13-04-2005, 02:40 PM
Using a sharp implement is illegal, you can buy or make an abalone jack, which is basically like a square-ended blunt knife.
You definately need some type of levering tool to get them off the rocks, you can get the odd one off by pulling, but not many. It is 10 times easier to get them off before they 'stick down', ie/ you need to sneak up on them and pry them off in one quick movement, otherwise they latch on tight - you can still get them off at this point but it's much harder.
After I have shucked them and trimmed the meat, I slice them thinly (1-2mm), briefly pound the slices with a meat mallet (only 2-3 hits on each side), coat with flour and fry in hot oil until golden brown (only a minute or so). Beautiful!
I get all my abalone along the great ocean road, but you can find them on most reefy areas in Victoria. The closer you are to suburbia, the harder it is to find legal-sized abalone. Also be careful about size limits, they vary depending on where abouts in victoria you are.
For Blacklip abalone (the most common one) size limits are:
12cm east of Lakes Entrance and West of Lorne
11cm between Lakes Entrance and Lorne BUT 10cm inside Port Philip Bay
There are also some other regulations regarding abalone:
-You cannot fish for abalone in waters <2m deep in between Breamlea and Venus Bay (including PPB)
-You can only take abalone between sunrise and sunset
-You must mark abalone within 20m of the place of landing by cutting the meat in half through to the shell
-You must carry a measuring device (you can pick up a free yellow abalone measure from most tackle shops)
I know a guy who had to go to court because 1 abalone in his bag of 10 was 1cm undersized, so take the size limits seriously.
Jaz
You definately need some type of levering tool to get them off the rocks, you can get the odd one off by pulling, but not many. It is 10 times easier to get them off before they 'stick down', ie/ you need to sneak up on them and pry them off in one quick movement, otherwise they latch on tight - you can still get them off at this point but it's much harder.
After I have shucked them and trimmed the meat, I slice them thinly (1-2mm), briefly pound the slices with a meat mallet (only 2-3 hits on each side), coat with flour and fry in hot oil until golden brown (only a minute or so). Beautiful!
I get all my abalone along the great ocean road, but you can find them on most reefy areas in Victoria. The closer you are to suburbia, the harder it is to find legal-sized abalone. Also be careful about size limits, they vary depending on where abouts in victoria you are.
For Blacklip abalone (the most common one) size limits are:
12cm east of Lakes Entrance and West of Lorne
11cm between Lakes Entrance and Lorne BUT 10cm inside Port Philip Bay
There are also some other regulations regarding abalone:
-You cannot fish for abalone in waters <2m deep in between Breamlea and Venus Bay (including PPB)
-You can only take abalone between sunrise and sunset
-You must mark abalone within 20m of the place of landing by cutting the meat in half through to the shell
-You must carry a measuring device (you can pick up a free yellow abalone measure from most tackle shops)
I know a guy who had to go to court because 1 abalone in his bag of 10 was 1cm undersized, so take the size limits seriously.
Jaz