google it) attach trap #2 put 7lb weight in it. Peel 10-20' line and attach weight #3. On 5/6" line those butterfly knots will still go through your puller.

Good luck.
 
I only started fishing in the ocean last year and have enjoyed the experience so far. It has been a fairly expensive endeavour and the new regs have also put a bit of a damper on but that's life. I've been reading up a bit on prawning and would like to give it a go too. I am leaning toward getting one of the square type Bauer traps from PNT or HC as I will likely be doing 2-4hr soaks and just staying out and doing some fishing while the trap(s) is soaking. I read that the square traps with the low tunnels perform better than the round ones, especially on shorter soaks. I don't have a line hauler and was thinking to start I could just pull the trap(s) by hand and if I start to do more prawning, then buy a hauler. Does anyone pull traps manually ? I recently read with interest about a Pro Marine thin line hauler. It takes up very little space and just uses a 20V drill for power (which I have). I asked HC about them but it seemed like they wanted to sell me an Ace instead, which seems a little overkill right now. From what I read, it is saying the thin line is not as affected by currents etc, as well as takes up very little space. The spools have 400 or 450' of 400lb test line. Not sure if you can only put one trap on or two but wondering if anyone has experience with one. Any feedback/comments would be appreciated.
 
I only started fishing in the ocean last year and have enjoyed the experience so far. It has been a fairly expensive endeavour and the new regs have also put a bit of a damper on but that's life. I've been reading up a bit on prawning and would like to give it a go too. I am leaning toward getting one of the square type Bauer traps from PNT or HC as I will likely be doing 2-4hr soaks and just staying out and doing some fishing while the trap(s) is soaking. I read that the square traps with the low tunnels perform better than the round ones, especially on shorter soaks. I don't have a line hauler and was thinking to start I could just pull the trap(s) by hand and if I start to do more prawning, then buy a hauler. Does anyone pull traps manually ? I recently read with interest about a Pro Marine thin line hauler. It takes up very little space and just uses a 20V drill for power (which I have). I asked HC about them but it seemed like they wanted to sell me an Ace instead, which seems a little overkill right now. From what I read, it is saying the thin line is not as affected by currents etc, as well as takes up very little space. The spools have 400 or 450' of 400lb test line. Not sure if you can only put one trap on or two but wondering if anyone has experience with one. Any feedback/comments would be appreciated.
I had similar intentions when I started prawning, to pull the traps manually or use some sort of drill system. Let me tell you something....get a hauler and save yourself the frustration! The drill idea sounds all good....until your realize the battery on those things just doesn't cut it and hauling up 250' of line will make prawning not so fun....and what's really the point of that. There's an initial layout of "investment" that will save you a lot of headache. Here's my 2 cents:

1. Get 2 traps - yes it will be more expensive initially but it will give you a chance to test multiple spots on one line. I have the square traps as well but make sure of one thing...that the bait cups fit into the bait holder area. Some will not fit and I've found that if the bait cup is not secured I don't get the same number of prawn.
2. Get a hauler (see above for that explanation)
3. Learn to eye-splice your rope, it'll save you money in the long term and will give you an appreciation for DIY
4. Use good bait - I keep a container of prawn pellets on the boat and they are always soaking in the amber coloured prawn scent (name is escaping me). I also add a can of cat food to the bait cup.
5. Use a small ~2# anchor on your ground end - maybe ~10-20' before the first trap, it'll help keep the traps from drifting around.
6. Make sure you're using leaded line or a combination with leaded at the top ~50' - maybe more.
7. Be prepared to be skunked many times before you hit a mother load :).

I'm no expert by any means, and have learned a ton from this forum over the course of the last 3-5 years. Don't expect that you'll get exact locations but it's pretty obvious when you're motoring around in 250+ feet of water and you see a trap.....they ain't targeting crab (well....maybe someone is...but that's a completely different topic) ;).

Good luck!
 
I pulled by hand for a few trips until I had 2 giant starfish in one trap and an octopus in the other and debated cutting the line and going home for a few beers. Get a 1/2 knot tide swing and a trap with starfish or full of shrimp and it will be tough. if you insist on pulling by hand get a setup with a roller on the end that slides into a rod holder so you can step back from the side and pull toward yourself rather than bending over and pulling up. It will save your back
 
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I pulled by hand for a few trips until I had 2 giant starfish in one trap and an octopus in the other and debated cutting the line and going home for a few beers.
Lol yup, I cut a line once with double traps....not a good day.
 
How long do folks generally fish their traps? We've been doing a 24-hour soak, but wondering if we should be doing something different?
 
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How long do folks generally fish their traps? We've been doing a 24-hour soak, but wondering
if that's too long?

