| article: fish ’n’ tip 0319 yabbies by rob paxevanos |
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Dated: 12 April, 2006
Rob’s weekly FISH’N’TIP written for the week of Wednesday 12/4/2006
With cold weather fast approaching there is just enough time to stock up on bait or get a feed of this wonderful species. Here is Simon Kamiskas with the good oil.
By Simon Kaminskas
The humble Yabby (Cherax destructor) is well known to most people. Yabbies are fun to catch, reasonably good eating and can be good bait at times.
RELATED SPECIES
Yabbies (Cherax destructor) are one of two types of freshwater crayfish in Australia, the other type being the spiny Euastacus crays, the most famous of which is the Murray River Crayfish. Yabbies and spiny crays reflect a lowland/upland split also found in our Murray-Darling native fish. Yabbies are the lowland species, generally only found in lowland habitats, and give way to Murray Crays and other spiny cray species in cool upland river habitats. Murray Crays are however present in the lowland reaches of the Murray River which is an interesting instance of a primarily upland species living in lowland habitats.
MORE ABOUT YABBIES
Yabbies have a very wide distribution, found in most areas of NSW and Victoria, and parts of Queensland, South Australia and Northern Territory. They are found in a wide range of habitats including impoundments, lakes, rivers, streams, farm dams and swamps. They are generally only found in lowland habitats in the Murray-Darling system, although the yabbies of Lakes Eucumbene and Jindabyne are interesting exceptions to this. Yabbies are normally considered a species of turbid, silty habitats although from years of Yabbying as a boy I know yabbies are also quite at home in rocky clearwater habitats like the two Snowy Mountains lakes and some of the cleaner urban lakes and reservoirs around Canberra.
CATCHING YABBIES
 | Yabbies are fun to catch, make great bait, and also taste great.
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There are a variety of ways to catch yabbies. The two main ways are with meat and string, or with traps.
Catching with meat and string is a time-honoured way of catching yabbies, and kids absolutely love it. Even adults still find this method fun! Just tie a bit of meat to 3 or 4 metres of string and throw it out. When a Yabby grabs the meat and pulls the string tight just slowly pull him in! Tips with this method are to use white cooking twine as your string, which is easy to see and sinks (builders twine and other synthetic twine floats), to use meat without much fat so it sinks (very fatty pieces float), and to have a net to scoop the yabbies when you have them at the edge of the water.
The other method is to use traps. The traps to use are the ones that fall flat on the river or lake bed, allowing yabbies to climb over the bait, and then form a funnel again when they’re hauled in. Enclosed traps should not be used – they can trap and drown native animals such as water rats, turtles and platypus and are banned in some states for this reason.
There is a bag and possession limit of 200 yabbies per person in NSW, and females with “berry” (eggs) are not allowed to be kept.
POPULAR QUESTIONS
“What do yabbies eat?” Yabbies are omnivorous, meaning they eat both plant and animal material. More specifically however, yabbies are detritivores, meaning they roam around the bottom of river/lake/dam beds eating any organic detritus they find - clumps of algae, decomposing leaves and other plant material, dead animals, etc... They are very opportunistic feeders, munching on whatever they find or falls in, which is why meat attracts them too.
“Do yabbies grow their claws back?” I had to check this one, but apparently yes, they do. This actually makes sense when I think of the occasional Yabby I’ve caught with one claw smaller than the other, the smaller claw obviously a replacement in the process of growing back.
How do I keep yabbies alive? If you’re only keeping yabbies temporarily they can survive in a bucket or laundry tub. Put in just enough water to cover their backs, so they can stick their heads out to breathe. Without an aerator this is important – if you fill it up too high they will die from lack of oxygen. Feed them on coarsely grated carrot – they love it, and if it’s coarsely grated it won’t foul the water. Don’t feed them too much.
Yabbies also make great pets. Kids love watching yabbies in fish tanks! Keep them in a fish tank with nice sand or gravel, and some rocks or driftwood so they can have their own hidey-holes. With an aerator oxygenation won’t be a problem. Make sure yabbies don’t climb up the air hose and escape, something they’re inclined to do! Coarsely grated carrot is again the best food.
Are yabbies worth eating? How do I cook them? I honestly have to say, after many years keeping and eating yabbies, that I don’t really think they’re worth the effort. However, many people disagree and absolutely love eating yabbies. Ultimately, it’s up to you – give them a go and see what you think. In regards to cooking them, it is suggested that the most humane way to kill them is to put them on ice or ice slurry for a while. Then drop them in a pot of salted boiling water and cook them until they turn red!
Are yabbies good bait for fishing?
Yabbies can be good baits. Redfin and Brown Trout eagerly take small yabbies, and Golden Perch and Murray Cod will take small to medium sized yabbies. If you do use yabbies for bait, please by very careful not to introduce pest fish like carp into waters that are currently free of them. Putting them in some clean water – to make sure there’s nothing in the water besides the yabbies – is the best way of doing this. Be warned that larger yabbies can crawl under rocks and snag you up!
COOKING YABBIES
Yabbies are cooked in a similar fashion to prawns, ie. boiled in salty water.
When is the best time to catch yabbies?
In short, summer. Yabbies can be caught from spring through till autumn, but bite best in the hottest part of the year. Yabbies are genrally impossible to catch in winter, so get out there quick if you want a few.
By Simon Kaminskas
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Email : robpax@netspeed.com.au |
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