Economics of prawning

[Cloud_9]

:-X
this is just me haveing a dummy spit, so all those of you that luv prawning, good luck to ya.

After F##kin another bloody cast net have desided that cast nets can stay in the shop for some other sap to buy.
In the last 3 years ive bought 4 cast nets the first 1 was a 6 footer as i was learning how to throw .
next was a 9footer for bait gathering for mullet and the likes.
third was a hand made 12foot top pocket and 4 a 10foot top pocket .
so the story so far i';ve spent $530 for nets .
i've got maybe 5Kg's of prawns in that time.
ive spent maybe $50-$60 fuel for the boat
+ maybe $30-$40 Fuel for the Car.
so now the tally is $630 Cost for 5Kg's of Prawns.
that is just a guesstamate for fuel for boat and car but the running around looking for the rain coats and getting to the ramp and back again. These prawns are pretty expensive.
at $126 a Kg. F##k that.
i can buy great cooked prawns from guy down the road for $16 Kg
for the $630 i could have Pigged out on almost 40Kg's of top table fair without the trouble of getting wet and having to clean the crap off the boat after a trip to the river.
so
to the Die hards Good luck to ya .
I'll buy mine from the guy down the road.
to any one who wants 3 cast nets that need repairs. just PM me to arrange a get together there all yours. ???

now ive had my say.
Cloud 9

[Derek Bullock]

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[Black_Jack]

Cloud_9

just think about the fun and good times you have had

i would hate to add up the costs of boatong and fishing, its something i wouldnt really do cause its my hobby etc.

[Kerry]

Doing "it" is what it's all about, anything else is a bonus ;) 5kg you did well, what were you expecting :-X

The other way you have 2 choices

1) buy farmed crap
2) buy commerial product

So what's it going to be ;D

Cheers, Kerry.

[Heath]

check your PM's ;D

[Cloud_9]

Black-jack love the fishin spend heaps on that, but i get a return for my effort.
Kerry 5 kg's for three years thats rooted. another young guy at the ramp got 4 kg's today but lost his net so he paid at least 90-100 dollars for 4kg's again expencive prawns.not countings his fuel.
Heath have replied buddy.

[Sideshow_Cod]

and heres my pro mate tellin me he wont even start the motors for under a hundred kilo of product. :o

[Dug]

Hey mate, I go and I don't even get to eat the suckers!

how's that for a stupid waste :o

[tideline_two]

in south carolina during our shrimp season (what yall call prawns we call shrimp) 12-16 count white shrimp (they are about 8 inches long). are sold at the dock in 50 lb. boxes for $2.25-$2.50 per pound. these are wild caught. we still go castnetting for 'em. we are allowed 48 quarts per day. its not a money thing i can buy 'em cheaper than i can catch 'em. its a nice day on the water with some good friends ....ya can't buy that!

ps. in the seafood market those same $2.25-$2.50 shrimp cost about $10.00 plus a pound.

[DICER]

stay on shore and try a scoop net ;D Hey no fuel, but you can get your arms beefed up while working an appetite.

seriously I've had one 10 ft cast net for 7 years. Yep sure it's got a few dings in it, but they are fixed up personally. I've even lugged it all the way round Moreton in a walking trip. You've gotta love them. Allways wash it (in cuddley fabric softener) and allway fix the lead (I have lead chain).

Caught plenty of big flathead, whiting, prawns and live bait. So it's paid itself many many times over. Most of the time I don't go out with any bait - just the net.

At 75 bucks it's a bargain. The next one I get will be personally made - as I've bought a book on making nets.

[DICER]

Then again you might want to import your prawns and cook them in "Big red O" which is a possible carcinogen :o

[DICER]

know where to throw!!!

[mini696]

I figure fishing is my hobby... and that hobbies cost me money.

Mick

[Sideshow_Cod]

hobby? more like a damn obsession ;D

[Sportfish_5]

Jamie - better stop doin the maths or next thing the boat will be up for sale. ;) ;D ;D ;D

Cheers

Greg

[Dug]

Fishing is not a hobby it is and ADDICTION!

