Prawning in Barkley Sound

[T-Bone]

Husband and I have fished Barkley Sound for several years but never tried to prawn. Would like to do that this year but have no idea what we need to do it. After looking for prawn traps there are many different types. Any suggestions as to what type is best, bait and any other helpful hints?

Can't wait to get up there. Even if the fish are scarce you can't beat the people or the scenery!

 

[Pippen]

T-Bone...

Although I can't help you with prawning right in the sound I could help you out with your shopping list.

Traps - round ones!! Depending on your storage area aboard it may dictate if you want something you can fold right up and collapse or just something that you can stack. I like the stacking ones but when we head away for quite some time on the boat we tend to take collapsible.

Line - You probably want to have a good 400' of line attached to your trap. If you have some extra for the depth you are in the weight on your line will account for that so it is not strung out along the surface.

Float(s) - It has to be labelled very clearly with your name and phone number on it.

Weights - you may want to buy a weight for your line which you attach below your float to ensure it hangs straight down below the float. (this prevents it from sitting on the surface and getting caught up in props/keels etc. Depending on the current etc you may want to weight your traps with a few pounds of weight (will be able to buy with the traps) as it will keep your trap from drifting with tides/current/winds.

Bait - utilize the pellets that you can buy in most stores. If you can find a fish processing plant or a place to get fish oil I like to mix it in with the pellets in a ice cream bucket.

Bait Cups - these are the cups that hang in your traps and where you keep your bait "concoction".

As for "where"....well generally you want to be in at least 275' water but we tend to target in the 300-350 range. Hopefully someone from that side of the island will be able to help you out a bit more. I tend to do my prawning up the "inside passage" and closer to Vancouver and the Georgia Strait.

Just typed this quickly and I am sure I may have missed something that others will type in but that is pretty much your "basics" for getting started.

Do a search on this forum and I am sure you will find plenty of information on prawning. As a matter of fact there was one thread not too long ago that had a great list of what you need and what you need to "know" to do it.

Maybe someone else can recall, but just search "prawns" or "prawning" and it should bring up some info.

Oh....and welcome to the forum.


Just found this....which may help.
http://www.sportfishingbc.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=9552&SearchTerms=prawning

Some good info in this one as well.

http://www.sportfishingbc.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=9478&whichpage=2&SearchTerms=prawns

 

[Gomphus]

Pippen, that sounds like good advise.

What type and size line do you use for the traps? Is 1/4 in three strand nylon good or do you meed to use some other type of line?

 

[Tailspin]

We prawned hard last year around Julia Passage, Swale, and found alot of trial and error. There are slime eel's that slime the traps up so bad they don't fish until they are powerwashed off at home. Gross ****! After a few bad days we got some local info and now know where to go for next time at the mouth of the sound near the broken group. We always have done well at China Creek on the way out with 30 min soaks.

Don't go cheap on the line, 300 feet of leadline is well worth the 30-40$ for ease of handling. The other poly and nylon ropes will cause you many a headache untangling the rats nests, been there done that. Those guy's were just using catfood and the peawns were all DB XL's

www.tailspincharters.com

 

[T-Bone]

Pippen and Tailspin -

Thanks for the great advice and info on what type of traps to buy. Whether we catch a ton or none it'll be great fun and another adventure in paradise!

Thanks!

 

[Pippen]

quote:Originally posted by Gomphus
What type and size line do you use for the traps? Is 1/4 in three strand nylon good or do you meed to use some other type of line?

I would venture a guess and say that most recreational guys are using 1/4" braided poly/nylon rope. It's cheaper to replace if you lose your pot....or as we all know happens up here, your pot gets poached.

I know I sometimes use a slightly ticker rope...5/16ths or a bit bigger just because it coils easier (after one or two drops) and rarely have to worry about knots/tangles. I would imagine a 5/16ths in leaded rope would be pretty good.

If you use the poly/nylon remember to weight the line below the float. I have seen lots of people who don't and they are just asking to have their line tangle up in someones prop. As mentioned earlier just buy one of the weights that easily clips on to your line and leave it 50-75' below your float. Depending on current etc....you may want to clip a second weight on your line.