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CLAIM YOUR $100 DRAW ENTRY →Choosing the best prawning gear can be a time-consuming and confusing task. We have taken the pain out of choosing prawning equipment that is right for your prawning situation, putting together a comprehensive list of the most popular prawning nets, prawning lights, and accessories that will suit all budgets and experience levels.
Please note: Not all states allow the use of cast nets. Please check your state's fisheries website before heading out.
The management of recreational prawning in Australia is highly decentralized, and as of 2026, it is critical to comply with specific state regulations to protect localized stocks and avoid heavy fines:
With the price of prawns spiralling in most local fish shops, both seafood connoisseurs and smart anglers welcome the opportunity to capture their own supply of really fresh prawns. In fact, so popular is this activity that during the summer months when a prawning ‘run’ is on, it’s not unusual to see estuary flats crowded at night with eager prawn hunters, out to trap a good haul of these crustaceans with a strong light and a net. Prawns are without a doubt the most popular and widely used bait, and as a table delicacy, their sweet, tangy flesh makes a delicious meal for all the family.
Pro-Tip for Timing Your Run: Environmental cues are the secret to a successful prawn haul. The most substantial "prawn runs" coincide with the dark nights of a new moon phase. Prawns will emerge from the muddy substrate and ride the outgoing (run-out) tide toward the ocean under the cover of darkness to avoid visual predators. Heavy rainfall also acts as a major trigger; freshwater flushing into the estuaries lowers the salinity, forcing dense schools of prawns to migrate downstream into deeper channels and river mouths. To gain a modern advantage, use a quality fish finder or sounder to locate schools of prawns in these deeper sections before you cast your net.
The commercial prawns of Australian waters correspond to the shrimp of the United States, while in Britain they have both prawns and shrimps in their waters. There is no zoological definition which differentiates between a prawn or a shrimp; consequently, both names are commonly interchanged and equally valid. Structurally, the distinction between the two is insignificant; prawns have two long pairs of branched antennae, shrimps have one long pair and one short pair. Also, shrimp do not have the pointed beak protruding from their shell which is typical of prawns.
The dictionary suggests that the word shrimp was derived from the old English ‘scrimman’ which meant to shrink, with the implication that a shrimp is a small crustacean, but this is dubious since some shrimps of the genus Macrobrachium are very large.
All the large edible prawns targeted in Australia belong to the family Penaeidae. There are five major wild prawn species you are likely to catch, each with distinct characteristics:
The body of a prawn is rather cylindrical. The limbs which extend from a seven-segmented abdomen are adapted for swimming, walking, and burrowing. Unlike crabs and lobsters which crawl, prawns can swim as well as walk. Its first five pairs of legs are walking legs or pereopods. Claws or chelae on the first three pairs allow the prawn to swim above the bottom; it can also burrow, using its limbs to clear away the material on the ocean bottom. Burrowing prawns can breathe by means of oxygenated water which passes over the gills from a funnel formed by some of its head appendages.
The last segment of the prawn’s abdomen is the telson which, with the hind pair of appendages, forms a tail fan. The prawn has stalked eyes, a sharp beak, and two pairs of branched antennae with at least one branch reaching back towards the tail fan.
If approached by a predator, the prawn is alerted by the antennae and is able to retreat with a backward flick of its tail. The front of the body, including the head and vital organs, is covered by a shell or carapace. A prawn’s body length ranges from 1 to 30 cm and females are usually much heavier than males. Prawns are separated into two main groups: penaeid and carid. The penaeids disperse their eggs into the sea while the carids carry their eggs under their tail like crabs and crayfish. All the major Australian commercial species and most of the world’s prawn trade rely on the penaeid prawns.
The penaeid lifecycle is driven by a fascinating offshore-inshore migration loop. Because female penaeid prawns do not carry their eggs, they spawn them directly into open marine waters. These eggs hatch into free-swimming planktonic larvae called nauplii, which rely on oceanic currents to push them into nutrient-rich coastal estuaries.
Within these shallow estuarine nurseries—often sheltering in seagrass beds or mangrove root networks—the prawns feed and grow into sub-adults over a period of 9 to 12 months. As they reach sexual maturity, they initiate a mass seaward migration to return to the deep offshore ocean to spawn. It is entirely during these massive outward migrations that recreational anglers capitalize on the harvest. Once the mature adult prawns successfully migrate to offshore ocean waters, they remain there permanently and never return to the estuaries.
