Crays 2025
Submitted by Piggy on Tue, 2025-10-28 09:10
Might be a bit early but decided to get the 2025 Crays discussion going.
Talking to a mate today and discussing when we should get the pots out. We go out off Mindarie. Last year they seem to run a little earlier than the year before so be interesting when they start running this year? Thoughts? Thinking in the next couple of weeks might get the pots in.
Interestingly I was out off Woodman point just before the demersal ban and noticed lines of pro pots already out but in deeper water - 40s
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I go boating not fishing
Reefsta
Posts: 383
Date Joined: 03/08/19
I'll probably wait.
Dropped pots inshore in September for a play. Plenty of reds, but by 30th September was getting at least 50% tar spots and pulled the pots. Last year's timing might be a little different to this year's, at a guess, if temperatures and moon play a part.. Maybe was warmer sea temperatures in 2024 and the full moon was mid-November. This year 's temperatures seemed to have settled down a bit into a more normal range and the moon is 10 days earlier in November. I don't chase crays too hard, so I'm thinking this year I'll put pots in late November, a week before the December full moon.
piscetor
Posts: 245
Date Joined: 13/05/16
crays
Dropped the pots behind the rocks at safety bay. A bit hit and miss. Got 4 yesterday and none today. A mate has his behind the FF and has only started getting them. they seem to be running late.
Filletmaster
snappermiles
Posts: 2102
Date Joined: 05/11/10
reds
bucket loads of reds right now but these will slow soon as they go to mault, i reckon by this time next month we will be into them
ALL FISHERMEN ARE LIARS EXCEPT YOU AND ME! AND IM NOT SO SURE ABOUT YOU!
sea-kem
Posts: 15184
Date Joined: 30/11/09
Josh I always put mine in
Josh I always put mine in end of November and have never missed the whites. The build up and anticipation is good fun, but I'm alway patient. Last year was probably my best ever, getting good bags all through summer. Pro size pots doing the damage.
Love the West!
Reefsta
Posts: 383
Date Joined: 03/08/19
Same
Usually start the drop late November, so this year around 28th. I made pots around 900mm long to fit my dinghy, with clearance past gunwhale rales and ability to slide them on their side past the center console. Not quite full pro but close..Weight all up 30-35kg, so I take my time hand hauling and only fish to 15m or so. They work well and can be left for a week, unless the occy and wobby take advantage. Last season fished them until March, starting with the whites in November-December, but lots of reds after that.
sea-kem
Posts: 15184
Date Joined: 30/11/09
Awesome! Similar mine sit in
Awesome! Similar mine sit in around 10m but do constantly shift them to different holes on the reef sytem , last year we also picked up a few jumbos the legs are fantastic but honestly the size crays are sweeter.
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piscetor
Posts: 245
Date Joined: 13/05/16
Pots
Check the length of your pots should be maximum 800 long, you are probably out of spec.
Filletmaster
Reefsta
Posts: 383
Date Joined: 03/08/19
Made me check
Last time I looked the Fisheries website said "pot must not exceed 1,000 mm in diameter or width at its widest point ".
sea-kem
Posts: 15184
Date Joined: 30/11/09
That's what I read too.
That's what I read too.
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still trying
Posts: 1094
Date Joined: 27/06/17
Place where I buy my cray
Place where I buy my cray pot gear from makes up pots for the whites 1m×1m bloody things are huge all pine as well
rather be fishing
sea-kem
Posts: 15184
Date Joined: 30/11/09
They are the best catchers.
They are the best catchers.
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sunshine
Posts: 2681
Date Joined: 03/03/09
Saw a full bag of whites at Woodies last week
Divers, they baggedcout in 20 minutes in 15 metres.....reckoned the ladges were loaded. Crabs on Christmas Island way early this year,. Pros pots were everywhere from just past the 5 out to the early 40's but they appeared to be speculating
Brock O
Posts: 3316
Date Joined: 11/01/08
Done quite a few dives this
Done quite a few dives this month already, better numbers in the deeper water 20m from what I've seen.
still trying
Posts: 1094
Date Joined: 27/06/17
Got 2 pots in on Saturday
Got 2 pots in on Saturday hoping to get some crays on 6th dec.
rather be fishing
Piggy
Posts: 580
Date Joined: 24/08/12
Pots
Still havnt even thrown our pots out yet haha!! Havnt heard any reports of people catching whites yet. Had a few mates dive off Woodman point last week and got mainly reds with 1 or 2 whites so I think they are still a while off running... Might get the pots in this weekend if the weather plays nice
I go boating not fishing
Reefsta
Posts: 383
Date Joined: 03/08/19
Almost there maybe?
