Perth diver nabs a 'stonka' crayfish as super moon creates ideal conditions

Date: November 15 2016

"Another day and another stonka. This one going 3.08kg on the scales and a PB for Daz!"

Fishers can inflate the size of their catches when telling the story on dry land, but crayfisher Darren Douché has photographic proof of a monster crayfish he snatched while freediving in five metres of water off Perth.

Posting in the Sea Creatures Spearfishing Facebook group, Mr Douché called his massive catch a "stonka", tipping the scales at more than three kilograms with a 170-millimeter carapace - the upper shell of the lobster.

"Could put a saddle on that," one Facebook user said.

"On my table thanks!" wrote another.

Western rock lobsters have been known to weigh in at more than five kilograms; so while it's not a record, Mr Douché's catch is very impressive and will surely put a good feed on his table.

The recreational rock lobster season is in full swing in Western Australia with many crayfishers now preparing to throw their pots in for the annual "white run."

This is where the crustaceans malt their red casing and emerge with a softer white and pink hued shell that eventually returns to the typical red colour.

Adam Greca from Crayfishing WA said when they are malting, the rock lobsters "run" out into deeper water and crayfishermen follow them, throwing their pots close to deep reefs and secret spots.

"We're waiting for the white run and there's predictions it's going to be a big one this year, we've got the super moon on and that could create some ideal conditions for catching crays," he said.

"I won't tell you my spot, but I'll say we fish off Five Fathom Bank. We're seeing lots of crays coming in right now."

So with a bit of luck and a lot of moonlight stirring things up, maybe Mr Douché will top his own crayfish record soon.

There has been a spate of recent reports - and boat seizures - related to fishers helping themselves to cray pots that don't belong to them.

Anyone with information about illegal fishing activities is urged not to get involved, but to carefully observe what they see and call FishWatch on 1800 815 507.