Most of Australia’s commercial and recreational prawn species are captured at sea as adults, while juveniles grow in the estuaries before migrating back to the open sea to breed and complete the life cycle. Some prawns are confined to specific aquatic environments. For instance, the bay prawn (greasyback) can spend its whole life highly prolific in estuaries like Moreton Bay, whereas other species are long-distance travellers. Research with tagged prawns has shown that school prawns can move up to 120 km and king prawns up to 930 km from their home estuary in their spawning run to the ocean.
In order to mate, the mature female needs to be in a newly-moulted or soft-shelled stage and the male in a hard-shelled stage. Unlike crabs and lobsters, female penaeid prawns do not carry their fertilized eggs under their tails. Instead, the female sheds the eggs directly into the open marine waters. These eggs hatch into free-swimming planktonic larvae known as nauplii.
The nauplii drift with ocean currents for several weeks, moulting frequently as they rely on the tides to push them into coastal estuaries. One of the factors regulating the frequency of moults is temperature: high temperatures encourage moulting and low temperatures inhibit it.
2026 Climate Impact Update: Long-term climate modelling is increasingly showing that rising sea surface temperatures and the strengthening of the East Australian Current (EAC) are altering the geographical distribution of prawn lifecycles. For example, the Eastern King Prawn is experiencing a southward shift, which is projected to reduce the abundance of spring and early summer recruits in subtropical estuaries (like southeast Queensland) while potentially expanding populations in southern New South Wales and eastern Victoria.
Once they reach the post-larval stage and enter nutrient-rich estuaries, lakes, and bays, the tiny prawns seek shelter and adopt a bottom-living lifestyle, typically hiding in shallow nurseries like seagrass beds or mangrove root networks. Over a developmental period of 9 to 12 months, the juvenile prawns grow rapidly.
A prawn’s life is short; on average, it lasts one year, although king prawns may live up to two or three years. They are omnivores, feeding sometimes on small fish but mostly on algae and dead or decaying matter, which they pass to their shredding mouthparts by means of their maxillipeds (jaw feet) located behind the mouth.
As they reach physiological maturity, they assemble to begin their mass seaward migration—the famous ‘prawn run’. This migration to the open sea takes place at night during the warm summer months, but its intensity is heavily dictated by environmental drivers, specifically rainfall, lunar phases, and tidal mechanics:
This combination of a dark new moon, an outgoing tide, and recent rainfall creates the peak time when amateur and commercial prawners take the best catches, as the prawns crowd into the deep estuary channels that lead out to the sea. Experienced fishers will specifically target the run-out tide after sunset, ideally within a window of seven to nine days on either side of the new moon. Once these mature adult prawns successfully complete their migration to offshore ocean waters to spawn, they remain there permanently and never return to the estuaries.
One of the biggest and best-known species in Australia, growing up to 30 cm. It is found along the east coast from Queensland through New South Wales, Victoria, and down to Tasmania. The colour of this prawn varies depending on the type of sea bottom it inhabits; however, it is generally recognisable by a cream to yellow body with dark brown ridges, a straight rostrum with a single lower tooth, and a vibrant blue tail fan tinged with red when raw.
This is the prawn that is taken in great numbers from coastal lakes, especially by holidaymakers at locations such as the popular Tuggerah Lakes on the New South Wales central coast. Sydney’s harbour prawns are mainly juveniles of the eastern king prawn, and commercial catches are taken from Sydney Harbour and Botany Bay.
Identified by a creamy-yellow body and its distinct blue tail fan when raw. Known for its highly robust and firm flesh, it grows to a maximum size of 25 cm. It is fished commercially in the cool temperate gulf waters of South Australia (such as the Spencer Gulf and Gulf St Vincent, which act as inverse estuaries) and is abundant in Shark Bay and Exmouth Gulf in Western Australia, as well as the Northern Territory.
