Free diving crays novice

Just after any advice on chasing crays free diving (shallow). I've been wanting to do it for a while and have my license but have never given it a go. On the weekend was out in the tinny and I finally jumped in for a look around some shallow reef and to my surprise I found quite a few crays but was too gumby with the snare and didnt have my proper snorkelling gear or weight belt so didn't manage to get any. They all seemed fairly small though. Few questions, when is the best time of the year to be chasing them? Also are the crays more likely to be out and easier to get early morning than later in the day? Any other tips??? 

Cheers guys!

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Goodz's picture

Posts: 2332

Date Joined: 20/07/09

 Also I'm talking metro here

Mon, 2015-02-02 18:44

 Also I'm talking metro here

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Posts: 1084

Date Joined: 21/05/12

best time of year -when

Mon, 2015-02-02 18:49

best time of year -when season is open

in the shallows there is always a feed  of resident size ones who dont seem to walk

Goodz's picture

Posts: 2332

Date Joined: 20/07/09

 Cheers mate, I'm yet to

Mon, 2015-02-02 19:18

 Cheers mate, I'm yet to figure out what a size one looks like so need to try get a few to find out! Definitely going to give it a few goes for practice before the season closes and then I will be ready for the opening of next season!

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Madmerv's picture

Posts: 672

Date Joined: 24/01/15

Cray Noosing

Mon, 2015-02-02 19:37

 Getting a cray with a noose is an art. Some guys get it in a short period of time and some take longer.

Noosing while snorkling will either get you good fast or make you give up. The trick is dont let the cray touch the noose pole with it's feelers. They are the ultra sensitive fingers of the crays and can tell the difference between weed, rock, fish, predators and a steel noose. 

If they feel the steel they will get defensive and back off to their hide hole. Rule 1.

Get your noose pole in low and off to the side (leg level). Be reasonably fast but not aggressive. Dont worry to much about bumping the cray, as they get bumped all day by there mates, but if you bump it it will send a feeler down to investigate. Rule 1.

As soon as the pole is behind the cay open the noose to desired, or practical, size. The noose size will be determined by the size available behind the cray and cray size.

Pull the noose over the tail ASAP. Crays generally dont fuss to much at this as predators will come from the front not the back. Watch rule 1.

Release spring, pull noose tight, pull out cray fast, grasp cray in free hand or hold noose extra tight with free hand. Get air..lol. If you get the cray out fast then it will not freak out other crays. If you do not get hold of it or pull the noose tight it will get loose and probably loose a pile of legs in the process.

Take a measure with you and tie it off to your belt. Measuring a few will quickly get you tuned into a size one or cackka.

I spent almost a year on scuba with a noose and only got the odd one here and there. Plenty lost and plent scared away. I then spent some time snorkeling on the outside of TwoRocks marina in some dodgy swells. Having only a short period of time to noose the cray or you are pushed into a rock hole and held there made my noosing fast and percise. It increased my catch rate 100%. Oh and i dont recommend the outside marina wall unless it is flat calm or you are really experienced as a diver.

Hope that helps you get a feed Goodz.

Merv

 

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 Sometimes when the water is quiet, you can hear the fish laughing at you !

Goodz's picture

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Date Joined: 20/07/09

 Thanks for the advice Merv,

Mon, 2015-02-02 20:22

 Thanks for the advice Merv, that's just what I was after! I certainly noticed that touching their feelers made them go backwards! Need to be more careful with the pole. Think a weight belt will help me stop floating away while trying to noose them!

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Auslobster's picture

Posts: 1901

Date Joined: 03/05/08

Interesting, Merv!

Mon, 2015-02-02 19:54

You became a gun once the time constraints of breathhold diving kicked in...I suppose you gotta get good when it's literally "do-or-die"!^

Only ever got my crays on scuba...did take a few dives to start to get it sussed. But scuba or not, with experience you WILL recognize a legal Cray before looping it!

FISH-ON's picture

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Date Joined: 19/07/11

I have looped crays in rotto

Mon, 2015-02-02 20:13

I have looped crays in rotto but is there any places u can free dive in the shallows away from rotto?

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Be patient and calm - for no one can catch fish in anger

FISH-ON's picture

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Date Joined: 19/07/11

I have looped crays in rotto

Mon, 2015-02-02 20:14

I have looped crays in rotto but is there any places u can free dive in the shallows away from rotto?

