At Crackpots, we’ve got some of the best timber cray pots for catching some very tasty crays. We’ve got a full range of pots & gear at different price points. We stock full size professional pots, as well as the 3/4 amateur timber pots. So whether you’re catching a couple of crays for Christmas, or dropping your pots consistently for most of the year, we can help.
Our entry level cray pot is the Katipo moulded cray pot. Want something better? Read on and learn more out our range of WA made timber cray pots.
Buying an Amateur Cray Pot?
If you’re interested in buying a timber pot, we have eight options available – choose between Pine & Jarrah construction or all Jarrah construction; Black Steel or Galvanised steel bases; and single or double bait baskets. We’ve included the dimensions and weight of each cray pot, plus some of the advantages and things to keep in mind.
Solid Jarrah Cray Pots
| Frame | Battens | Base | # of Baskets | Dimensions | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Jarrah | Jarrah | Galvanised | One | 745mm L x 710mm W x 395mm H | 22.1kg |
| All Jarrah | Jarrah | Galvanised | Two | 850mm L x 710mm W x 395mm H | 26.6kg |
| All Jarrah | Jarrah | Black Steel | One | 745mm L x 710mm W x 395mm H | 22.1kg |
| All Jarrah | Jarrah | Black Steel | Two | 850mm L x 710mm W x 395mm H | 26.6kg |
Pros & Cons of an All Jarrah Timber Cray pot
Our all Jarrah pots are without doubt the best in our range. Jarrah pots are renowned for being the best for catching crays, particularly if you are planning on fishing year round. Jarrah is a really dense timber, which means it’s durable, and a timber cray pot made from Jarrah will last a long time. Our pot builder carefully sources furniture grade jarrah to make sure our pots won’t warp & split. Jarrah cray pots aren’t affected by the toredo worm that eats into softer pine.
Jarrah & Pine Cray Pots
| Frame | Battens & Gate | Base | # of Baskets | Dimensions | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jarrah | Pine | Galvanised | One | 745mm L x 710mm W x 395mm H | 20.5kg |
| Jarrah | Pine | Galvanised | Two | 850mm L x 710mm W x 395mm H | 22.3kg |
| Jarrah | Pine | Black Steel | One | 745mm L x 710mm W x 395mm H | 20.5kg |
| Jarrah | Pine | Black Steel | Two | 850mm L x 710mm W x 395mm H | 22.3kg |
Pros & Cons of Jarrah & Pine Timber Craypots
Our Jarrah & Pine Craypots are built on a sturdy jarrah frame. Then we nail on the pine battens and fit pine gates. Jarrah and Pine timber cray pots have the advantage of being both lighter & cheaper than all Jarrah ones. The downside is that the pine battens are susceptible to being eaten by the toredo worm. So, if you leave them in the water for long periods of time you will need to replace the battens.
Galvanised Bases vs. Black Steel Bases
All of our timber pots are available with a choice of either a black steel base or galvanised steel base. What’s the advantage of adding galvanising?
Galvanising stops your steel base from oxidising or rusting. An anode does do a similar thing. But the advantage of galvanising is that it stops rust stains appearing on the deck of your boat, or wherever you store your pot, as well as protecting your base against corrosion. Plus you won’t have to replace the anode each year.
Full Size Professional Cray Pots
Amateur Pots are known as three quarter pots as they are only 3/4 the size of a full professional cray pot. Professional cray pots are bigger all over, and heavier. They are always supplied with two baskets.
| Frame | Battens | Base | # of Baskets | Dimensions | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Jarrah | Jarrah | Black Steel | Two | 920mm L x 820mm W x 445mm H | 31kg |
| All Jarrah | Pine | Black Steel | Two | 920mm L x 820mm W x 445mm H | 29.5kg |
Of course, recreational fishermen can buy pro pots. But just be mindful that the pot alone is quite a bit heavier, plus the pot gets even heavier when it is waterlogged & full of crays. So, if you’re really keen to get a pro pot, it might be worthwhile considering a tipper and a winch to go with them.
What’s a Fully Rigged Craypot?
A fully rigged cray pot means that its ready to drop into the water & start catching. This means the pot has a rope bridle fitted; a length of rope tied to the bridle, this is generally 20m to 35m long. We recommend two floats attached to the rope. Your gear ID needs to be engraved on one of the floats.
Should I buy a cray pot with one or two bait baskets?
The key thing that determines whether you should buy a double basket or single basket pot is…. how often will you pull your pots? A single basket filled with bait will last 2-3 days. The bait in a double basket should last 4-5 days. When the bait is all eaten the crayfish will move on. So you really want to be back out there pulling your pots before that happens.
Do I need to add Ballast to a steelbase cray pot?
The answer is – it depends! Ideally you want your pot to be nice and heavy. So, if you have a winch and tipper on your boat then absolutely add at least 9kg of ballast, as this will help keep your pot from moving.
If you don’t have a winch, then it really depends on where you are going to drop your pots (and how strong you are feeling!). If you are going to be dropping them in deep water, like 30m or deeper; or somewhere with big swell & strong currents then you’ll definitely need to add ballast. Crackpots sells 9kg fish plates that can be added to the base of your cray pot.
