# SA Metro.Haven't caught one of these before



## Drewboy (Mar 18, 2008)

Having gone out for the ubiquitous SA snapper and finding less action than usual, although very happy with just the one at 59cm, I couldn't believe my eyes when up came this spider crab.
My whiting rig had attracted it and once in it was in the kayak and after a couple of snaps, I discovered it was very quickly fading.
I released it but found that it was totally lifeless as it floated away.
I would have expected it to stay alive out of the water for a couple of minutes without a problem.
Sadly, I reckon it had packed it in.
Does anybody know what the life expectancy out of the water is for these gentle fellas?


----------



## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

Someone cooked it or they always that colour alive (dead)?


----------



## Squidley (May 8, 2010)

The colour's so brilliant it makes me wonder if it fell off a passing yacht


----------



## Drewboy (Mar 18, 2008)

Ive seen and photographed live red crayfish before, however I too was surprised at its colour.... but it was definitely alive when it came up.


----------



## Squidley (May 8, 2010)

You've reminded me of seeing these bright pink or red live yabbies (or some other freshwater crustacean?) in a stream below a waterfall on a bushwalk with my folks a very long time ago. I'll have to ask them if they remember anything about it.


----------



## keza (Mar 6, 2007)

Could be this guy, he may have tried bathing in underwater volcanic vents next.

http://www.news.com.au/national/evel-cr ... 6465562043


----------



## Scott (Aug 29, 2005)

keza said:


> Could be this guy, he may have tried bathing in underwater volcanic vents next.
> 
> http://www.news.com.au/national/evel-cr ... 6465562043


I found it interesting that a couple of flathead were following the Port Jackson. I wonder if they shadow big rays as they would stir up a lot more food when feeding than a Port Jackson.


----------



## keza (Mar 6, 2007)

When I swim across the bay at Coogee, somedays there are so many small rays on the sand and other days there are none. I haven't seen any flathead in there but have wondered whether the flathead are on the bite further out on the days the rays are around. Some change in conditions must bring them in aand out but I haven't figured it out yet.


----------



## Zilch (Oct 10, 2011)

leftieant said:


> Used to see loads of those when diving for scallops off North Haven. Used to be (and probably are) still scallop beds on the western side of the northern breakwater.


You will also get the odd one while snapper fishing the edge of the Outer Harbour shipping channel.

The ones I have caught don't really do anything, even when first removed from the water (might only slightly move their legs a little). When returned to the water they still don't seem to do anything and simply ever so slowly sink.

Drew did this one move much once brought on board ?

Steve


----------



## fishstix (Dec 18, 2011)

Drew from what I understand these crabs come into the shallower water to moult in their thousands at this time of the year.
The old crusty shell is discarded in favour of a much brighter new one. This shell hardens over time, but during this transition the soft fleshy crab is attractive to rays.
Your crab has that brand new shell.
Last week I caught a similar sized crab, same colour, same location and about as excitable as yours.

If the accumulation of crabs is attractive to rays then are the snapper feeding on them aswell?

From the stomachs of the snapper I have caught I have only found small fish, but they are too well digested to identify. 
Sure I know snapper eat fish and crustaceans, but does anyone else dig around in the guts of their fish and can we be a bit more specific?

regards peter


----------



## Drewboy (Mar 18, 2008)

Zilch said:


> leftieant said:
> 
> 
> > Used to see loads of those when diving for scallops off North Haven. Used to be (and probably are) still scallop beds on the western side of the northern breakwater.
> ...


No Steve.... very lethargic.


----------



## GlenelgKiller (Mar 13, 2012)

fishstix said:


> If the accumulation of crabs is attractive to rays then are the snapper feeding on them aswell?
> 
> From the stomachs of the snapper I have caught I have only found small fish, but they are too well digested to identify.
> Sure I know snapper eat fish and crustaceans, but does anyone else dig around in the guts of their fish and can we be a bit more specific?
> ...


The fish i cleaned on the weekend had crab legs in their guts, looked like sand crabs to me though.


----------



## Squidley (May 8, 2010)

I found half a whiting head (split down the middle) in a 50 cm fish; I think that snapper got a second chance.


----------



## wigan (Mar 12, 2011)

when i used to fish from the jetty at Port Hughes (9 years ago) these were very common coming up in the crab nets, speaking to a neighbor last week though regarding snapper fishing ( he saw me come home fishless again) he said the snapper at Brighton will be the due to the early crab run ????????


----------



## Berger (Aug 13, 2012)

" This giant crab is a lethal and fearful predator in ocean depths of up to 2,500 feet, but out of the water looks weak and limp because its limbs are so heavy that the body can't support it." http://www.weirdasianews.com/2010/03/08 ... ider-crab/

Check out the bright red colour once it moults.


----------



## keza (Mar 6, 2007)

I can't see how it can possibly get those legs out.And you'd think it would have to be smaller, not bigger for the legs to fit inside, they must expand before hardening.
Amazing.


----------



## Berger (Aug 13, 2012)

Keza. It's a crab contortionist!

It occurred to me that the deep red colour when it moults is actually to make it hard to see. Underwater, the first colour to drop off from visibility is red, so a red crab is pretty much black to any predator. -Useful protection, when you're a crab that has just shed its hard shell and is wandering around all soft and vulnerable.










For the same reason, red lures are probably not the ones to use at any depth.

http://www.tacklemaking.com/default.php?pageID=64


----------



## fishstix (Dec 18, 2011)

Thanks for that clip Berger for a moment I thought he'd forgotten his legs!

Haven't found any spider crab in my fish today. One was chokers with whole cuttlefish and small sand crab.... oh and diced pilchard.

peter


----------