If you are on a really good spot 2 hours is lots. In mediocre spots overnight can produce better results. The caveat is that you need some bait that lasts as prawn will get out when the bait runs out. Particularly in round traps. I normally use a combination of fish scraps/offal and cat food. Carlyle really works. I can’t bring myself to buy pellets.
I am a huge fan of the square Bauer. I have one and a bunch of round traps. The Bauer routinely gets 3 times as much as any of the round traps. One day when I have a bigger boat and budget I will always fish 4 Bauer’s.
And hand hauling is doable. Particularly with just two traps per string and shallow South Island prawning depths. With 3 or 4 per string at 400 feet in the northern strait it starts to get painful. Was fun when we were 22. Not so sure It would be fun now.
 
I only started fishing in the ocean last year and have enjoyed the experience so far. It has been a fairly expensive endeavour and the new regs have also put a bit of a damper on but that's life. I've been reading up a bit on prawning and would like to give it a go too. I am leaning toward getting one of the square type Bauer traps from PNT or HC as I will likely be doing 2-4hr soaks and just staying out and doing some fishing while the trap(s) is soaking. I read that the square traps with the low tunnels perform better than the round ones, especially on shorter soaks. I don't have a line hauler and was thinking to start I could just pull the trap(s) by hand and if I start to do more prawning, then buy a hauler. Does anyone pull traps manually ? I recently read with interest about a Pro Marine thin line hauler. It takes up very little space and just uses a 20V drill for power (which I have). I asked HC about them but it seemed like they wanted to sell me an Ace instead, which seems a little overkill right now. From what I read, it is saying the thin line is not as affected by currents etc, as well as takes up very little space. The spools have 400 or 450' of 400lb test line. Not sure if you can only put one trap on or two but wondering if anyone has experience with one. Any feedback/comments would be appreciated.
the bauer traps may catch more prawns but who wants all those small ones-the commercial guys have round traps with a certain mesh for good reason-good size prawns. there is no reason to use leaded line (too heavy for the hauler) as polyester 1/4 or 5/16 sinks when wet. prawns are nocturnal so move a lot after dark so 24 hr soaks usually better.
 
Each to his own.. experiment and dont be scared to spend the bucks for an Ace with coiler. Nothing like just standing there and watching the coiler do its magic. I fish individual traps.. better area and depth coverage. A 5lb dive weight on each side of the trap.. plus a 5 lb weight 20 ft from the trap on the line. I used a LOT of bait.... Carlyle cat food, plus the cheapest kitty kibble I can find and a shot of Stink Bait ... just dont spill the Stink Bait or your boat will stink like crazy ! When you figure the price of boats and gas, a couple of dollars for extra bait is worth it.
 
Each to his own.. experiment and dont be scared to spend the bucks for an Ace with coiler. Nothing like just standing there and watching the coiler do its magic. I fish individual traps.. better area and depth coverage. A 5lb dive weight on each side of the trap.. plus a 5 lb weight 20 ft from the trap on the line. I used a LOT of bait.... Carlyle cat food, plus the cheapest kitty kibble I can find and a shot of Stink Bait ... just dont spill the Stink Bait or your boat will stink like crazy ! When you figure the price of boats and gas, a couple of dollars for extra bait is worth it.
I stopped using the line weight altogether recently. If the traps are heavy enough it shouldn't matter. Mine are now 22lb each :)
 
Looking at this thread seams people have gone to some pretty far extremes to catch them bottom bugs. I only prawn a few times each spring, normally when bear hunting. Waiting for low tides. When it come to pulling I use exact same setup as I do for my hali anchor. Prawn gear has A4 main float and my puller idea. Hook on stern cleat and motor away, when rod/first trap hits ball stop and back down while coiling line in tub. Only lift last trap weight. No big boat and no trap puller so this works well. Bugs still taste dam good.

HM
 
Looking at this thread seams people have gone to some pretty far extremes to catch them bottom bugs. I only prawn a few times each spring, normally when bear hunting. Waiting for low tides. When it come to pulling I use exact same setup as I do for my hali anchor. Prawn gear has A4 main float and my puller idea. Hook on stern cleat and motor away, when rod/first trap hits ball stop and back down while coiling line in tub. Only lift last trap weight. No big boat and no trap puller so this works well. Bugs still taste dam good.

HM


I used to use a bouy, drift sock, snatch block.. ah the good ol daze.
 
Good old days were same for bottom bugs for me, no need to change, pulled traps 20 years ago, still works same today. Cant say same for rods, reels, line and annual flasher color change purchases along with all the other annual "upgrades".

HM
 
... And hand hauling is doable. Particularly with just two traps per string and shallow South Island prawning depths. With 3 or 4 per string at 400 feet in the northern strait it starts to get painful. Was fun when we were 22. Not so sure It would be fun now.[/QUOTE said:
Got a kick out of this Wil. Check in again at 70+..lol.
 
Hi guys, does anyone here know what are these green, yellow and red images above the ground is?030488B7-AF5D-4F02-A20D-FEBCC8975825.jpeg
 

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