morton bay bugs

[rumrunner]

hi

im very keen on catching some morton bay bugs and im not to sure how or where to catch them?

ive got a few cheap pots and was thinking of dropping them around the northen tip of mud with some chopped up fish for bait! do you think this will work or is there special pots and or berly/bait i will have to use?

as you can prob tell i have never been crabing or bug catching before!

any help would be great thanks!

cheers Ian

[Feral]

Unfortunately no one has come up with any other method than trawling for catching them.

[werewolf]

Talk about deju vu. I could swear that I have seen a very similar q & a, except maybe 6-9 months ago. I tried search but "bug" is a very common term in this forum. It would be great if we could choose to search on title only!

ps - rumrunner if you figure out how to nail bugs, you'll have a whole heap of new friends quick smartB)

EDIT: ok a bit more effort with the search and I found it (phew not making things up:lol: )

http://www.australianfishing.com.au/index.php?option=com_kunena&Itemid=237&func=view&id=49257&catid=3#49257

[Dec]

I love to eat those things I have always wondered how to catch them. Next time I go out in the bay I might drop out a pot and see what I catch.

[rumrunner]

oh well looks like theres not much hope in getting them in a pot but i will persist and see what i can come up with!

any one willing to give up there good mudcrab holes?

cheers Ian.

[MichaelJ]

moreton bay bugs taste nice

but if any1 ever gets the chance definately try ballemane bugs heaps better taste

[jakhunta]

your a browns plains boy so your just down the road from me, so remind me when summer comes around and ill be more than happy to take you to my secret spot. you wont be needing a boat.

[jakhunta]

[img size=150] [img size=346]http://www.australianfishing.com.au/media/kunena/attachments/legacy/images/scan0020.jpg

[jakhunta]

[img size=150] [img size=173]http://www.australianfishing.com.au/media/kunena/attachments/legacy/images/scan0044.jpg

[obone]

I've always wondered why you never hear of people catching bugs but there you go.

How do you find the muddys from the river? I had one once and it wasn’t to great. Tasted muddy and not fresh?

I have always wanted to take one to get tested but have never got around to it, might try and do it this summer when I get a big male.

Joel

[werewolf]

obone wrote:

How do you find the muddys from the river? I had one once and it wasn’t to great. Tasted muddy and not fresh?

maybe that's why they call them mud crabs? :laugh:

Sorry I couldn't resist. BTW I'm not a huge fan of muddies. I can handle sandcrabs though with a bit of sauce or something. I'll take bug anydayB)

[benno573]

sand crabs are easier to catch, taste better and not as many people try and nick your pots from out in the bay. only incedently catch mud crabs, usually on a line and pull them up slowly and in the landing net. not a massive fan of the taste of muddies unless they have a chilli sauce added. sandies are great just as they are, sweet and tasty!:woohoo:

as for bugs... i have never heard of people catching them recreationally :dry:

[Angus]

Guys I have it on very good authority that no one here has probably ever tried a Moreton bay Bug.

Everything labelled Moreton Bay Bugs tends to always be Balmain bugs. This comes from seafood wholesalers.

If anyone knows better I am happy to stand corrected but this is the information I have been given.

Angus

[werewolf]

I wouldn't be suprised Gus! Moreton / Balmain, they still taste good!

[rumrunner]

bloody balmaine bugs hay!

im starting to wonder if there are any in the bay at all?

but if there are then imo there should be a way of catching them in a pot!

if you can get cray's in a pot then we should be able to get bugs aswell! shouldnt we?

i might study them a wile and see how they feed ect and maybe design my own pots to tackle them.

im thinking if a trawler can get them by making the prawns go crazy them maybe i can try make a prawn holder for the pots to keep live prawns in there to attract them? just an idea but its worth a try i think?

cheers for the help guys any other help would be much appriciated!

and by the way what is a dilly pot? i will try these first?

cheers Ian.

[benno573]

ian - they feed very similarly to prawns, hence they are a by catch of trawlers. they are not actively predatory.

[jakhunta]

give me the muddies anyday.

[jeff f]

Angus wrote:

Guys I have it on very good authority that no one here has probably ever tried a Moreton bay Bug.

Everything labelled Moreton Bay Bugs tends to always be Balmain bugs. This comes from seafood wholesalers.

If anyone knows better I am happy to stand corrected but this is the information I have been given.

Angus

except me:P dad used to get them in his trawler back in the 70s

[sarod420]

Hey fellas

It would be a miracle to see a recreational angler catch a bug they burrow deep into the sand on the sea bed and the pros basically dredge them up like they do 4 scallops.

You can easilly tell the difference between the two species, balmain bugs are smaller with a much rounder head and a s*%tload more spikes, moreton bay bugs have a longer tail and more shovel shaped head.

[MichaelJ]

yeh balmain bugs are smaller than moreton bay bugs

[big al]

have caught 1bug while cast netting for banana prawns out from nudgee beach a couple of years ago:woohoo: it wasn't very big about 11cm long but still tasted alright:) for an apetiser for a lead up to the prawns would be good to be able to get a few more bigger ones:cheer:

[ellicat]

They're my favourite seafood. Good luck trying rumrunner, but I wont hold my breath:( I reckon if there was a way for we rec fishos to get them someone would have sorted it by now;)

Having said that if you figure it out please tell me first:woohoo: :laugh:

[Master Sardines]

my 2 cents worth. A number of years ago i use to work on prawn trawlers working from spinnaker sound and in the time i was there we caught one, and that was about 7cm.