CHERABIN

I use half boiled peeledl potatoes, In the Kimberley some people use a cast net to catch them.
Just remember where you get them is usually the same water that you'll find a Croc.
I found night time the best but have caught in the afternoon and morning. At night if the water is clear enough you can shine your tourch into the net to check it.
They make a tasty feed and are the best bait.

Some rivers you get them and some you don't, remember this. So if you do ok in one place and not another it could very well be because they are not there, you may still get red claw in some place though.
Opera house pots with the steel entry ring is what you need. I think the type without the ring have been banned, for good reason too, lots of drowned turtles otherwise. We use Velvet soap, I'm about to get canned for that one!
It works really well and the croc's don't eat your traps! Use cat food and the like they will munch em all the time! Never tried spuds---
You don't say if you will be using a boat? If so and the river has pandanas palms, tie them to this. Remember the rivers are tidal, 5 meters of rope on each should be enough. Tie them low on a low tide and you may not find them again! They make great bait for barra when fished around the snags.
DONT stand around on the banks as you may well find yourself on the wrong end of the food chain! Just because you can't see them don't think they are not there! They are and they can see you :)
Good luck
Lyndon

Each to there own i guess. In the Kimberley and i suppose the Nt too, some spots requires a different method or bait then the last. My prefered and most succesful method is with chook pellets and a throw net. Through handful of pellets every 10 metres in about 3 spots and throw over every half an hour. Some spots are better in late afternoon, some at night, some in middle of day. Some spots its impossible and silly to be trying with a net so opera house style nets are better. Anything from fish, meat, soap, brown sugar, chook pellets they go just about anything. I usually use both methods at first, see which yields the better results and then go hard with that method. I only attack the freshwater creeks and pools not tidal areas, anything caught in the tidal area is usely a fluke and used as bait. With a throw net you want a flat and obstacle free patch of bank to throw from and also want the
water to be deep anough they cant see you, but shallow enough for the net to sink quick enough to cover them. Also want a flat bottom there too. Around 1 metre is the depth limit really.
Recently we went to a spot, was around 3pm, some young lads were there cookin up about 20 good sized ones. They left and said try where we were, we did for about 3 hours all sorts of methods and nothing. This pool was only about 50 metres long and 20 metres wide and we only managed 8. we even tried after dark and nothing, with pots and throwing 3 nets all in different places and depths. Anyway 2 days later my companions went back middle of day and cleaned up within 30 minutes. Very cunning i tell ya. I wasnt impressed as i had ripped a net for 8 measly cherabun.

Different style, different times, different baits, = Different Results.
Trial and error

Just be aware that in most freshwater areas in WA traps are illegal (I think they're legal around kununurra for redclaw??).

They are generally legal in the NT but not in some national parks where nets would also be banned.

In WA you need a Fisheries rec. net licence but not in NT.

Good luck.

westskip

Like Kroozer said the chook pellets and thrownet seem to be the go but lately since the water has warmed up they cherabin seem to be starting to move around a bit and will eat just about anything

We usually set a few pots over night just with some bread or even cat food in a can with a few holes in it, they seem to like it. Ya dont wanna get to close to that cat food after its been in the water for a few days yuk!!

They also say the Cherabin are like cray fish, not moving around too much on a full moon but we seem to catch the same amount no moon or full. The only down side to using pots it that if a big one gets in there it will fight all the other ones in the net or while trying to enter so you never seem to get bulk in a pot.

See how ya go anyway

Cheers