Tiger prawns

[Donagh]

I saw in this months Sea angler that frozen Tiger prawns are recommended as an alternative to frozen peeler. Anyone ever used these?

Donagh

[Steve O'Hanlon]

Had this discussion elsewhere. Seems that the prawns should be whole, i.e. shells and heads still on.

There is a place on Moore Street (Dublin) that sells ice cream tubs of large frozen prawns for about 10 euro, might be worth trying here, as you'll pay a fortune in the shops for large prawns, and 99% are already peeled (and will have lost most of their scent).

If it doesn't work out bait-wise, you'll still have plenty of tasty dinners out of it!

[Donagh]

Hi Steve,

Thanks for the information. I was talking to a guy in work who told me they have them in the chinese supermarket in limerick uncooked with shells and heads for a similiar price for a tub with around 20 of them in it.

Donagh

[MAC]

:D Now theres a bait I wouldn't be able to keep in the freezer. The missus would just keep robbing they for dinner. :shock:

MAC

[danceswithwolves]

There's a chinese supermarket in Abbey Street beside the Jervis Luas stop that sells various frozen sea food. I've bought the squid there pretty cheap.

[johnhig]

There's a chinese supermarket in Abbey Street beside the Jervis Luas stop that sells various frozen sea food. I've bought the squid there pretty cheap.

have been in there quite a few times...They sell tiger prawns at a good price also squid at a good price..plus some of there fish in there are really good plus there spices and fresh veg ahh yeah there frozen squid is very good value.....

[Ed Burke]

I bought some bait in that chinese shop. For 10 euro I got two boxes of whole prawns probably about 20 in each, a box of squid and a lb of mussels. The mussels were cooked though, but I do not think that it should be a problem , it just means that they are firmer. I have one shelf in the freezer devoted to bait and always keep it well stocked. When fishing then I bring a cooler box and some of those freon ice packs which keeps the bait frozen. I do not waste bait anymore and always have enough bait to go fishing without having to worry about opening hours of the tackle shops.

[danceswithwolves]

Ed,
how do you rate the prawns/mussel/squid as a bait? I've tried the squid without much success, although when used to tip a worm bait it slows down the crabs.

Conor

[johnhig]

Ed,
how do you rate the prawns/mussel/squid as a bait? I've tried the squid without much success, although when used to tip a worm bait it slows down the crabs.

Conor

I use squid every time I go out fishing(east coast anyway) and always catch fish with it. Sometimes I use a full squid on a pennel rig and have gotten Dog's, codling, coalies on it. I also sometimes stuff the squid with mussels and lug, couple of little cuts in the side then on a pennel rig find it works great for codling. Mussels never go to the beach with out them, Greystones and allot of other east coast marks mussel's is a bait to have everytime you go. Prawns haven't done much with them yet, anytime I buy them for fishing I end up making a curry or something with them.

John

[Ed Burke]

Personally I have never really used squid by inself. It lends itself to very tidy bait presentation. Lately I have had some luck with razor fish and squid cocktails. I often fish with a strip of mackerel, razor fish or a sandeel (which I puncture a few times to get the juices flowing) wrapped in the squid like a sleeping bag with the fish inside. This can be bound up very neatly and fished on a pennel rig. Apparently the razor fish/squid cocktail is a formidable cod bait coming into December, but I have not had much success with codling yet. Mussel has always produced fish for me. I think its nice and smelly so the fish can home in on your bait.

[Read]

Ed,

do you use the mussels raw or do you boil them first?

[johnhig]

I use them raw....would they work cooked think that would lose all the juices...

John

[George]

The fish shops in Howth sell tiger prawns.

[Read]

Johnjig,

I see what you mean though maybe if you used a little water and left them to stew in it for a while it might help. The reason I asked is that they would toughen a bit and stay on the hook a bit better.

I do a bit of digging near mussel beds and though the shells are often quite big, 5 - 7 cms, the contents are very small. Because of that I tend to ignore them as they a hardly seem worth the effort.

[pete]

Read,
Meat content in the mussel varies alot with the time of year and location. If your finding one bed with a low meat content there is every chance that a similar bed not that far away will have a much better meat yield. I've come across this a couple of times where a hundred yard walk as seen a much bigger average meat for mussels with the same shell length.

They spawn in the spring and sometimes again in the autumn and can also be a bit thin around then. Hope this of some use.

Pete

[bigcol]

I find the best way to use the mussels is to whack them into boiling water for about 15 seconds.They are easier to open,the meat is firmer and they do not lose the juices as much .Also makes them easy to freeze.

[Jhon65]

The question is. Do the tiger Prawns actually work or are they like those fish strips. Has anyone tried them out.

[danceswithwolves]

Hi,
fished killiney yesterday. 3 hooked rig. 1 prawn, 1 rag, 1 lug. While the rag and lug were stripped pretty quickly and had to be replaced. The prawn didnt seem to be touched. Caught a wrasse and a whiting, both on the rag worm.
Overall I'm not too convinced by the prawn. That said the pieces were quite large and the 2 fish were small.

Anyone else got a review of prawn?

[Conor H]

You have tiger prawns and you want to fish with them ?!?

[liamd]

i have used prawns a few times, i catch em in kerry in pots. they work grand the only prob i had with the m is small wrasse getting there teeth round them before anything else gets a chance. surprising cos they r nearly c thru. but i have to admit if i catch any more than a few prawns they go into my belly rather than the fishes!!!!