The secret Yabbie Dam

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By Dwain Duxson

The secret Yabbie Dam - We wrote about growing up on the Farm last week, and many of us would have grown up in the Yabbying era. Remember the string and net era where we caught one Yabbie at a time? If you were lucky, you would get 2 in the one drag. Think back. They were great memories.

Then they developed the drop nets, which gave us a larger catch in a shorter time, and we then graduated to opera houses, where you could leave them overnight and end up with a feed or two in one catch. Some even dragged the dam, but that's sorta not Yabbying really.

We have arguably seen a drop in Yabbie populations in our Farm Dams since Cropping has become more popular, but there are still plenty around, and the old-time Yabbiers know where to find them.

Then there's the poacher, the person who would scale the local dams without official permission. Usually, they were known by the Farmer, and they didn't worry too much but did stand to attention if they found out they got a few buckets full from one of their dams. The poacher would always keep their cards close to their chest as to where the best Yabbie dams were. They would hunt around after dark and usually operate with opera houses. These people gathered in bulk, cooked and peeled on a Saturday or a Sunday and ate well all week. They are an official bush delicacy and are loved by many. Do you have any good Yabbying stories? Reply to dwaind@farmtender.com.au

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