Prawning

[Time]

Time for a new adventure, never tried prawning before so a couple questions on gear if I may.
Traps - looking at a Made In China, stainless steel frame, with built in weight, about 30" long, at the local tackle store. $70.00. Perform adequately or ?

Rope - do you use the yellow poly or should it be the lead core sinking rope?

Float - if you use the sinking rope, what size of float do you use?

What would be a minimum soak time, given that I will have to explore until I find the little bu**ers?

Got the Scotty bait jars, and the bait recipe (mix of pellets and tuna cat food), and a lot of other info thanks to the archives and thanks to all who have posted in the past.

Thanks

 

[Tips Up]

I started with lead line but have switched everything over to a tidy system using a softer braided line. I find it runs through a puller nicely and I let it pile right into a milk crate. No coiling necessary and I can stack the milk crates with each set of line. It goes out in reverse with no tangles.

Here is my system:
Orange scotsman with a carabiner clip attached. First 20 ft of line below this I use lead line to sink the topline safely away from props ect. There is a loop at the top of this to clip the carabiner on to. Then 300 ft of braided line with a loop tied at the bottom for one trap and about 15-20 ft above that for the second trap to clip on to.

I can stack the traps in the boat with the scotsmans in the top one and milk crates stacked beside these. I assemble as I put them out and disassemble as I bring them in. Very tight system.

Tips

 

[Dogbreath]

"Traps - looking at a Made In China, stainless steel frame, with built in weight, about 30" long, at the local tackle store. $70.00. Perform adequately or ?"

Are they round or rectangular?

Round is what most people use

Rectangular will work OK though-must be weighted the weight as included is a joke.

Rope - do you use the yellow poly or should it be the lead core sinking rope?

Yellow poly is fine just add a weight about 15' below your float so the line doesn't float up/get cut off somehow.

Float - if you use the sinking rope, what size of float do you use?

16" Orange Scotchman with phone number, etc., etc.

What would be a minimum soak time, given that I will have to explore until I find the little bu**ers?

Across a tide change is time enough.

EDIT-for those who are wondering the pics as linked are of BC made models the best we can buy here, Chinese made models are a bit different

 

[Prawn Star]

For the rope, yellow poly is fine and just put a line weight 20 from the top and I usually soak for l.5 - 2 hrs in 400 FOW.

 

[the fog ducker]

I prefer the round Drawstring Traps , 10lb downrigger weights, clipped on the bottom center , Holds her down in my area , Bait of choice , Friskas , Tuna and Whitefish !! I love the Milk Crate Idea ( I was using rubbermaids , little to big )I hope i don't get in trouble here , I posted a " Prawn Trap Wanted " in the " Buy & Sell " Forum on this site , I need 1 or 2 !! VANISHED AGAIN !! kosi99@hotmail.com What Baits do others find to be best ?? I have a few guide friends out of Horseshoe Bay, that experimented between several of them , Salmon belly's , scraps supposedly worked best !! ( not the eggs or guts ) hmmmm ! I have actually never tried it , Also heard , Halibut remains works well, especially on Dungy's !!!! !! Lets here some more boy's !!! FD

the Fog Ducker

 

[Bodie]

quote:Originally posted by moe

For the rope, yellow poly is fine and just put a line weight 20 from the top and I usually soak for l.5 - 2 hrs in 400 FOW.

I do exactly as you except for the depth. Around Sidney and Saanich Inlet 200-225 seems to be the best range. I use the commercial prawn/crab pellets and half a tin of cheap sardines in each trap.

For weighting I don't attach anything to the traps. I clip the first trap to the end of the line, then clip the second trap about 15-20' further up. After another 15-20' I clip a 10# cannonball to the line. This has the effect of holding the traps in place, while also absorbing any shock from the float bouncing around in the waves. Prawns are pretty skittish animals (any one who's ever been out prawning off the docks at night somewhere knows what I'm talking about) so having the line jerk on the traps whenever a boat goes by and rocks the float can't be good.

Paul

 

[Prawn Star]

I use half a can of tuna cat food and half a can of prawn pellets. Best place to buy prawn pellets is Shar Car 59.00 for a 50lb bag. For dungies I use frozen cod guts and heads and frozen chicken livers. When frozen they milk slower and I leave them in a plastic bag and poke holes in it

 

[the fog ducker]

quote:Originally posted by Bodie

quote:Originally posted by moe

For the rope, yellow poly is fine and just put a line weight 20 from the top and I usually soak for l.5 - 2 hrs in 400 FOW.

Hey Bodie , If you do it this way , when all is attached , will the 10 lb weight not want to hit bottom first , could the 2 traps not almost land on each other , the hole system would scream down pretty fast , !! [?] , Maybe i'm missing somthing , sounds interesting though !! cheers , FD

I do exactly as you except for the depth. Around Sidney and Saanich Inlet 200-225 seems to be the best range. I use the commercial prawn/crab pellets and half a tin of cheap sardines in each trap.