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Be patient and calm - for no one can catch fish in anger

Goodz's picture

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Date Joined: 20/07/09

 Apparently Yep ;)

Mon, 2015-02-02 20:23

 Apparently Yep ;)

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Posts: 809

Date Joined: 01/05/09

I get most of my crays from

Mon, 2015-02-02 22:32

I get most of my crays from rotto ara, north side is better for sized keepers, but less jumbos (still plenty if you look in the right spots) i dive anywhere from .5m-25 for crays but most of the better stuff for bagging out is normally in like 10-18, but once you have a few spots sorted you can get honey holes to go to in bad days (most of these for me are in about 3-6m). Rule 1 for me, be ready to get a cray on every dive dont just investigate dive assume there is a jumbo in each hole, as once u leave a jumbo hole and it saw you, 90% chance you wont get it. The first post by merv is very very good. those feelers are killer.
for me  torch is essnetial but takes time to adjust to using one, also over time you will find which ground to dive and what not to bother with, jumbo ground is also normally very differnt to smaller cray ground. most of my jumbo diving is in under 3m water, but much more dangerous.

silly's picture

Posts: 382

Date Joined: 02/01/09

 I prefer mid morning to mid

Mon, 2015-02-02 20:50

 I prefer mid morning to mid arvo for crays. When the sun is straight above there is less glare than early morning but if there's a window to get out then take it! 

Most inshore ledges are full of kakkas at the moment so you'll have to wait for them to come back in or find the residents. 

Depending on depth and breath hold ability is once you spot them, gauge how much air you have in ya. If youre towards the end of a breath hold, remember where they are or place the loop pointing towards the cray ledge. Swim up gather your breath and head down with max air. They should stay put if you haven't spooked them. 

As for tips...with looping crays come from the side , or through the sand. If there is a deep ledge try to coax them towards a shallower ledge I.e try loop them from deep side and they will usually attempt to go the opposite way. That way you might get a second chance if you miss them the first time round. Only open the loop once it's behind the cray, and keep pressure on while in the loop. A torch will help while searching and when looping.. 

 a month or so and the sizes should hopefully get better.

Goodluck!

Mowong slayer's picture

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Date Joined: 20/04/15

Hi guys only new to this site

Sat, 2015-04-25 19:09

posted twice sorry

Mowong slayer's picture

Posts: 71

Date Joined: 20/04/15

Hi guys only new to this site

Sat, 2015-04-25 19:07

Hi guys

 only new to this site , I live in Sydney and for us it's all free diving and taking buy hands only . Here I find it best at night with a good torch they seem to be waking around . I have also figured they have some type of memory .they begin to recognize torches after a while and react much quicker than the first dive at any particular location . I am still yet to dive for your type up north yet

Posts: 423

Date Joined: 30/09/05

 Not allowed to take crays by

Sun, 2015-04-26 15:36

 Not allowed to take crays by night here in WA. If you could it would be easy as, because like you say they come out of their holes and are out in the open making them much easier to catch.

Mowong slayer's picture

Posts: 71

Date Joined: 20/04/15

Ok thought it was to good to

Sun, 2015-04-26 17:33

Ok thought it was to good to be true.  when free diving here at night it still takes some type of of skills to locate Crays and grab them with your hand one one breath . We get the bigger ones starting from now to October . Water can drop to 11 degrees which gives us limited time . Do you guys still use torches in day over in wa ?

claymore's picture

Posts: 225

Date Joined: 11/01/11

ive seen people fixing their

Fri, 2015-05-01 20:21

ive seen people fixing their torch to the loop, is this a good idea? and how would you do it?

i guess it would save holding it and give you a free hand?

Vinesh87's picture

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Date Joined: 02/04/11

i do  I use a Video light (

Fri, 2015-05-01 20:31

i do

 

I use a Video light ( wide beam not too bright) just attaach it with a cable tie and rubber bands so you can move it up and down the loop.

 

Sometimes when they are skittish it will push them away. I have done very well with no lights but most need a light.

 

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Date Joined: 05/05/06

Good info,

Sun, 2015-05-03 18:48

Good info.

Sorry to veer off but whats the go with the night time ban? stop illegal stuff?

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RobertMc's picture

Posts: 326

Date Joined: 19/01/09

 Not sure about why you can't

Sat, 2015-05-02 18:09

 Not sure about why you can't mate, but you have bigger nuts than me If you would be diving in open water at night chasing crays, lol there is plenty around to get them through the day.

Mowong slayer's picture

Posts: 71

Date Joined: 20/04/15

 I find a narrow light better

Tue, 2015-05-05 18:48

 I find a narrow light better for shallow crack crays