1st time prawn fishing & looking for areas

[ElectricDyck]

Weight is key, people have traps drift away and think someone stole them. I tie wrapped some sticks of 3/4" rebar coated with electrical tape (for the rust) in each trap. Got it free from a job site. Then a soup can full of lead attached to the rope 20' feet after the last trap, then 200' of poly rope, then 300' of lead rope, then a crab float, then a scotchman buoy. Each 2 trap set is about 60lbs and fits in a tote.

I have a small boat and use collapsable mesh traps, they work but fish as bait seems to be a bad idea as I have had a couple traps with holes torn in them and the fish parts missing, presumable seals..I use 2 scotty cups with additional joles drilled and prawn pellets mixed with herring oil. I can use the same scotty cups for 4 or 5 soaks before topping them up. I put all the cups in the freezer when I get home. If you dont they will get moldy and stink real bad lol

Also a puller in my mind is mandatory. Pulling all that weight by hand is uncivilized lol

Hopefully that helps, I got a lot of great info off of here after I lost a trap when I was getting started.

I throw all the prawns in a cooler with saltwater, after 1/2 hr or so the water will be brown. I rinse them with more salt water and get the heads off sooner than later to preserve the freshness. Then cut up the backbone and rinse off the poo vein. I use to peel them before freezing but its a ton of work when you have to do 250 so now I just freeze them shell on in ziplocks full of saltwater. The shell peels way easier after being cooked. They taste good for a month or so in the freezer before losing flavour.

 

[Bryan Allen]

use them for bait or kalamari? used to work with a greek dude who told us how to prepare them. we mustn’t have been listening as it was the toughest meat i’ve ever eaten. we ended up grinding it up and making octo-burgers which were amazeballs. kind of a greek mediterranean thing going on.

Both--use the skinny tentacles for bait and eat the mantle and larger legs

 

[Sir Reel]

Weight is key, people have traps drift away and think someone stole them. I tie wrapped some sticks of 3/4" rebar coated with electrical tape (for the rust) in each trap. Got it free from a job site. Then a soup can full of lead attached to the rope 20' feet after the last trap, then 200' of poly rope, then 300' of lead rope, then a crab float, then a scotchman buoy. Each 2 trap set is about 60lbs and fits in a tote.

I have a small boat and use collapsable mesh traps, they work but fish as bait seems to be a bad idea as I have had a couple traps with holes torn in them and the fish parts missing, presumable seals..I use 2 scotty cups with additional joles drilled and prawn pellets mixed with herring oil. I can use the same scotty cups for 4 or 5 soaks before topping them up. I put all the cups in the freezer when I get home. If you dont they will get moldy and stink real bad lol

Also a puller in my mind is mandatory. Pulling all that weight by hand is uncivilized lol

Hopefully that helps, I got a lot of great info off of here after I lost a trap when I was getting started.

I throw all the prawns in a cooler with saltwater, after 1/2 hr or so the water will be brown. I rinse them with more salt water and get the heads off sooner than later to preserve the freshness. Then cut up the backbone and rinse off the poo vein. I use to peel them before freezing but its a ton of work when you have to do 250 so now I just freeze them shell on in ziplocks full of saltwater. The shell peels way easier after being cooked. They taste good for a month or so in the freezer before losing flavour.

Heard from a fellow fisherman to throw the prawns in fresh water right away. It kills them and the meat seems to taste better.
Have been doing it for the last couple of years.
Agree with the weighted traps. I lost a few sets and then started putting a 10 pound cannon ball 20 feet from trap closest to the scotchman. Supposedly if the rope goes from scotchman direct to the bouy the bouncing rope/trap can spook the prawns.
I have done another thing which helps too. I put one of those red and white crabs floats 6 or 8 feet in front of my Scotchman. This means that the current is pushing against a smaller conical shaped bouy. If you use just the large Scotchman it creates a lot of drag in the current and can pull your traps away. I have seen those big red balls completey under water due to the current. It also creates 6 to 8 feet of line floating between the 2 bouys making it easier to grab with a boat hook.

Does anyone premix their bait and oils, put in the cups, and then freeze? Then you just put the frozen cup in the trap. Less mess.

 

[Aces]

don’t you find that attracts octo? everytime
i try fish pieces it’s octopus city then they eat all my prawns

Not really but it may depend on the structure you're fishing?

 

[Corey_lax]

Does anyone premix their bait and oils, put in the cups, and then freeze? Then you just put the frozen cup in the trap. Less mess.

That's how I do it. Mix everything up the night before, put it in the cups, and freeze it. And put more oil on over the side of boat right before it gets dropped down. I imagine the bait doesn't stay frozen for too long and starts to release scents soon.

