Prawning Light Options

[nimrod]

Hi all. Just after some opinions on prawning lights.
I am spending a week down at Lakes Entrance starting 13th this month and thought I might get some prawning
in while I'm down there. Been years since I caught a prawn and last time I done it it was with a 20 foot
drag net. We will be there during the dark of the moon so in with a fair chance of a feed at least.
I have seen a L E D light set up which takes 3 x aa batteries, they say the batteries last up to 15 hours,
those misleading words ( UP TO ). Just wondering if anyone has any experience with these LED set ups.
Also any clues on prawning itself, when I used to do it I used a 20 foot drag net and used to think catching
them one at a time with a light and a scoop net was a slow way of doing things.
Getting older now and don't have the energy to drag a heavy net around so have to do it the slow way.
Does tides play much of a roll, I know the dark of the moon is best and the moon phase is favorable while I'm down there.
I want to make the best of my chances cause only there for a week and probably never do it again after this time.
Does anyone know if it's best to prawn the fast flow of a tide, does up river produce better then closer to the mouth ?
What's the best chance for me ?.

[Jumpus GooDarus]

I have seen a L E D light set up which takes 3 x aa batteries, they say the batteries last up to 15 hours,

Yep messa got wun off them but I didn't get it for prawning I gotta it for squidding rather than fit LED lights to bottom of boat

Still haven't used it & dont really think I will cause I'm on fire with squidings @ present & I get black as hell to prove it

Never been prawing so cant help ewe out there butewe can borrow the light if ewe like cause I want to see how good they are & prob wont get the chance to use it myself

[kkw]

I'm on fire with squidings @ present & I get black as hell to prove it

Does that mean you look like Bo Sqiddley? Can you sing like him? I am still freaked out grabbing squid. Do they just lie there and take it when you pin a hook into them?

This post has been edited by kkw: Mar 1 2010, 10:41 PM

[Jumpus GooDarus]

Wun of the slipperly wittle buggers bit me on the finger last week
Shit it hurt
Got my revenge but

I ET him

[storms72]

Good old standard prawning light frank with small lead acid battery(can get em @ fair price from jaycar) towed behind in tyre tube or in shoulder bag. Runout tide has always been best around the entrance for me, did a bit down windang the other weekend on the runout, we get into the water bout waist deep and stand there waiting for em to cruise by, can wander the shallows also but is less productive....Watch out for the blue swimmers-ended up with a few of them the other weekend too!

[nimrod]

Good old standard prawning light frank with small lead acid battery(can get em @ fair price from jaycar) towed behind in tyre tube or in shoulder bag. Runout tide has always been best around the entrance for me, did a bit down windang the other weekend on the runout, we get into the water bout waist deep and stand there waiting for em to cruise by, can wander the shallows also but is less productive....Watch out for the blue swimmers-ended up with a few of them the other weekend too!

Jumpy. Thanks for the kind offer mate, I will go to Complete angler today ( if I get around to it ) and see what they have down there.
I need to get 2 of these lights and also 2 nets one for me and one for a mate.

Jason. I done a hell of a lot of prawning at Canton beach up that way, but most was as I said with 20 ft drag net, then later on I got a one person scissors net.
Never been bothered with the light and scoop net thing, until now, getting too old to push/pull the large nets around.
I I end up getting a 12 volt set up I will make up a float device to carry the battery, or get a couple of motor bike batterys but don't know how long they would last, before charging.
Also might have to get myself a new pair of waders, my old ones have gone mouldy.

[storms72]

Many moons ago used to go prawning on the shoalhaven with my parents, large net between 2 of us and many many prawns caught in a short time. Had some great fishing times growing up in nowra in the 70's...

Frank I'm currently using a jet ski battery when I go prawning. Its good for 2 or 3 hours with the 12v light, not too heavy, we put em in small back packs.

