Mud Crab Time!!!

2nd June 2013

We woke again to the sounds of the Rainbow Lorikeets this morning and it was just on day break which was great as we were all excited to try and catch a feed of mud crabs, so much so that we literally packed the boat and hit the road deciding to get breakfast on the way so we could make the most of the tides.

We had about a 2hr drive to the boat ramp at Leeders Creek and at the ramp we had to pay $20 for secure parking and also a driver that backed the boat into the water and also retrieved us at the end of the day, it was a great little business and given the croc trap we saw at the ramp, it was money well spent.

So we hit the water at about 9.30am and went down toward the mouth of the river which took about 15 minutes where we set the pots for the first run. Once the pots were set, we anchored up (along with a few other boats) trying to catch some fish while giving the pots time to attract some Muddies.

The girls cruising on Leeders Creek

We set the pots 4 times today, leaving about an hour between each run so we could have the best chance of catching some crabs. On the first run, we bagged 3 muddies, the second was 4 and the 3rd was 5. As the tide had turned on the last run, we didn't get any muddies, but we had a bit of luck with a beautiful silver bream being caught in the crab pot and he was definitely a keeper, a great way to finish the day.

Mags helping me set a pot

In between our runs we continued to fish, but again it was pretty quiet on that front. The girls and I managed to catch a small Golden Dhufish each, which was at least a bit of fun and gave us something to do to pass the time. The girls even helped pull the pots on the 2nd & 3rd runs, which they were both very good at.

Again we had another great day on the water and were all very excited about the dinner tonight, fresh muddies, you beauty!

We made it back to George's place around 5.30pm and set about cleaning up both the gear and the crabs. George showed the girls how to tie up a few crabs that he was giving to a couple of mates down the road and also how to clean the remaining crabs ready for tea tonight.

The girls holding some tied up Muddies

It was great for them to see although they weren't to keen on watching George cut the crabs in half with a machete or us pulling them apart and cleaning them out, but a good experience nonetheless.

The Girls with our catch for the day

Well as you can imagine we had a great feed tonight with half of the crabs served plain and the other half cooked in a sweet chilli sauce, it was just sensational. We washed them down with a few drinks and had a great night talking about the day. Maggie again made a speech and handed out the awards for the days, which again was a very funny.

Maggie nursing a sore leg and buggered at the end of the day

Unfortunately our plans for tomorrow has had to change,as Maggie has had a sore leg (basically a mozzie bite that has got badly infected) which we have been nursing but is now at a stage where she needs to see the doctor and get some antibiotics, bugger!