Undertanding Live Prawns

Foreword: I did this write-up as a guide for my fellow anglers and beginners out there who may have never used live prawns before and therefore need advice on how to rig up live prawns or generally just need a rough overview on live prawns. If you are an experienced angler and would like to contribute your valuable few cents worth, please feel free to add a comment on this article and I will review and change the contents accordingly.

What?
Many experienced anglers swear by it as a killer bait for Barramundi and it seems to be one of the most popular live baits in payponds all over the country . Yes, I'm talking about the humble saltwater bait prawn, otherwise known as the Swa Lor (沙卢) or Udang Merah Ros. (Thanks to handlinefishing.com for the info on the names)

Raymond hooking up a live prawn by it's tail.

Why?
Why do many anglers choose the Swa Lor over other live baits available on the market? I guess it would be due to their versatility, as several species of fishes such as the ever popular Barramundi (Kim Bak Lor / Seabass / Siakap) and various kinds of Groupers (Gao Hurr / Kerapu) do take live prawn readily, as well as their cheaper price in comparison to other kinds of live baits such as Milkfishes, which are generally more expensive (the rate is 5 milkfishes for $4 at Pasir Ris Paypond, while you can get 100g of live Swa Lor for the same amount, which comes up to about 10 prawns) and the aptly-named Sarong Worm (known as the Tubeworm to saltwater aquarium enthusiasts), which smells pretty bad, requires a little squeezing to be removed from it's caked mud casing (like a tube of toothpaste) and may bite when being handled.

Being able swimmers, live prawns are also able to be used with various set ups such as the popular Cable Car Rig, Long Snood Bottom Feeder or even with a float. They are also fast and easy to hook up and do not cause a mess.

Where?
Live prawns are sold in tackle shops all over the country at an average price of $3.50 per 100 grams. These prawns are packed in plastic bags after weighing, which are then turn filled up with oxygen which is enough to last you for 6 hours so that you can carry them around until you're ready to deploy your rods.

In contrast, live prawns sold at payponds cost slightly more at about $4 per 100 grams. However, if you're planning to fish in a specific paypond instead of other angling spots, do note that despite the higher price, prawns purchased from their respective payponds do have a tendency to stay alive for a much longer period of time than prawns bought from tackle shops. I guess the attrition rate of prawns bought from tackle shops is much higher due to their failure to adapt to the water in the pond whereas prawns bought from the pond owner are reared in the same water.

Sheng Siong Supermarket also sell live prawns at $1.10 per 100g but there have been complaints that they are way too big to be used for fishing. I've personally not used any Sheng Siong prawns before so I'm not really able to comment on their feasibility.

When?
Live prawns may be used for both day and night fishing, as their movement in water attracts predatory fishes. An experienced angler friend of mine, Felix, has also told me before that live prawns attract fishes as their eyes reflect light in the water.

How?
Live prawns are normally hooked up from the tail, or less commonly on the head. The rule of thumb is to avoid the intestinal vein when inserting the hook into the prawn to avoid killing it accidentally.

Gripping the prawn in one hand with too much strength while hooking it up with the other may kill the prawn as well. It is also important to note that prawns are known to wriggle vigorously and "jump" out of your hands if your grip is too loose so you must hold them with just the right amount of force.

These pictures below will hopefully give you a clearer picture on to hook up a live prawn properly. To understand the pictures and instructions better, you might want to take a look at the anatomy of a prawn here first.

Tail Hooking (Refer to picture above) - This is inarguably the most common way to hook up a live prawn as it allows the prawn to continue swimming freely without any restrictions once it hits the water. Notice that in the picture above, the hook is inserted in the last segment of the prawn, carefully avoiding the intestinal vein. Other variations may include hooking the 2nd last abdominal segment or even the middle segments.

Head Hooking (Refer to picture above) - This method is used much lesser by anglers as immaculate precision is required to insert the hook slightly below the rostrum of the prawn head . In other words, one wrong move and your prawn goes kaput. Nonetheless, it ensures the bait stays on the hook for the longest time as the rostrum is one of the hardest parts of a prawn. Like the tail hook method, the prawn continues to swim freely without any restrictions. Only attempt this if you have more live prawns as back-up as death is imminent to prawns which get hooked in any other part of the head by mistake.

Conclusion
I do sincerely hope that this rough write-up gives you a better picture of the live prawn as a bait, as well as served as a guide for those who have never handled or hooked up a live prawn before. And, as always, here's wishing you tight lines and screaming reels!

There we are. All set to go!