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Thread: Bait quality (prawns)

  1. #1

    Bait quality (prawns)

    I have been so disappointed in the quality of bait lately. Better not name brands, but a commonly sold brand of bait prawns has really been poor lately.

    I have had seaweed, crabs, funny things with nippers, and tiny tiny prawns that are useless as bait, all mixed in making up the weight. About half the 200g packet is usable as bait, and they are charging nearly $8 in places for it (that's $40 a kg). Also, it is often very old, must be sitting going bad before they freeze it.

    Small wonder people are tempted to buy green prawns from the seafood shop.

    Sorry, just had to rant. One good thing, it has made me discover chicken thigh fillets as bait

  2. #2

    Re: Bait quality (prawns)

    Quote Originally Posted by back2boats View Post
    I have been so disappointed in the quality of bait lately. Better not name brands, but a commonly sold brand of bait prawns has really been poor lately.

    I have had seaweed, crabs, funny things with nippers, and tiny tiny prawns that are useless as bait, all mixed in making up the weight. About half the 200g packet is usable as bait, and they are charging nearly $8 in places for it (that's $40 a kg). Also, it is often very old, must be sitting going bad before they freeze it.

    Small wonder people are tempted to buy green prawns from the seafood shop.

    Sorry, just had to rant. One good thing, it has made me discover chicken thigh fillets as bait
    buy fresh if you can .......

    prawn have always been problematic when purchased frozen. Back in the day I would drive to the fish market or a couple of fishing stores that sold fresh bait to buy my prawns & squid - I've even bought fresh pilchards when available.

    so it's cost / time vs convenience

    Chris
    Give a man a fish & he will eat for a day !
    Teach him how to fish
    & he will sit in a boat - & drink beer all day!
    TEAM MOJIKO

  3. #3

    Re: Bait quality (prawns)

    Quote Originally Posted by NAGG View Post
    buy fresh if you can .......

    prawn have always been problematic when purchased frozen. Back in the day I would drive to the fish market or a couple of fishing stores that sold fresh bait to buy my prawns & squid - I've even bought fresh pilchards when available.

    so it's cost / time vs convenience

    Chris
    I have never seen bait prawns offered for sale fresh. Where do you get them? Even the seafood stores all only have frozen bait prawns (years old and frozen when half rotten)

    These days you aren't supposed to transport prawns for bait, so you have to buy local anyway. That means the ONLY option you have nearly everywhere is frozen. Or, as I said, green farm prawns from a seafood outlet, intended for human consumption. At least they are sort of local, and I am sure the prawn farmers do the best possible job of keeping them disease free. I know, even this is not looked upon as doing the right thing anymore.

  4. #4

    Re: Bait quality (prawns)

    I'm not sure where you are located - but down here in Shitney there are tackle stores that sell fresh bait . Drummoyne bait & tackle , Narabeen bait & tackle , Macs bait bar all come to mind .

    Chris
    Give a man a fish & he will eat for a day !
    Teach him how to fish
    & he will sit in a boat - & drink beer all day!
    TEAM MOJIKO

  5. #5

    Re: Bait quality (prawns)

    Quote Originally Posted by back2boats View Post
    I have never seen bait prawns offered for sale fresh. Where do you get them? Even the seafood stores all only have frozen bait prawns (years old and frozen when half rotten)

    These days you aren't supposed to transport prawns for bait, so you have to buy local anyway. That means the ONLY option you have nearly everywhere is frozen. Or, as I said, green farm prawns from a seafood outlet, intended for human consumption. At least they are sort of local, and I am sure the prawn farmers do the best possible job of keeping them disease free. I know, even this is not looked upon as doing the right thing anymore.
    Not sure where you reside but if you suss around where trawlers tie up come afternoon when they come back in im sure you may find a Trawler or two who is allowed to sell to the public.
    Buy your prawns in bulk (5 kilo boxes frozen ) if available and if you have the freezer space then buy enough to last you some time before you have to restock.
    Otherwise a cast net and try your luck..

  6. #6

    Re: Bait quality (prawns)

    There's better quality frozen Prawns for sale, you just have to find a shop that sells them, most servos just buy the cheapest bait they can, those little 200G packets are a straight out rip off.

  7. #7

    Re: Bait quality (prawns)

    Quote Originally Posted by Volvo View Post
    Not sure where you reside but if you suss around where trawlers tie up come afternoon when they come back in im sure you may find a Trawler or two who is allowed to sell to the public.
    Buy your prawns in bulk (5 kilo boxes frozen ) if available and if you have the freezer space then buy enough to last you some time before you have to restock.
    Otherwise a cast net and try your luck..

    I do a lot of travelling in a caravan, so I see quite a variety of tackle stores. I have seen things like worms for sale live, but never fresh prawns. I will make a point of asking.

    Buying in bulk is no good, as that just means I won't use them all in one place, so I will be transporting the prawns to different localities as I use them, even if I had the freezer space. Eco-disease wise, that's exactly the same as buying Aussie farmed prawns from the supermarket. That is the best option actually. No overseas diseases, and the farms would be very strict with disease control.

    Even so, the main point is I really think the bait companies are taking advantage of the situation and fobbing off junk, because we are forced to use it with these prawn disease rules. I mean 50% usable bait in a packet, means the cost of usable prawns is $70 to $80 a kilo.

  8. #8

    Re: Bait quality (prawns)

    Quote Originally Posted by Noelm View Post
    There's better quality frozen Prawns for sale, you just have to find a shop that sells them, most servos just buy the cheapest bait they can, those little 200G packets are a straight out rip off.

    Most small towns, the servos and maybe the caravan park office, are the only options. Even the occasional tackle store has the same frozen garbage. That frozen prawns that BCF sell included. Same junk.

  9. #9

    Re: Bait quality (prawns)

    Mate i have a Van also with good freezer space within as well as carry in the back of the Tug a 90ltre Waco.
    Before heading off i load up at least two 5 kilo boxes of bait Prawns as we always camp close to the water.
    Carry at least 6 Rods for variouse Fishing and not happy paying the asking price via tackle shops.
    When we run out we chase the Trawlers as previousely mentioned.
    Unless offcourse we are chasing luderick , then its scramblng for sea cabbage.

  10. #10

    Re: Bait quality (prawns)

    some tackle shops in sydney sell snap frozen hawksbury river prawns

    dont focus on the words bait prawn, decent prawns are freshly harvested snap frozen and good for human consumption

  11. #11

    Re: Bait quality (prawns)

    I've given up on buying frozen prawns an old mate I fish with always uses fresh chicken breast ( not the drumstick) he cuts this into small strips and sprinkles powdered garlic over it and stores it in a plastic margarine container in the freezer and puts what he does not use back in the freezer for next time. This bait is cheap, easy to buy, keeps forever and the fish love it especially Bream. Make sure there is no chicken fat in any of your baits as the fish will not touch it. Make sure you have your margarine container in a little beer six pack esky with an ice block underneath to keep the bait cool.

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