King Tide Crabbing – By Dan Kaggelis
King tides can be difficult to contend with. From a creek fishing point of view, unless you are targeting the flats or drains, the abnormally high tides makes finding and targeting fish much harder than usual. Then there’s the opposite side of the equation where the abnormally low tides sees some creeks run dry including the snags you may wish to fish. These huge tidal swings means tidal flow can be so strong that creeks become impossible to fish. This is particularly the case when lure fishing, as trying to swim lures with an unimpeded action in high current is almost impossible.
It’s for this reason I religiously avoid fishing around the peak of the King Tides. Instead, I prefer to make use of the extra water and chase a few mud crabs.
There are many reasons why I run my pots over these tides. The first is the excess water and extra flow tends to get the crabs out of their holes and moving around. My theory here comes from the idea that the majority of crab holes are found in the mangroves not submerged underwater. When the abnormally high water goes over the banks, it fills the holes. This triggers crabs to leave their mud holes and head out for a feed. If you have ever walked through the mangroves and chased crabs by hand you will get an idea how this could play out.
Krab Cuffs make tying up the crabs so easy, which makes the experience that much more enjoyable.
The other advantage of crabbing over the bigger tides is they allow you to get up into areas where you normally can’t get to on a normal sized tide. The excess water means you can travel further up soaks and small creeks which very rarely see any crabbing pressure. These untouched areas can be honey holes and can bring multiple crabs in a single crab pot. Pushing up these soaks and creeks is always a lot of fun, but they can also wreak havoc on your boat and motor. Some things to consider when travelling up these areas. First try not to access them when the big tides are running or spilling at their hardest. They are like funnels and can flow very quickly and can be extremely difficult to navigate. I have seen boats get thrown under mangroves, sounders and boat chairs be ripped out and people knocked out of the boat when caught in these ripping creeks. I always access these spots when the tide is at its slackest and the flow is manageable. There are plenty of phone apps out there these days which can give you the exact time down to the minute when the tide will go slack and how long you have until it begins to run again. I use TIDES AU and its always on the money.
Next it’s always a good idea to make sure there is somewhere you can turn the boat around when heading right up these soaks and creeks. Do not try and reverse your boat back out of a soak or creek. Hitting your prop on a snag going forward is no where near as bad as hitting a snag when the motor is in reverse. This is the perfect recipe for shearing pins and bushes in your prop. Also, if the spot is popular there is a very good chance old forgotten crab pots may be submerged. Chew one of these up in your prop when going in reverse and you will be in a world of hurt.
This pot yielded 5 mud crabs which was set right up the top of a small soak I could only get to on the king tides.
Finally, I love to crab these big tides for the simple fact that I catch a lot of crabs which at the end of the day is what all this is about.
Whilst the crabbing can be red hot over the King and spring tides, there are some things you will need to help make the most of the conditions. Your number one biggest resource when crabbing over these big tides is a good deckie. In any fishing situation having a good deckie is invaluable but this compounds when things get a little tricker than normal thanks to the abnormal conditions. There are several attributes to a King tide crabbing deckie. First they need to be committed and be ready to get on the water when the tide is at its best. This could be early in the morning or even the middle of the night.
They need to be able to tolerate being driven into trees and mangroves and can handle swarms of midges. They need to be comfortable with mangrove mud and foul-smelling crab bait not to mention by-catch species such as big Congo eels and even crocs.
There are some subtleties which sets a good king tide crabbing deckie and a great king tide crabbing deckie apart. For example, when setting pots making sure all the openings are properly closed, there are no obstructions to the funnels, and all ropes and floats are tied adequately and most importantly when the pot is set it is sitting flat on the bottom. Get any of these wrong and you may as well not have even set the pot in the first place. Having a deckie that can also spot a good area to crab can also be a huge assistance. Knowing what to look for when you have to factor in tide depth, current and debris can be a massive help. Having a deckie which has a good memory is also a huge bonus because if you have a memory like me its not hard to forget where you put them. Most importantly you need a deckie that is able to do the work which means pulling up the pots, re baiting and sorting out the crabs. Having a deckie that can also tie them up is an extra bonus. This has always been an issue when crabbing with the missus but now we use the Krab Cuffs it’s not an issue.
Esky full of Krab Cuff secured King tide crabs. This is always the outcome when I crab over these big tides.
The final and most important trait of a good crabbing deckie is they don’t like to eat crab. This way you get to keep all the spoils for yourself. My best crabbing deckie is my wife and after 20 years setting pots together its very much a well-oiled machine which is why I think we enjoy crabbing so much.
Some other things to consider when crabbing over the big tides. Make sure where you set your pots they are out of the main flow. When you have tidal swings which are double or even triple the difference between low and high tides, the current can easily pick up your pots and roll them away. Circular style pots are pretty much the norm these days and whilst they are great because they are collapsible and have plenty of mouths, they do tend to get on their sides and roll away. If you keep them out of the flow then you can avoid this. I always use heavy duty pots as they are heavier than the cheaper ones. If you are still worried about your pot being washed away then weight them down using a couple of bricks left inside the pots.
One of the easiest ways to tell if you are in the flow or not is the behaviour of your float or string. If you drop your pot and the float is bubbling on the top or your string is tight then there is a very good chance your pot will drag or worse be lifted up off the bottom and swept away. It also pays to get your ropes and floats at the perfect lengths. Going too short is an obvious issue but if you go too long the excess rope can get caught around mangrove roots and trees making it impossible to get your pot up. This is often inevitable so having a long-handled gaff which can help retrieve a fouled-up pot is very useful, especially in croc country.
The other thing to consider is the presence of leaf litter where you are placing your pot. If you can see evidence of lots of loose mangrove leaves and debris on the surface then its best to not set your pots in these areas. The big tides will wash all these into your pots and fill them up. Crabs won’t enter your pots when they are full of leaves. This not only leaves you with no crabs but a bloody big mess.
Big tides require bigger efforts but also yield big rewards.
For many of the reasons above, some crabbers tend to set their pots on the King and spring tides out the front on flats and open areas. The only thing to remember here is that the very low tides can see pots left high and dry. This means birds can get trapped in them and trapped crabs can also die from exposure to the sun. Know where your channels are and try and ensure that your pots will be covered by some water even on the low tide.
Crabbing over the King tides is an excellent idea. Whilst it does bring its set of challenges it really is worth the effort, especially when you pull up your crab pot and its full of big rusty bucks.
Is there anything better to eat in the world than a big bowl of mud crabs – I think not.