[nimrod]

Many moons ago used to go prawning on the shoalhaven with my parents, large net between 2 of us and many many prawns caught in a short time. Had some great fishing times growing up in nowra in the 70's...

Frank I'm currently using a jet ski battery when I go prawning. Its good for 2 or 3 hours with the 12v light, not too heavy, we put em in small back packs.

Jason. I got a couple of the led light 4 x aa battery type ones, will see how they go, yes doing it one at a time will be slow, but it's a bit of fun and hopefully a feed, and some fresh bait.

[storms72]

Get down to Jaycar and pick up some NiMh rechargables for em frank, picked up a couple of 4aa blister packs 2400 mAh for bout $18 each 3 weeks ago, so far still on the first charge....they've lasted as long as the lithium energizers I usually use in my work torch.-18 led torch.

[nimrod]

Get down to Jaycar and pick up some NiMh rechargables for em frank, picked up a couple of 4aa blister packs 2400 mAh for bout $18 each 3 weeks ago, so far still on the first charge....they've lasted as long as the lithium energizers I usually use in my work torch.-18 led torch.

Jason. I have 8 x 2900 mAh and 8 x 2000 mAh , however I feel I do need a new charger cause my old one doesn't seem to be charging them fully these days. used to get about 800 shots from my camera on one set of batteries, these days it seems like I have to put different batteries in each time I want to use it.
Well I don't use it any where as much as I used to when i first got it and it might sit a couple of weeks without it being used so I spose I can't be too critical.

[nimrod]

Thought I would update this to fill you all in on how I ended up.
Well only went prawning once cause it too bloody hard for my old body to cope with any more, at least the way we done it.
We anchored up with the run out tide in 4 metres of water, we were in a 5.75 haines so was pretty high off the water.
One would stand in rear of boat and hold the lamp in the water facing forward and the netter would be mid ship and scoop up the prawns as they came into the light.
Our biggest problem, being the first time we done this sort of prawning was we tried to catch every prawn we seen, and later learnt it was best to allow the hard to reach ones past and just concentrate on the near by ones that were easier to reach, cause as we were chasing the hard to get ones, the easy ones were slipping past without us scooping for them. Once we got a bit of knowledge happening it became easier and we ended up with around 2 kilos of prawns by the time we had had enough.
Boy the old body was aching the next day, and we decided to have a lay day and not go fishing at all.
Next time I do prawning it will be in a more suitable boat ( lower to the water ) and have the light strapped to the boat so 2 people can have nets.
The prawns were delicious and we had them served up as honey prawns by our host for the week who is a supurb chef, wow talk about spoilt,
what a tremendous week we had.

This post has been edited by nimrod: Mar 23 2010, 05:30 PM

[Sir Reel]

Thought I would update this to fill you all in on how I ended up.
Well only went prawning once cause it too bloody hard for my old body to cope with any more, at least the way we done it.
We anchored up with the run out tide in 4 metres of water, we were in a 5.75 haines so was pretty high off the water.
One would stand in rear of boat and hold the lamp in the water facing forward and the netter would be mid ship and scoop up the prawns as they came into the light.
Our biggest problem, being the first time we done this sort of prawning was we tried to catch every prawn we seen, and later learnt it was best to allow the hard to reach ones past and just concentrate on the near by ones that were easier to reach, cause as we were chasing the hard to get ones, the easy ones were slipping past without us scooping for them. Once we got a bit of knowledge happening it became easier and we ended up with around 2 kilos of prawns by the time we had had enough.
Boy the old body was aching the next day, and we decided to have a lay day and not go fishing at all.
Next time I do prawning it will be in a more suitable boat ( lower to the water ) and have the light strapped to the boat so 2 people can have nets.
The prawns were delicious and we had them served up as honey prawns by our host for the week who is a supurb chef, wow talk about spoilt,
what a tremendous week we had.

Hi Nimrod,
2kg in a net that would hurrt your back hope you empted it in between catching them.
Sounds like you had fun

[Christos]

Wow pretty good.