Prawning At Rivers Part 1
By: Phil Foo
Prawn fishing is another fishing related sport that anglers can partake in. Prawns provide a different kind of fun and thrill for anglers; an alternative to the usual thoroughfare. In the last issue we discussed prawn fishing in payponds or pools that were built to allow anglers to fish for prawns for a certain amount of cash. In this issue we look at fishing for prawns in the wild.
[ TBlue pincer prawns too call our rivers home. They share similar habitats with some of these crocodiles… ]
Have you heard of the phrase, “where there are prawns (blue pincer prawns), there are crocodiles?” This is something that I have heard quite often. What does this phrase mean? It means that there are prawns to be fished at places where crocodiles live. A win for both Crocodile Dundee and prawn anglers.
Crocs and blue pincers share the same home; estuaries and rivers.
Where Does One Find Crocodiles?
Our rivers here in Malaysia are home to crocodiles. There are a few species of crocodiles that call our rivers home. Blue pincer prawns too call our rivers home. They share similar habitats with some of these crocodiles. Rivers such as the one in Kuala Selangor, and in Rompin are home to blue pincer prawns. You can fish them from land but I recommend fishing them from a boat.
What Will You Need?
Prawning in the rivers and doing so in payponds will require different fishing tackle. The difference is that in a paypond, you pretty much fish where you sit. You can walk about the pool and drop your bait into the pool. When it comes to fishing for prawns in a river, the situation is different. You can fish from the banks but only at certain sections. Most banks at our rivers are hard to get to on foot. A boat will certainly help but you will have to do more to cover more ground and to catch more prawns.
One of my first prawn fishing rods, the SANTEC New Winner 150.
Fishing Rod
You can use a pole for fishing prawns in a river but a fishing rod provides you with more options. This simply means that you can fish further than those who fish with a pole. An ultra light spinning rod with a soft tip will suffice.
The ultra soft fiberglass tip of the SANTEC New Winner 150 rod.
A soft tip is recommended because unlike, prawns can be small and big (about 500g). Small ones eats with finesse (quietly, stealthily, an slowly) and they do not grab and run. The bigger ones do run and make their presence known. It is important to observe the tip of your rod.
Spinning reel are best used. Baitcasting reels are not recommended.
Spinning Reel
Getting your bait out is important. A spinning reel will certainly help. You don’t need reels with high drag power, strong cranking power, high gear ratio, etc. A small spinning reel will do. But the reel must be smooth especially during the retrieve where you will have to employ a smooth consistent pressure when bring the prawn up.
The smallest of spinning reels will provide lots of fun.
A reel that jerks or has a sticky feel when retrieving is a reel that will help you lose prawns instead of catch them by jerking the hook off the prawn and even tearing off certain sections of the prawn that the hook is latched to.
This is a pretty long article. As such we will stop here for now and continue with part 2 in the next issue. In part 2 we will look at lines, hooks, sinkers, etc. Perhaps even more. Meanwhile, I am packing up my prawn pole and going to my favourite prawn fishing pond to catch myself some delicious tiger prawns. Happy fishing.