Last year the reports on here showed some whites in pots pulled from around 24th November, but it was definitely on after that, with plenty of whites in pots pulled on 29th and 30th November. Ocean temperature has been suggested by DPIRD as important to the timing, so I compared last year's end-of-November 2024 sea surface temperatures to now, using the national marine database (https://oceancurrent.aodn.org.au/product.php ) . It looks like this year around Perth is just slightly cooler than in 2024, maybe 1 degree in places like the northern end of Garden Island or around Rottnest, and it was 1-2 degrees warmer in 2024 right on the coast. So I'm thinking maybe slightly later this year, with pots in end of November-start of December, to expect whites in numbers kicking in after first week of December. Could be complete BS, but fun having a play with the guessing game.
Piggy
Posts: 580
Date Joined: 24/08/12
Seems Educated
Seems like an educated guess haha!! Yeah I usually go off what the divers say, I think it will be a little later this year but not much. Will get the pots in this weekend and I think in the first week of december they will start like you mentioned!!
I go boating not fishing
sea-kem
Posts: 15184
Date Joined: 30/11/09
Mine going in Monday mate
Mine going in Monday mate fingers crossed if I can get some farking jobs out the way. 37 degrees they'll walk like you say early December.
Finally restocked my jigs after the Gnaraloo slaughter lol.
Love the West!
Piggy
Posts: 580
Date Joined: 24/08/12
Nice!!
Yep my pots are now in, got a window to go put them in!!
Did you go through Euge? I bought a heap of him a while ago before the ban. Will probably need to stock up before Gnaraloo again haha. Are you guys going next year? 2026
I go boating not fishing
sea-kem
Posts: 15184
Date Joined: 30/11/09
Yes mate the Bulk of them
Yes mate the Bulk of them Through Euge, absolutely already booked late April.
Love the West!
Reefsta
Posts: 383
Date Joined: 03/08/19
No.1 eyeball reliable
Divers give the premium info for the ledges, all the rest is a bit hocus pocus. If they say things are loaded there's no argument. Easy to go down the rabbit hole with theories. Reminded me of a time with a mate trying to navigate at night in a storm, between close islands, using radar. Heavy rain with lightning was filling the radar with noise, but I happened to look outside during a lightning flash and saw the reef edge close, just emerging at low tide. Said to my mate, "F**ck the radar, look out the window!"
Rob_Seed
Posts: 213
Date Joined: 09/04/08
New to cray fishing
Hi all, what's the most amount of time you can go between pulls? This is my first year going for crays I'm green... I'm only managing a weekend trip at the moment so roughly every 5 days... Im assuming this is to long?
Just one more cast
sea-kem
Posts: 15184
Date Joined: 30/11/09
5 days is ok mate, that's
5 days is ok mate, that's the usual span of my checks as my pots are up the coast. Just jam them full of bait, the crays will happily stay in there if the pot's undisturbed.
I've had a 3 week gap and still had crays in them with no bait. Just make sure they are well weighted.
Love the West!
Swompa
Posts: 4010
Date Joined: 14/10/12
Pulled one put on Saturday
Pulled one put on Saturday morning (only had one) and the bait basket was open with no bait....
Hoping to put another one in on Friday.
J Mann
Posts: 48
Date Joined: 02/09/15
Dropping soon
Some really good advice on this site from some fishos way more experienced than me.
Normally I go a bit earlier but have been holding off. Will drop Sunday at Hillarys, deckie then away for a few days, so hopefully by the end of next week it kicks off.
Piggy
Posts: 580
Date Joined: 24/08/12
Crays - General things Ive learnt
General things Ive learnt...
Whites start north... You hear people catching them in Lancelin, then two rocks, then mindarie, then hillaries, then rotto, woodies and so on. When I was fishing out off woodies there use to be about a week gap when I heard people catching in Two Rocks it was about a week until I started getting good numbers in Woodies.... If that makes sense
When they are running you can do 1 day soak, 2 day soak whatever you prefer. We usually do a 2 day soak. When I was FIFO I use to do up to 8 day soak and still catch crays. When you know your leaving them for a longer period of time use a holding bait like pig fat or tuna heads. When doing 2 day soak use orange roughy, I find it catches more... Dont use fresh bait like fish frames etc, you will catch wobbies and occy
Go find your own patch. Dont go at the back of garden island or the 3 mile reef like the whole of Perth. Venture a little further and find your own spot. We often get 20-30 Crays in a pot becuase we are where no one else is.... When I was starting out all I did was drove out to where the pro pots started (Just at the back of 5 fathom) and I dropped my pots not far from the pros - Obviously out of their way - I think they might know what they are doing haha
Make your pots heavy... As heavy as they can be so you struggle a little pulling them up (Winch makes it easy) the slightest bit of movement of the pot on the bottom deter the crays and you wont catch much.
When you throw your pots in the water face the bridle end of your pot inshore... 90 percent of the time the SW comes in in the arvo and into the night when the crays walk, if you have your pot facing inshore the rope wont impede the opening on the pot which again will deter the crays walking in... Other thing is dont make your rope too long so theres lots of rope on the surface. Depth plus 4 metres is enough.
