Cherabin are big freshwater prawns that are great fun to chase in northern Australia. They are tasty, hard pulling for their size, and a favourite target in creeks, rivers and impoundments when conditions line up.
In Australia you will mostly find cherabin across the tropical north, especially in Queensland, the Northern Territory and northern WA. They live in freshwater and low-salinity reaches of rivers, creeks, lagoons and dams, usually around timber, weed edges, rock bars and muddy banks. Bigger specimens often hold in deeper holes and slower water with good cover nearby.
Cherabin are scavengers and opportunistic feeders, taking bits of plant matter, insects, small crustaceans, worms and anything edible washing past. They spend a lot of time working the bottom and picking through snags, weed and mud for food. They are most active when the water is warm and stable, and often feed harder in low light.
Tide matters most in tidal freshwater and lower river reaches, where a gentle run usually helps by moving food without making it too hard for them to hold. Low light often improves activity, especially around dawn, dusk and at night, while bright middle-of-the-day sun can slow them right down in clear water. Light to moderate wind can help by stirring food along the edges, but strong wind muddies the water too much and makes trapping or bait presentation harder. Swell is not a big factor well upstream, but in estuaries and river mouths bigger swell can dirty the water and push flow around, which usually makes them less predictable.
Most anglers target cherabin with opera house style traps where permitted, scoop nets, or simple baited drop nets around snags and weed edges. Fish baits, chicken pellets, cat food, prawns and other smelly offerings all work, and it pays to set close to cover in a bit of depth. If you are using hand lines or light gear, keep it simple and tough because they love burying back into structure.
Big male cherabin can grow long blue claws, which is why a lot of northern fishos call them blue-claw prawns.