Beginner’s guide to catching prawns

When to catch them

The best time for catching prawns on the Sunshine Coast is typically from February to the end of May, but this is highly dependent on weather conditions and rainfall. Creeks and rivers benefit from good rainfall totals to flush freshwater towards the mouth and to increase the salinity in the water, which creates the optimal environment for prawns. 

Prawns are predominantly nocturnal creatures, making after sunset or before sunrise the times when they are most active. How active they are also depends on the tides, moon phases and weather conditions, so it's worth dropping into your local bait and tackle store or chatting with other fishos to get the most up-to-date info on the area you’re targeting.

Prawns like to move around under the cover of darkness, so nights around the new moon or cloudy evenings are our tip. Old fishermen and women will tell you that a new moon after rain is the prime time to catch them!

Prawns tend to congregate in deep holes in the hours before and after low tide. If you are prawning in a creek that is fed by a river, the first run-in tide of the morning is your best bet as prawns tend to migrate rapidly with the tide at that time of day. Try for the run out tide in creeks and rivers, or the tide change in open water.

How to find them

If you’re land based, try your luck around lit jetties, bridges or other structures - you’ll spot the red flash of their eyes if they are about. You can also use a torch to spot them in the water at night. Although you might be lucky enough to spot them on the surface, it's more likely that you'll find them in deeper water. If you’re fishing from a boat with a sounder, prawns typically appear as small, scattered dots, often in a cloud-like pattern. They tend to move around in large schools, which may appear as elongated shapes or arcs on the sounder display, depending on their depth and density. When you've hit the sweet spot, you’ll know it - your sounder will be flooded!

Catch Limits

There’s no size limit for individual prawns, but possession limits do apply. The Queensland Government Department of Agriculture and Fisheries limits catches to 10 litres per person and 20 litres per boat (for two people or more). The maximum size cast net you are permitted to use is 3.7m, with a maximum mesh size of 28mm.

Keeping Your Catch

After catching the prawns, submerge them in an ice slurry of salt water and ice. If you’re not planning on eating them straight away, you can keep unpeeled prawns by freezing them in a container filled with water. The ice layer will help in preserving the prawns and keep them fresh.

Catching prawns can be a fun and rewarding activity for anyone who loves fishing and seafood. The Sunshine Coast is home to some fantastic prawning spots, providing an excellent opportunity to explore the natural wonders of our region. So, pack your cast net, head out to one of our beautiful waterways, and with a bit of luck you might end up with a nice catch!