Craypots

Before we left Strahan, we spent a bit of time with Ron, who had lent us his ute and his big solid mooring in Mill Bay.  Pete went and chatted to him on beautiful Maatsuyker, Ron’s beloved yacht, while I sat on Petuna and talked to Rodney.  Petuna is piled high with great big craypots, so I asked him a bit about them.  Not sure if many people have examined a craypot very carefully but…they are works of art!  They are either made of steel, or of wood which has been steamed and curved around a frame.  The top of the pot, where the crayfish crawl in, is made of woven cane, shaped liked big sunhat with the crown cut out.  Rodney makes his own pots, and the very best of them last a maximum of 20 months.  So he always has a few pots on the go.  It takes him a whole day to make just one.  He has sold a few, and was a bit put out that they companied at the price -$200.  His wife, Louise, calculated his hourly rate - $0.35.  So not really a good idea to sell his pots!

I asked how many crays they would get in each pot, imagining maybe five, or ten… But no – they generally get 200 in each pot!  The crayfish are free to climb in and out of the pots, and every now and then they all evacuate in terror – octopus coming for some fast food!

Rodney gave us a lovely big fillet of fish when we first arrived. I told him how much we had enjoyed it, and how it had lasted for two dinners and two lunches.  “Well I wouldn’t have given it to you if it was no good, would I” he said, gruffly.