Thedeepblue

Cray tips

The NSW Department of Primary Industries (Fisheries) control the recreational size and bag limit on Eastern rock lobster in NSW currently 10.4 min. to 18 max cm carapace length and a maximum of 2 cray fish possession limit per person. An all waters fishing licence is required. The limits are in place to ensure a sustainable fishery. In addition lobster or crayfish must be taken without the aid of tools such as spearguns, hoops, jigs and so on and may only be taken with a bare or gloved hand.

Note: size and bag limits change please check with DPI for current restrictions.

Rock lobsters, crays or crayfish are a delicious and nutritious form of sea food and available to all licensed fishers with a little time and know how. Here are a few pointers for catching a feed of crays.

Crayfish are seasonal and may not be present inshore all year round. At the right time of year crays move in from the continental shelf where they hole up in shallow water along the NSW coast. Different areas hold crays at different times of year but in some areas crays are resident all year round.

    Tip 1. Check your local areas reguarly by looking in caves, shelves and cracks or in kelp beds to determine presence/absence.

Once located crays may be on their own or in creches of two or more individuals. Sometimes many crays co-occur and finding a nest of crays really gets the heart racing. Crays can be found in any depth so don't overlook the shallow stuff. When you locate your crays take some time to assess the situation. Many crays are lost by rushing in and grabbing blindly about the cray hole.

    Tip 2.  Make a plan, assess likely entrances/exits and check the size and depth of the habitat, breath up and go for it.

The best place to grab a cray is by the carapace (body) or tail, taking a firm hold. At this point don't let go or your cray will be off like a shot. Grabbing legs or feelers is innefective as these are dropped at will. The cray then regrows these appendages as it moults or sloughs its skin. Regrowth takes the cray a lot of time and energy and in the meantime they are more susceptible to predation so I usually won't attempt to catch the cray unless I am fairly confident of bagging it.

    Tip 3. Grab the cray firmly around the tail or carapace, or at the very base of the feelers where thay join the head as these (knuckles or horns)cannot be sloughed off by the cray. Tansfer your grip to the body or tail as soon as possible.

Plastic cray rulers or measures are available at tackle stores or fisheries offices and are a good accessory along with your cray bag and a sturdy pair of (rubber coated) gloves. Crays are measured from the back of the carapace (where the spikey part of the back meets the tail) and the base of the centre spike between the eyes. Well done you now have your legal sized cray, adopt a two handed grip if you must carry it any distance by making a fist with one hand and placing it on the crays stomach. The cray will tightly cling onto your hand with its legs. Hold the back or tail with the other hand.

    Tip 4. Crays will sometimes stress in the catch bag and throw their legs or even chew holes in mesh bags in an attempt to escape. Placing a freshly killed fish in with your cray will cause it to relax and start feeding, making for a happier/tastier cray. Its also kinder on your catch bag.

Please remember that size and bag limits are enforced and are necessary to ensure a sustainable fishery.  

A nest of crays backed up against a ledge makes for a relatively easy catch and a diver can bag out on 1 breath hold.

Sometimes its worth checking an area thoroughly before catching your limit as bigger crays may be about, like this big bug with a 16cm carapace.

Holding crays by the feelers is fine for the photo but never try and catch a cray this way. And kids don't put them on your face.

Southern rock lobsters don't have an upper size limit and some monsters are lurking out there just waiting to do battle. Bag limit of 2 still applies.