 

[Cabezon1]

Heard from a fellow fisherman to throw the prawns in fresh water right away. It kills them and the meat seems to taste better.
Have been doing it for the last couple of years.
Agree with the weighted traps. I lost a few sets and then started putting a 10 pound cannon ball 20 feet from trap closest to the scotchman. Supposedly if the rope goes from scotchman direct to the bouy the bouncing rope/trap can spook the prawns.
I have done another thing which helps too. I put one of those red and white crabs floats 6 or 8 feet in front of my Scotchman. This means that the current is pushing against a smaller conical shaped bouy. If you use just the large Scotchman it creates a lot of drag in the current and can pull your traps away. I have seen those big red balls completey under water due to the current. It also creates 6 to 8 feet of line floating between the 2 bouys making it easier to grab with a boat hook.

Does anyone premix their bait and oils, put in the cups, and then freeze? Then you just put the frozen cup in the trap. Less mess.

So true, when I first started prawning, I used a huge scotchman and my traps drifted away a few times. Always thought they were stolen until I got phones call from other boaters telling me they were way up Howe Sound half submerged. Now I just use crab floats with another tied to 50 feet of sinking rope as anchor buoy. Haven’t lost any traps in over three years. Also, I alway use a couple of bags of ice to keep the prawns nice and cold. They stay alive a lot longer which makes the sashimi fresher when I get home.

 

[Aquaholic]

So true, when I first started prawning, I used a huge scotchman and my traps drifted away a few times. Always thought they were stolen until I got phones call from other boaters telling me they were way up Howe Sound half submerged. Now I just use crab floats with another tied to 50 feet of sinking rope as anchor buoy. Haven’t lost any traps in over three years. Also, I alway use a couple of bags of ice to keep the prawns nice and cold. They stay alive a lot longer which makes the sashimi fresher when I get home.

It looks like DFO wants to standardize the types of floats used for crab traps, and for prawn traps. You may not be able to use crab floats on prawn traps next year:

For planning purposes only - EFFECTIVE APRIL 1, 2023 - Crab & Prawn/Shrimp traps. The Department would like to advise that changes to the conditions of licence to standardize crab and prawn/shrimp float requirements will be proceeding for the licence year beginning on April 1, 2023. This change is required to support improved enforcement and catch monitoring. This advance notice is intended to provide stakeholders and gear manufacturers/distributors adequate time to prepare for these planned changes. Some fishers may be required to purchase new fishing gear over the next year in order to be in compliance on April 1, 2023 with the following requirements. - Crab Traps - Floats attached to crab traps must be bullet shaped cylindrical floats a minimum of 27cm in length and 12cm in diameter. Typically these are foam floats which can be found at most tackle retailers. - Prawn and Shrimp Traps - Floats attached to prawn and shrimp traps must be round (spherical) in shape and a minimum of 27cm in diameter. Typically these are 'Scotchman' style floats which can be found at most tackle retailers.

 

[Aquaholic]

1st time prawning. Can any one tell me good places to go prawning?

I planned to fish and prawn around Bowen Island or Valdez/Galiano passage area. (Area 17 & 28)

Much appreciated!

If you are going to buy gear, maybe adhere to the proposed "For planning purposes only" 2023 gear regulations so you will be compliant in 2023 and onward. One of the gear companies I deal with is already suggesting customers go in this direction.

 

[Cabezon1]

It looks like DFO wants to standardize the types of floats used for crab traps, and for prawn traps. You may not be able to use crab floats on prawn traps next year:

For planning purposes only - EFFECTIVE APRIL 1, 2023 - Crab & Prawn/Shrimp traps. The Department would like to advise that changes to the conditions of licence to standardize crab and prawn/shrimp float requirements will be proceeding for the licence year beginning on April 1, 2023. This change is required to support improved enforcement and catch monitoring. This advance notice is intended to provide stakeholders and gear manufacturers/distributors adequate time to prepare for these planned changes. Some fishers may be required to purchase new fishing gear over the next year in order to be in compliance on April 1, 2023 with the following requirements. - Crab Traps - Floats attached to crab traps must be bullet shaped cylindrical floats a minimum of 27cm in length and 12cm in diameter. Typically these are foam floats which can be found at most tackle retailers. - Prawn and Shrimp Traps - Floats attached to prawn and shrimp traps must be round (spherical) in shape and a minimum of 27cm in diameter. Typically these are 'Scotchman' style floats which can be found at most tackle retailers.