One of the world’s largest and most robust prawns, growing to 30 cm. It is easily identified by its distinctive brown and cream transverse bands or stripes across the abdomen and carapace, which turn bright red when cooked. Although primarily an inhabitant of more northern tropical waters, shallow seagrass beds, and deep mud-bottom bays across Northern Australia, stragglers are occasionally taken in estuaries along the east coast as far south as northern New South Wales. Tiger prawns are in big demand by overseas markets where they fetch top dollar, making them a premium catch.
Found in the tropical waters of Western Australia, the Northern Territory, Queensland, and New South Wales. It is particularly abundant in the Gulf of Carpentaria, where the pristine waters of the Northern Prawn Fishery provide sensationally rich grounds. This prawn has a pale yellow to semi-transparent body freckled with reddish-brown spots, and its tail fan features bright reddish-orange tips. Its maximum length is around 20 cm. Catches are usually taken from mangrove-lined estuaries, deep estuarine river holes, and offshore waters.
Common in the estuaries, shallow river channels, and naturally closed coastal lakes of Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria. School prawns are abundant and relatively cheap, making them the mainstay of the prawning industry in New South Wales (with popular fisheries in the Hawkesbury and Clarence Rivers) and Victoria (Lakes Entrance).
Sometimes called the white river prawn, the school prawn has a semi-transparent yellowish body covered in irregular speckled brown or green spots, brown antennae, and a rostrum with a smooth lower surface. It grows to around 15 to 16 cm.
The famous greasyback or bay prawn is one of the smallest Australian prawn species, growing to a maximum size of 10 cm. It is highly prolific in the estuaries and rivers of Queensland (especially Moreton Bay), New South Wales, and Victoria, where it serves as a first-class bait for both amateur and commercial fishermen.
The greasyback is unique because it is one of the few prawns that can spend its entire life confined to estuarine environments. Its body is semi-transparent, and it is covered with a mat of fine hairs that give it a slippery or "greasy" texture. It also features a distinctive green tail fan and reddish-brown antennae. While a convenient size for bait, the greasyback is also excellent eating.
There are three key environmental factors to be considered for successful prawning: time, tide, and the moon. While the broadly recognised prawning season extends from October through to April, the really large catches are typically made during the late summer and early autumn months, from January through to late March or even into April. During these productive months, if weather conditions are right, the period of prawn runs can be highly concentrated and rewarding.
During these peak months, around the period of the ‘dark’, the prawns move into schools and begin to migrate out through the lakes and river mouths to spawn on the run-out tide. The ‘dark’ period is the phase of the lunar cycle surrounding the new moon, which brings darker nights and larger spring tide ranges.
Pro-Tip for Estuaries: Always account for estuarine lag. Tidal heights and current velocities in enclosed coastal lakes or upper rivers can lag behind the open ocean high tide by two hours or more. Ensure you time your operations to coincide with the actual physical movement of water out of the estuary, rather than just the coastal tide chart.
Weather and Environmental Triggers: Surface conditions also dictate prawn behavior. Prawns tend to dive when the water’s surface becomes choppy, especially if the wind is blowing against the tide. However, if the wind is blowing with the tide and other conditions are suitable, prawns will confidently make their run.
To maximize your chances, keep a close eye on the rainfall. Heavy terrestrial rainfall acts as a massive trigger for prawn movement. Rain introduces large volumes of freshwater into estuarine systems, lowering salinity levels and increasing water turbidity. Because prawns are highly sensitive to rapid drops in salinity, this freshwater flush triggers a defensive downstream migration toward more stable, saline ocean water. When a heavy rainfall event aligns with a dark new moon night, the combination of high turbidity, reduced salinity, and complete darkness triggers a massive, highly synchronized seaward migration, creating the ultimate conditions for a big catch.
A flashlight, a bucket, and a scoop net are all the equipment an amateur needs to go prawning. But making big hauls of these tasty crustaceans involves a little more knowledge of actual prawning techniques, specific regulations, and gear requirements.
The traditional hand-held prawn scoop net is simply designed, inexpensive, and made to stand up to at least one season of prawning. It consists of a thick wire frame and a hardwood handle; however, this design of scoop net suffers from being heavy and creating unnecessary water drag, so often the prawner needs to take a rest after a couple of hours’ work.