Hope that helps
Cheers
I go boating not fishing
carnarvonite
Posts: 8696
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Fresh bait
If you are thinking of using fresh bait , don't. Freeze it first , this breaks down the protiens in the blood that attracts wobbies and port jacksons. Found this out by putting fresh salmon heads in down south off Bunkers, every pot with fresh bait had unwanteds in it while frozen had only crays
straith
Posts: 434
Date Joined: 25/11/13
much appreciated Piggy, I
much appreciated Piggy, I consider myself a rookie still so every bit of advice helps!
is there a sweet spot distance away from reef ledge or is it just a case of as close as you dare?
still trying
Posts: 1094
Date Joined: 27/06/17
Looks like we were all wrong
Looks like we were all wrong already catching whites in pots down Rockingham way
rather be fishing
still trying
Posts: 1094
Date Joined: 27/06/17
Looks like we were all wrong
Looks like we were all wrong already catching whites in pots down Rockingham way
rather be fishing
Piggy
Posts: 580
Date Joined: 24/08/12
big numbers
Big numbers or just dribs and drabs? Will get the dribs and drabs before the run happens
I go boating not fishing
still trying
Posts: 1094
Date Joined: 27/06/17
Got 26 from 2 pots today 2
Got 26 from 2 pots today 2 undersized
rather be fishing
Reefsta
Posts: 383
Date Joined: 03/08/19
Good effort
Pulling my pots on Monday after a 5 day soak. At a fish shop NOR this morning and they said they had just got in their first whites. Seems its happening.
sea-kem
Posts: 15184
Date Joined: 30/11/09
That's excellent Guy!
That's excellent Guy!
Love the West!
uncle
Posts: 9625
Date Joined: 10/02/07
Needed another
Crewie mate
all aggressive fish love bigjohnsjigs
Swompa
Posts: 4010
Date Joined: 14/10/12
For 5 from my one pot behind
For 5 from my one pot behind GI but jees the whole area has been bombed in the last week
hilko
Posts: 59
Date Joined: 27/03/18
Crays are running. Saturday haul & this morning
First two hauls
Saturday: 3 day soak
www.facebook.com/reel/2249249722224523
Bagout Today
Dropped Saturday and hauled today. Point Peron.
www.facebook.com/reel/2062981744106723
hilko
Posts: 59
Date Joined: 27/03/18
double post. Sorry
Only one bagout
still trying
Posts: 1094
Date Joined: 27/06/17
Lovely work haven't seen
Lovely work haven't seen much from nor this year but they must have been doing well as well
rather be fishing
Reefsta
Posts: 383
Date Joined: 03/08/19
First pull near Stragglers for zero.
Pulled today after of 5 day soak out from Stragglers in 12m, but zero. Quite a few new pots in though. Hoping they whites happen next pull, but the same location can be a bit random, was great last year and very poor the year before. In 2023 after three pulls in 12m for 1 cray I ended up going out to FFB and did well, but I'd rather avoid the extra run.
sea-kem
Posts: 15184
Date Joined: 30/11/09
Dropped my yesty, mate who's
Dropped my yesty, mate who's had his in for just over a week bagged out with 36 in 3 pots. Rubbing my hands together for first pull next week.
Love the West!
Piggy
Posts: 580
Date Joined: 24/08/12
Nice
We have only done 1 pull on Sunday after a 4 day soak.... We only got 4.. Did not do well at all. Next pull if we dont get many we will move slightly to find them
I go boating not fishing
sea-kem
Posts: 15184
Date Joined: 30/11/09
The ocean was fairly clear
The ocean was fairly clear yesterday mate so we could find the sand holes in the reef. Fingers fckn crossed.
Love the West!
Rob_Seed
Posts: 213
Date Joined: 09/04/08
I've got a pot stuck...
Went out this evening, one of my pots is stuck. Is there anyone offering a stuck pot service? I see a few posts on fb but dont have it so can't contact them.
Just one more cast
Piggy
Posts: 580
Date Joined: 24/08/12
Hows Everyone been going?
Hows everyone been going? We went out Wednesay and had full bags. We only have 4 pots and one pot went back down with 16-20 in it and another had 6 because we had already bagged out... They had been out there since the Sunday. Havnt been able to get back out since becuase my deckie has gone to China for work haha. Hopefully get out tomorrow but see how we go
I go boating not fishing
sea-kem
Posts: 15184
Date Joined: 30/11/09
Going tomorrow mate,
Going tomorrow mate, standby....
Love the West!
sea-kem
Posts: 15184
Date Joined: 30/11/09
34 in two pots , best first
34 in two pots , best first day ever!
Love the West!
sunshine
Posts: 2681
Date Joined: 03/03/09
Now that is a good result
Obviously well placed
still trying
Posts: 1094
Date Joined: 27/06/17
Checked 3 pots today 3 and a
Checked 3 pots today 3 and a empty shell, 6 and 23
rather be fishing
uncle
Posts: 9625
Date Joined: 10/02/07
Was a good morning
Mate
all aggressive fish love bigjohnsjigs