How to catch Paddle Crabs Paddle.Info Taken From Fishing Forum
Crabs are found throughout New Zealand, they love areas with some current and occur most prolifically in open Sandy Bays.
It is thought that with the depletion of snapper and rig stocks in the 1970s, the paddle crab population increased dramatically, as these fish were the paddle crab’s major predators.
Today, about 750 tonnes of crabs are harvested annually, yet they remain neglected as a food source by recreational fishers.
In the 1980s, Ministry of Fisheries scientists spent much time investigating the commercial potential of a paddle crab fishery in New Zealand.
The results looked promising, and today small and tightly controlled commercial fisheries exist around the country, with the major ones being in Pegasus Bay, Tasman/Golden Bay and the Bay of Plenty.
In areas such as Golden Bay paddle crabs are highly esteemed, and are now recognised as a regional delicacy. For recreational fishers, paddle crabs can be gathered year round, with a recreational daily limit of 50 crabs per person per day.
Upon catching them, I grade out the big ones for eating and put the smaller ones aside for bait. Not only are the larger crabs superb eating, with a flavour usually described as being more delicate than crayfish, but they also make excellent bait for a wide range of fish species, whether you’re fishing with rod and reel or long-line. Smaller paddle crabs from 60-80mm shell width make an excellent and often overlooked bait. Crabs less than 60mm can be broken in half and work like dynamite on species such as gurnard and snapper. In the south, red cod, elephant fish, rig and large blue moki will readily devour paddle crabs. If the crabs are cut, they need to be secured with bait-elastic, and when fishing at night a whole crab bait is a good idea, otherwise sea lice will rapidly devour the flesh at times.
The best way to catch paddle crabs is with ring pots. The pots have floats attached, and three to six pots are usually set. Pots are baited with fish remains. Oily fish types make the best bait, with kahawai and mackerel frames being my favourites. Once all the pots are set, begin pulling them up again, re-baiting and re-setting as you go. By the time you have finished pulling in the last pot, it’s time to lift the first pot again and so on. You can fish continually until you have enough paddle crabs. The pots should be left for no more than 30 minutes, as the catch rate will decline after this time and crabs in the pot will often fight each other, resulting in the loss of tasty limbs. Full-on territorial fights take place between paddle crabs!
Paddle crabs are most active during periods of low light, so potting around dawn or dusk is often very productive. They can also be caught at night, but not reliably. If any rig are around, then the crabs will quickly disappear! On sunny days, when the water’s clear, crabs often bury themselves in the sand and don’t feed as actively.
I prefer potting when sea conditions are calm, as the crabs are most active in these conditions (they bury themselves in the sand during stormy seas, too). Paddle crabs are found in shallow water, from wading depth (often much to the alarm of swimmers in the summer) out to water over twenty metres deep. Many of the commercial crab fishers work depths ranging from 3-10 metres, so paddle crabs are a shallow water species and a favourite food source of many desirable inshore fish. This is great, because it makes them readily accessible to us recreational anglers. Sometimes all you need to do is wade out into the surf and set a ring pot to catch them, and at times they will be caught in large numbers in set nets – but this is a fiddly and often painful way to catch them. As they are found in the surf zone, I need calm conditions to target them here. A small dinghy or sea kayak is good for setting out crab pots. The large paddle crabs commonly caught when drag-netting in the surf for flounders are a welcome bonus. In the winter, large numbers of paddle crabs move into broad, sandy and muddy bays, and at these times the largest paddle crabs can be harvested. Paddle crabs with a shell width of 80-100mm are best for eating, with much of the meat contained at the base of the crab’s legs, where it’s reasonably easy to squeeze out. The large nippers also contain good chunks of meat that can be carefully picked out. Paddle crabs can grow up to an impressive size, and I have seen them up to 400 grams. Certainly fresh paddle crabs are not cheap, often selling anywhere from $12-$20 per kilogram – a further incentive to get out potting or netting if you need a feed.
For surf anglers, paddle crabs can be the ultimate pickers, so if you want to prevent them devouring your bait, use small floats on your line to hold the bait off the bottom.
Overseas, similar species of swimmer crabs – a group to which our paddle crabs belong – are much sought after as a tasty meal. Soft-shell paddle crabs are a delicacy and often cooked whole. Paddle-crab meat, poked out with a toothpick and topped with a squeeze of lemon, is very tasty. Paddle-crab gumbo is hard to beat, too.
Once cooked, paddle crabs turn an enticing orange colour that’s also visually appealing. I much prefer a feed of fresh paddle crabs to some of our more iconic delicacies such as whitebait.
So turn these pests into dinner, and I am sure you will not be disappointed with the results. Paddle-crabbing itself is also a fun, relaxing experience at either the start or end of a day – one the kids really enjoy.
Often, other interesting forms of marine life will be caught in the paddle crab pots as well – I have even caught a few seahorses... Placed on ice and chilled down, paddle crabs will last several days, but if you intend eating them, they are best cooked and eaten as soon as possible.
For the best quality, use within 48 hours if chilled on ice (with a wet towel), or ideally within 24 hours. So give paddle-crabbing a go.
It is a fun experience the whole family can enjoy, whether out in a dinghy at the end of the day lifting the pots, or dining on them afterwards at the kitchen table.
Finally, as a word of warning, take extreme care when handling paddle crabs, as their pincers are designed to crack open the thick shells of species such as tuatua, so can inflict a painful nip. -
See more at: http://www.fishing.net.nz/fishing-advice/how-to/how-to-catch-paddle-crabs/#sthash.j6Eyffik.dpuf