For weighting I don't attach anything to the traps. I clip the first trap to the end of the line, then clip the second trap about 15-20' further up. After another 15-20' I clip a 10# cannonball to the line. This has the effect of holding the traps in place, while also absorbing any shock from the float bouncing around in the waves. Prawns are pretty skittish animals (any one who's ever been out prawning off the docks at night somewhere knows what I'm talking about) so having the line jerk on the traps whenever a boat goes by and rocks the float can't be good.

Paul

the Fog Ducker

 

[Autumn Ty-ee]

I use the fold up Rectangular traps with the factory weight on the center shaft. Two traps per set spaced thirty feet apart. Nylon rope with the clip on weight 20' below the float. I have never had the current take these traps away. Use commercial pellets with a good squirt of the commercial prawn scent that is sold in the squeeze bottle. In Barclay sound I set them at approx. 200' but most importantly on a rock or Gravel bottom.I prefer rock in Barcley. When I prawn in the Nanaimo area same set up except 350'. I also tyrap closed my traps so I know if someone has pulled them on me. I let them soak about 4hrs.

Autumn Ty-ee

 

[kronic_fisherguy]

Good deal on traps and line!!!
http://nanaimo.en.craigslist.ca/boa/865205031.html
The off shore made traps welds look weak to me!!

Tightlines and full traps kronic!!

 

[the fog ducker]

quote:Originally posted by kronic_fisherguy

Good deal on traps and line!!!
http://nanaimo.en.craigslist.ca/boa/865205031.html
The off shore made traps welds look weak to me!!

Tightlines and full traps kronic!!

Thanks Kronic

Tight Rolls , I mean Lines !! FD

the Fog Ducker

 

[Bodie]

quote:Hey Bodie , If you do it this way , when all is attached , will the 10 lb weight not want to hit bottom first , could the 2 traps not almost land on each other , the hole system would scream down pretty fast , !! [?] , Maybe i'm missing somthing , sounds interesting though !! cheers , FD

Yes, the cannonball wants to take everything down with it. We set ourselves up downstream from where we want the traps to be then motor upstream as I slowly let out the line. Once the weight hits bottom we motor forward a little more to stretch out the traps.

Paul

 

[salmon9]

If you are using poly rope use two weights, one 50 ft off bottom and the other approx 40 ft from surface. Take the max dept you prawn and add approx 30% for rope length, e.g. 200 ft dept means 260 ft of rope to the first trap. Purchase the weights that can be clipped onto the rope, the clips are simular to the downrigger clips. I don't use a float that can float my traps, i.e. large scotty float, I find too large of a float will cause my traps to move in tide and wind and they don't fish as well. Spend a few more bucks and purchase a good round trap from ladner traps or similiar design, you will catch more prawns, last you longer if you don't loose them and the traps will drift less on the ocean floor. The heavier the stainless trap the better, cheaper traps have less metal and thinner webbing. If you can purchase used rope from places like Pacific Net and Twine, used rope is easier to use, stores better and runs out with fewer tangles. You can sometimes find used sinking rope approx 250-300 ft for around $40-50. Soak time depends on area, bait, whether around tide cahnge, etc. I tend to soak approx 2-3 hrs and then pull and possibly reset again.

 

[the fog ducker]

Thanks Bodie , I'll try it out this weekend on a pair !!cheers , FD

quote:Originally posted by Bodie

quote:Hey Bodie , If you do it this way , when all is attached , will the 10 lb weight not want to hit bottom first , could the 2 traps not almost land on each other , the hole system would scream down pretty fast , !! [?] , Maybe i'm missing somthing , sounds interesting though !! cheers , FD

Yes, the cannonball wants to take everything down with it. We set ourselves up downstream from where we want the traps to be then motor upstream as I slowly let out the line. Once the weight hits bottom we motor forward a little more to stretch out the traps.

Paul

the Fog Ducker

 

[Time]

Thanks guys.
As usual, good info.

Will look for a pair of 'round traps'.

Anyone used "diamondback" traps?
Made in Ladysmith.
These are the ones Trotac, as well as some other Island retailers, sell.

 

[salmon9]

Diamondback are good traps.

 

[reels2play]

How long does everyone soak there traps for?. Was out today in the Scooner Cove area and when I brought my trap up there was a big octopus in it eating all the prawns.

 

[Pangaea]

My 2 cents:

First, Diamondback traps are the best. The welds are always neat and the openings sit square and true. And they're Canadian and local. For weight, I zap strap a length of chain - about 12# worth - around the lowest ring on the inside of the trap. I only weight the trap closest to the float, as it takes the brunt of the float / current tugging.

For bait I use pellets - currently Taplow - Ace of baits prawn juice, and one leftover / used anchovy in each jar. I use leaded line, as I hate poly, and find it coils really well into the bottom of an old plastic Rubbermaid garbage can I cut off about 18" from the bottom.

For soak time, I always used to read that 2 - 4 hours was enough, but I'd often leave the traps out over night. A while ago I started shortening my soaks to 4-5 hours and didn't notice a drop in #s. Then, I soaked them for 2 two hour soaks in a row and got double the prawns [8D]. Over a slack seems to be the best, but if that's not possible, the less difference between high and low the better.

Oh, I prawn around Howe Sound.



The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope.