prawning

[Peege]

Does anyone really know how to prawn? Taking into consideration traps, baits, bottoms, depths, baits, bait jars, bait seepage, time of year, tides, and what to look for in site selection. I do Ok but am looking for perfection and will share my knowledge..shoot

 

[blueorca]

Well, shoot away.
I've only been prawning for 27 years so I could use some advise, too.

 

[Peege]

well Blue for instance I heard that prawns travel single file not calvery stye so set your traps perpendicular to the currents, heavy tides can leek your bait oustside of the traps so they really don't have to enter, bigger the trap the better, your turn and i'll be back later..peege

 

[Mongoose]

ive been prawning only 4 times, all off albert head. and lost my traps, line, prawns within a week of buying them. but when i did catch prawns, they were BIG fat ones

 

[Brokenrod]

Single file? Let me picture that. So if I line my traps right they could march right in?

 

[blueorca]

Well that's the first time I have heard this. Not saying it's not true.
I use round commercial traps with four openings so it wouldn't matter anyway. I work my traps up and down the slope so the traps are at different levels starting at about 325 feet down to 500 feet.
Once I have found the most productive level, I then work that level for a couple days but then stagger again as they do move about quite quickly. They will move up to the traps from the deeper areas and will migrate to the commercial strings due to the sheer number of traps they have chumming the water. I will also sometimes lay my traps below theirs to take advantage of this.
Best bait I've used is a mixture of commercial pellets with a scoop of the cheapest oiliest nastiest tuna cat food that I can find. Carlyle brand, I swear, is rotten when they can it. My cats won't eat it so it must be good. No longer than a three hour soak as they will walk out after that and other critters tend not to invade the trap so readily.(Octopi and Ratfish)
Rocky slopes are the best as apposed to just deep holes.
IMHO

 

[Tsquared]

I use those traps that are 1" wide and 6' long. They are transported easily in my rod holders and they work well as the line of prawns marches right in and keeps going until they hit the back of the trap. Then they can't get turned around to get back out.
T2

 

[scott craven]

hey t2, how many prawns do you get out of a full trap ?

 

[PinchMe]

Use the 1'x3' prawn trap specials with scotty bait cup (drill lots of holes for extra chum action) and Cdn Tire Prawn/Crab pellets. I prawn in Saanich Inlet (respectable distance from other traps) at 210'-270', leaving approx 30'-50' of slack line for tides, leaving them soak for a few days. Results aren't spectacular, but average 100 prawn using two lines, 4 traps.
PinchMe

 

[Brokenrod]

I have never set my traps over 325',start to get squat lobsters after 300' it seems.Here are my ratings for a prawn hole. 2hrs sets max:
per trap count:
up to 20 - not coming back
20-30 - ok
30-50 - average
50-70 - good
70-100 -excellent

 

[Peege]

Some good stuff coming in especially Blues staggering the traps at different depths. Some baits I have used with some sucess are sunfish legs, dogfish, and herring ground into the pellets. I found you can leave traps overnight in 60ft of water during the winter months and need to get deep-400 plus for the short sets. I try to get alee of the currents during the stronger tides. How far apart should the traps be set?

 

[Brokenrod]

I set my traps 50' apart. I mark both end of my line every 50', when I snap the traps on the line as it is going out I know the spacing.

 

[nedarb2]

Tsquared, i have never heard of those traps before?? could you pleae post a picture?

 

[Tsquared]

I don't have a picture but you can see them for yourself down at TRotac. They're at the back near the sunfish jigs. As for a full trap load, it's approx. 40 per trap.
T2

 

[scott craven]

You could stack those traps in any boat and wouldn't be tripping
over them.
i'm gonna head to Trotac and check them out, prolly pick
up some sunfish jigs as well.

 

[Morty]

Peege-Where abouts are you catching prawns in 60 feet of water?And how big are these "prawns"?

 

[krazyfishingfool]

not sure if anybody knows this but when got down to the local boat launch today to go prawn fishing I found out that prawning was closed. it is now only open for the first two weeks of the month and closed the second two weeks of the month.so i came home and checked the fisheries notices and sure enough it's true.
so i'm wondering if anybody has had any luck in area 18 area??

 

[victoriaboater]

Somewhere in the Saanich inlet... We set between 200' to 250', deeper than that all we get are those squats. Regulation Trotac prawn bait soaked for 1-3 hours. We take 4 traps set about 50' apart. avg from 50-100 per trap.

 

[Brokenrod]

THAT WANT I'M TALKIN ABOUT !!! [8D]

 

[krazyfishingfool]

thanks for the info victoriaboater..I'll give it a try during the week at around those depths because today i tried it around cow bay area in around 200 ft mark and didn't find much at all.