An addiction is something you suffer withdrawal symptoms from if you don't get enough of it. ;D ;D ;D

[slugo]

try casting up the river at a town called #@$^*! and text to the !*&^$%#$ bridge there are heap of prawns there ya can't go wrong ;D ;D ;D

[Volvo]

cloud _9, what can i say mate, lol, if we were to count the cost of our Boating and Fishing trips i'm sure wed'e miles ahead either buying our Fish or heading out in Charter Boats :)..
Its like a smoker hooked on his fags i guess n dont count the cost ;D...
Making your own cast nets and losing them aint much fun either but the idea is to know where your tossin your net beforehand , otherwise dont do it unless your willing to jump in and untangle it:)..
Tell me?? can you dilly for prawns down your way??..If so you'll propably find you can catch just a many without the heartache of doing your nets in..
Years back when one was allowed to fish and prawn off one our local wharfes here it wasnt no bother to end up with anywhere's from 10-20 kgs of prawns (Big Bananaries) in a nights session, by Dillying..If one was willing to put the night in that is ;)..
Nowadays outa bounds so just either castnet for em or down to Sams...
Cheers

[Volvo]

:-/Didnt wanna but justhadta go dig one out ta show ya..Its seen better years but reckon it would see some more yet with a bit of TLC :)..

[Volvo]

And....... ;)

[Volvo]

How it would look bein lifted ever sooooooo sloooow with a bundle of Prawns sittin on the bottom..
Idea is to have a coupla strings of either roo meat or Shark piecs tied to string hung in a cross along the bottom..
Prawn sits on said pieces n starts munchin away, evry tem minutes or so depending how well they are running you lift the Dilly off the bottom without shaking it and when ya lift outa the water you should have 8, ten, 15, at times maybe even 30 or so prawns still sittin in the dilly ;D..
Four Dilly's per person with same principles applying as far as name tag , address etc attatched to Dilly..
Aahhhh Memories :'(...

[basserman]

hey volvo that looks like a great way for us southerners to get some prawns too
wish we could cast net our prawns and bait that would be alot easyer than scoopnets

[rando]

Good One Volvo :D :D :D
You know , I learn something new one this site every time I visit
Cheers
Rando

[NeilD]

Hey Volvo

What is actually illegal about them? Is it the diameter or something else?

Neil

[devocean]

I teach economics I wonder if I can get this included as a topic for my students to study

[Volvo]

Mate they arent illegal :)..What happened is the wharfe we used to Dilly off was closed to the public due to Workplace health n safety n worried about someone eventually hurting themselves and testing the water for a lawsuit??..
Shame as so many young and old folks used that Wharfe to catch a feed of fish n Prawns..
So far one can still Dilly off Oconell wharfe(more a jetty than a Wharfe) and off some of the smaller jetties but one spends so much time Dillying for only a smidgeon of what you used to catch off the biggger Wharfe...
Never mind , life like that..
BUT!! cant see why the Dilly shouldnt be tried elsewhere for prawning??..Can even have a line or two over the side whilst Prawning..
What i also forgot tomention is that Dillying for prawns is a nightime thing ey..Come daylight they get too frisky when the spy net movement...
Any River or estuary which ahs prawn movement and jetties nearby should be worth a try??..
Cant see why it should only be a Gladstone thing??..
Basserman, have spent plenty a night out in lake Illawarra south of Wollongong chasing Prawns with both scoopnet and drag net ey and enjoyed it either way:)..
Cheers

[Cloud_9]

you can do what you like devocean.
sunday just F#$kin shite me to tiers.
second trip with net 4 or 5 cast in its life. and first cast of the day and it got atached to the bottom where ive cast a hundred times before and the beam trawlers regularly trawl and wack. :'(
my wife was gobsmacked, she couldn't beleave it.
so prawning is crossed off the things to do list indefinatly.

Cheers Cloud 9

[mako_5.2]

Wait a couple of months until they are in the bay, less snags

[devocean]

I have lost my fair share of cast nets myself. Once I cats right over a stinking big crab pot had 2 bucks in it but still the net was wrecked beyond belief. Mind you drag netting is a much better option I reckon