Yeah. Heard that earlier too from one of the members. I will probably use the minimum size scotchman but still use another as an anchor buoy. Wonder if I can use one 27 cm scotchman and one crab buoy as an anchor. Honestly , with the way DFO is regulating us off the water, I might not even have a boat come next year.

 

[Aquaholic]

I wondered if they want to be able to decipher what species is being targeted just by looking at the float type, but if they know the areas, you would think that would suffice.

 

[Sir Reel]

I wondered if they want to be able to decipher what species is being targeted just by looking at the float type, but if they know the areas, you would think that would suffice.

My setup still includes the large scotchman just a crab float in front which is usually mostly under water. I think the main thing they are trying to do is elimnate the bleach and laundry bottles as floats. A few years ago I came across a prawn setup that was just a bunch of floating rope coiled up with electrical tape. No bouy. I was on a boating training course at the time and we came within feet of getting it in our prop. Single screw trawler. Would have been very bad. The instructor made us stop and remove as a hazard to boating.

 

[Aquaholic]

I came back to Burrard Civic last night just at sunset, had to dodge numerous crab traps with home made float set ups that were out at dusk and into the darkness. Slack tide so they were mostly visible. Thankfully bleach bottles are white. I wonder if the freighter crews put traps out.

 

[Pippen]

Heard from a fellow fisherman to throw the prawns in fresh water right away. It kills them and the meat seems to taste better.
Have been doing it for the last couple of years.

I actually had an old fisherman tell me to to put them in a bucket of surface saltwater as the water is different from where they live on bottom.(don't recall what the reason or difference in the water) This let's them clean themselves out of all the turds in them. Have been doing it ever since and the prawns are very clean; we usually dump out the turdy water and give them a couple of soaks in the surface water.

 

[doug78]

The little bouys won't float two big nets, so making people use a bouy means less sunk traps (more hazards, less junk in the water)

Crab trap regs are good, too many milk jugs water bottles out there ...



As for cleaning, I also throw them in the fish box and fill it with saltwater. Change the water out between pulling sets and am much happier with my prawns. Way less cleaning at home, freeze in tubs of fresh water and they keep a full year fine.
I should try freezing some in saltwater...I just never think to take the tubs on the boat or grab some clean saltwater before I get back to the marina...

 

[Sir Reel]

I actually had an old fisherman tell me to to put them in a bucket of surface saltwater as the water is different from where they live on bottom.(don't recall what the reason or difference in the water) This let's them clean themselves out of all the turds in them. Have been doing it ever since and the prawns are very clean; we usually dump out the turdy water and give them a couple of soaks in the surface water.

I would think if nothing else its a big water temperature change from 300 feet down

 

[Sir Reel]

The little bouys won't float two big nets, so making people use a bouy means less sunk traps (more hazards, less junk in the water)

Crab trap regs are good, too many milk jugs water bottles out there ...



As for cleaning, I also throw them in the fish box and fill it with saltwater. Change the water out between pulling sets and am much happier with my prawns. Way less cleaning at home, freeze in tubs of fresh water and they keep a full year fine.
I should try freezing some in saltwater...I just never think to take the tubs on the boat or grab some clean saltwater before I get back to the marina...

I freeze ours in saltwater. Either in yogurt containers or freezer ziplocks. Had some last night and they taste like fresh. My 3 year old grandaughter can't get enough of them. I think she ate 10 or 12 last night. She looked at mine on the plate and said grandpa are you going to eat those? Can we share?
She loves salmon too. Kind of cool.

 

[doug78]

I freeze ours in saltwater. Either in yogurt containers or freezer ziplocks. Had some last night and they taste like fresh. My 3 year old grandaughter can't get enough of them. I think she ate 10 or 12 last night. She looked at mine on the plate and said grandpa are you going to eat those? We could share.
She loves salmon too. Kind of cool.

I gave up on ziplocs...Ordered a 20 pack of 32oz tubs on amazon for 30 bucks. I recently learned i can get them mmmmmuch cheaper locally. I only broke one last season, the rest are still good. SO fast and easy to pack up when i get home. They fit 20 jumbos or 25-30 smalls. Perfect meal for one....okay two, she makes me share.

 

[Aces]

First guy your age to use that term. Guaranteed. You're the best

The bomb is from the ‘70’s amigo

 

[Rain City]

The bomb is from the ‘70’s amigo

Get the hell outta here. I had no idea.

 

[SpringVelocity]

The number one thing I found it is not the bait, not the trap its the location. Find your own location away from areas that are getting pounded on. You need steep drop up going to a flatter transition. They can be shallow or deep depending.

I know guys love being next to each other floats, but honestly I find you catch way less, and it is way more stressful honestly. Something about being away from the crowd that is more rewarding.