The newer scoop net with an aluminium frame makes prawning easier and more enjoyable. Its total length is usually about 1.5 metres, although extension handles can be purchased in lengths of around 1.2 metres. If a longer handle is necessary, as it is when prawning from a pier or jetty, these extensions can be attached to the net head, and any length scoop net can be made. Even with extension handles, these light aluminium nets can be used for hours without fatigue.
2026 Gear Regulation Update: While building your ideal scoop net, you must strictly adhere to state dimensions. For example, in Queensland, scoop nets must not exceed 2m in any dimension, the handle length must not exceed 2.5m, and the minimum mesh size is 25mm. In New South Wales, the maximum diameter is much smaller at 0.6m, with a maximum drop of 1.25m and a minimum mesh size of 20mm.
Historically, the most productive method of prawning, particularly when larger size prawns are running, was to drag net around the sandflats. This is best carried out by two people using a net with two ropes at each end, fitted with leads to keep one section close to the bottom and corks to keep the other afloat.
State-by-state regulations now heavily govern drag/seine nets to limit environmental footprint and prevent commercial-scale bycatch:
The Modern Advantage: Top-Pocket Cast Nets
In 2026, for states where they are legally permitted (such as Queensland and the Northern Territory), the cast net has overwhelmingly become the most productive method for gathering schooling prawns. Instead of dragging, fishers use a 10' or 12' top-pocket cast net. Because prawns naturally swim upwards when captured, they congregate in the top pocket, allowing for rapid removal so you can get your next cast in sooner. A high-quality net constructed with UV-stabilized Dyneema, a heavy chain bottom for a fast sink rate, and 27mm mesh will maximize your catch while preventing prawns from slipping through. Note: Cast nets remain strictly banned in NSW and Victoria.
Lights are another essential for the amateur prawner, especially since night prawning capitalizes on the nocturnal activity of the species. Operating from a boat, prawners usually fit their lights with a shade and attach them to a bracket in the boat. Those once-a-year enthusiasts who go prawning on holidays usually opt for a hand-held, household flashlight, and while not really effective, they will allow the amateur to take a small supply of prawns and have a lot of fun after dark.
Historically, the hurricane-type kerosene pressure lamp or port-a-gas lamps were vast improvements, giving off a nice bright light. On the debit side, gas bottles are susceptible to corrosion, the entire units are rather heavy, and they give no indication when the gas supply is getting low.
2026 Lighting Technology: Today, battery-powered LED lights are the undisputed standard. Compact, fully submersible battery-powered prawning lamps give off an extremely bright light and sit below the surface to reduce all levels of water glare. For wading prawners, high-powered LED headlamps are heavily used, freeing up both hands to operate scoop nets safely while navigating estuarine terrain and marine hazards. Coupled with portable power banks for easy recharging, these modern waterproof lights are definitely the way to go.
To use a scoop net effectively, a prawner must be prepared to wade into the shallows until he finds a channel or tidal run in which the prawns are travelling. Positioned across the flow of the water, it’s then a matter of waiting for the moving prawns to come down.
Under these conditions, a long stake may be driven into the sandflats to support the light, though many modern prawners now prefer high-powered LED headlamps to maintain total mobility. A pair of chest waders is also a highly recommended idea to prevent infection from ‘Pelican itch’, Fortescues (bull routs), and other nocturnal nasties. Good stout sandshoes or wading boots on the feet are an absolute necessity when wading in the dark to protect against stingrays, sharp shells, and marine hazards.
Under certain conditions, prawns won’t run on the surface and so have to be netted from the bottom by ‘kicking’ them into the net with the feet. Using this technique, the prawner works a zig-zag pattern around the edges of the weed beds, holding the light fairly high at all times so that the prawns’ eyes—which show up as small red or orange dots—can be easily identified in the light. When a good patch is located, the prawner works his way around the edges, trying not to spook the other prawns or stir up the bottom sediment in the process.
Scoop netting requires more talent than drag netting as every batch of prawns behaves differently. Because a prawn's primary defense mechanism is its tail, they will usually shoot rapidly backwards in an attempt to escape. This backward flick should always be kept in mind when trying to net them—always aim your scoop net behind the prawn's trajectory. Pro-Tip: If you are using a legal cast net (in states like QLD or NT), this escape behavior is exactly why a top-pocket cast net is preferred; once captured, the prawns naturally shoot in an upward trajectory and congregate in the top pocket for easy removal.
For those anglers who can’t be bothered with a scoop or drag net, a supply of live prawns for bait can be captured during the daylight hours by dragging a long-pronged garden rake through the sand. When disturbed by the rake, the prawns will try to escape and can often be picked up when they try to bury back into the sand again.
2026 Digging Tool Regulations: While the "garden rake" method is traditional, it is heavily scrutinized under modern laws. In Queensland, for example, while you can use a digging fork to catch bait on standard foreshores, you cannot use digging tools of any kind in designated Fish Habitat Areas (only hand pumps are permitted). Rakes are also banned in worm-digging closure zones.
2026 Biosecurity Best Practice: If you are collecting live prawns for bait, you are actually practicing the most highly encouraged biosecurity method in Australia. Due to the devastating outbreak of White Spot Disease (WSD), using raw, imported supermarket prawns as bait is strictly illegal. Catching your own live bay or school prawns with a scoop net or rake and using them locally in the exact same water body is the safest and most effective way to fish without risking the transmission of WSD to wild decapod populations.
It is usually best to moor across the chosen estuary making sure that both ropes are set out straight. This allows prawners to scoop freely from both the bow and the stern. Serious prawners often anchor their boats in daylight well before the run begins.
The best position is usually close to the shoreline and over weed beds which prawns use for cover. In all cases, a position must be selected where the tides move briskly so that the prawns don’t back away but come quickly to the prawner. In slow tides, they see the light and are able to skirt the boat or quickly dodge the prawner's scoop net.
Prawning from a boat under power is suitable when prawns are not on the run. The boat is steered very slowly into the oncoming tide and nets with long, aluminium handles are used, one on each side of the boat. Prawns are taken as they rush headlong into the nets, but generally, only small hauls are caught this way.
2026 Boat Regulation & Licensing Update: If you are prawning from a powered vessel, you must be hyper-aware of state-specific boat limits and licensing:
If possible, prawns should be cooked immediately after they are caught. However, if cooking has to be postponed until the next day, it’s possible to keep the catch alive and in fairly good condition.
First, the prawn container should be drained and the catch tipped onto a table to sort. If by chance the catch contains a Fortescue (a yellowish fish blotched with brown) or a jelly blubber, both should be removed as they kill prawns. Fortescues should be carefully removed with a thick rag or pair of pliers as they can inflict a very painful sting through the sharp spines on their fins. Jelly blubbers left in the catch and included in the cooking process give prawns an unpleasant taste.
2026 Catch Care & Ice Slurry Update: While the traditional method was to spread prawns out on sheets of newspaper in the refrigerator, modern 2026 best practice dictates that you should immediately place your caught prawns into an ice slurry. This cools them down rapidly without placing too much stress on their bodies, preserving their optimal fresh taste and texture. Freshly-caught prawns should absolutely not be put in a bucket filled with warm sea water and left overnight, as this results in the death and rapid spoiling of the catch.
After removing all foreign matter from the prawn catch, it should be tipped into a large container of tap water and left for twenty minutes. This causes the prawns to bring up their stomach contents and is called ‘dunking’ or ‘drowning’ the catch. After draining, the dunked prawns should be placed in a large container of boiling water. The water will go off the boil and when it comes on again, the prawns should be boiled for five minutes.
To test if they’re cooked, pick out one prawn from under those that have come to the surface, place it under cold running water and hold it up to the light. If there is a gap between flesh and shell, the prawn is cooked.
2026 Culinary & Storage Alternatives: While boiling is the classic method, many modern prawners believe the eating quality of locally caught prawns (especially from open waters) is best showcased by cooking them on the barbecue, making prawn cutlets, or using them in garlic skewers, curries, and fresh salads. Because fresh prawns require minimal cooking to preserve their tender texture, it is important not to overcook them.
If you’ve caught more than you can eat in the next few days, they can be stored in the freezer. Modern 2026 freezing techniques suggest two preferred methods:
Each time a supply of prawns is required, the frozen stocks should be taken from the freezer, placed in a solution of one cup of salt to five cups of water plus a tablespoon of sugar and left until they have completely thawed. When removed they should be drained thoroughly. These prawns will then be as fresh and crisp as the day they were caught and cooked.
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