Red Claw Bonanza

[robyoung2]

I was at Nth Pine Dam on Sat, and saw my first red claw trap. In fact "traps". There were about 20 or more and they seem to have been there for yonks. The cordage they were attached to was rotten, needing just a little pressure to snap it. One trap was out of the water from the receeding water level, dead animals inside it.

To get to this spot, I had to cross two fences that well "suggested" most people shouldn't be going through. Then quiet a longish walk once through all the stalag type fencing.
What I'm getting at, is it's not exactly a popular spot, so I assume they all belonmg to one person. No footprints were int he mud around them, and there certtainly should have been, if anyone had been there even within the fortnight I'd say.

Never having anything to do with these buggers (I'm allergic to shellfish), I pulled a trap out and had a gander. I ended uppulling several traps out (and putting them all back unchanged), but each trap had long ago exhausted their food supply (bait), and the crabs seem to have been eating one another, which might have been the new "bait", because there was no shortage of crabs in these traps. some had a half doz, some had maybe 15 or so. Some were enormous!

What I'm wondering is why would so many traps be left as if to waste? I was tempted to liberate the lot fo them, but then they weren't my traps, and for all I know the ownder might have been on his way right there and then. Would have taken some explaining wouldn't it.

I might wonder out there later in the week, what would ya do if nothing's changed? I pulled one trap in (snagged on my lure), and it wasn't even attached to the bank, the rope having perished away. The cordgae was (once upon a time) good quality 5 mm (?) cord. It wasn't junk, well when it was new at least.

Is there a size limit on these buggers? A bag limit?

What does anyone make of this?

To my mind, I was wondering if they belongd to local people (probably the same nosey mongrslt hat want to call the rangers on us all), because the distance from the road was so far, and they were so un-attened it was as if they belonged to a person who wondered down periodically maybe, and hadn't done so for along time. If it were people who were visiitng from afar, the sheer number of traps would have been more than dramatic to get to the spot, and if they were placed by a visitor from far afeild, I can hardly imagine sneaking in like a criminal, with tonnes of traps, and then going through it all again in a week's time ; rather than taking them home with them on the day.

Anyway, what does ya think? Reckon I should liberate them all next time? Do they belong to anyone here? I really reckon they belong to a local.

cheers
rob

[ellicat]

Give the DPI a call and tell them. Problem's no longer yours then. Wouldn't risk getting caught by the owners - have you read some of the threads on crab pot theft - ouch!

Members on BFO say there is no redclaw bag limit - they are an introduced pest species.

[rayken1938]

Where abouts were you?
Did the pots have name tags on them?
When access for boating was closed there were quite a few members who had to abandon their pots when the ramp was closed.
Ray

[stokesy_86]

those pots have been there for ages, i walked past them months ago and they were in that sort of a condition then.

On another note about north pine dam, i recieved a letter from SEQWater in reagrds to fishing in the restricted zones on the dam. They got my number plate and obviously were able to get my address from that and sent me a letter telling me not to fish there. There reasons were - Saftey issues realting to the public accessing areas that SEQWater does not monitor. - Pollution issues as there are no rubbish facilities in these areas and Security issues in that if the poublic access the restricted areas its difficutl to monitor what people are doing. The letter alos stated that sewwater owns most of the land including to the wateres edge around the whole storage.

This might expalin some of the things people wanted to know from that thread they seemed to have bene deleted about the rangers message to fisherman.

Cheers,
Stokesy

[shayned]

Tempting to throw the traps back open, obviously not the right thing to do but tempting none the less.

[robyoung2]

Might be the right thing to do, after all, I thought they might have been left from when the boating was stopped, as mentioned. If that's the case, amybe the best thing to do is empty them, and pile the traps up above the water line?

As for the rangers, maybe I'll get me a letter too. A white 4 door 4 wheel drive ute pulled up a few hundred meters from me on Sun. It had a canoe ontop, and so I assumed it were rangers. They just gave me a look over and left. My car was parked were it had to be though none the less.

Interesting you say that most of the land belongs to ther SEQ water board, because wouldn't that make it automatically public access? I mean if they lease it to some grazier, then that all changes as the leasor gains the rights for the duration of the lease, but without a specific lease, I was always under the impression it was same as any other water way owned by what is in principle- the gov. i.e.-mine!
I came across a similar situation out on Stanely River some years ago. I went to drive the car across an open feild to the water edge of the Atnley. A young fool on a horse who think's he's Chips Raferty flies up with his bluey and threatens to pout the dog on me if I didn't leave. I told him it'd want to be a good dog, cause after I kill it, I'll be comming after him. I'm a pascifist, but I do fire up when my wife's sitting in the car next to me and some young smart arse is trying to "put me in place". CAll it pride if you will.
So we go toe to horse for a few minutes and he rides off to daddy.

I called the water board. and was told if no lease existed, I could do as I wanted there. But as alease was current, I had to enter the river at a public access point and treat it as a normal water way. Remember, the flat plains either side of thios river are owned by the water board, so it must be at least similar.

There's also a creek called Cooyar Creek that has some simply amazing fishing, and in the middle between the public access (the bridge) and the weir, is some clown that tries to call the cops on everyone for fishing. I don't blame the bugger to some extent, as some real fools left trash there frequently. None the less, he'd threaten everyoner with the police, and of course evryone ran when this happened.
I lived in town and dank with the local cop, so I drove in and asked him what the deal was. He said he was sick of the old bastard calling him, as it was public access either side of a creek, if anyone's throwing trash, then the cops can come and charge them with littering, but that's it. Take no rubish (or altrnativey leave none at least), and there's nothing he can do.
Hell, in that instance, a permanet creek, the landowner is supposed to fence his stinking cattle off from the water so to protect it, for heritage. MY heritage as I own it.

Anyway I suppose I'll get a letter if you did, then I might take it to Peter, a mate of mine who's a barrister and does free work for public concerns. HAndy really cause he's working from Petrie court house these days. Not saying "sue the gov", he just might throw some light on it for me if it goes that far.

Hell, they can fine me until they run out of ink. I'm a disabled person that can do hardly a thing. Not able to pay increasingly reculcitrant fines, they'd have no option but to make me serve community work.
I in fact used to take the local kids to do their community work, as part of my own volunteer work with youth. All I have to do is count the work I already do as community service, and I'm sweet lol. Actually a mate of mine is the one who now does the community service orders. I'll just get him to sign mine off as done lol.

One of the advantages of doing something for nothing for years I suppose, it had to be worth something one day.

Just joking, I wouldn't do that. I doubt it will ever get that far of course.
cheers
rob

[Darren_hokes]

Interesting read fellow fishers! Not suprised at all.. I noticed one of you mentioned you got a letter sent out to you mentioning they have noticed your car parked outside our service gates, well yours truely found your car parked there and wrote down your details. Sorry for that but for those(myself) who try to keep the dam and surroundings clean and the way it used to be are having a great deal of trouble. As you said Rob Young, you found a number of yabbie traps unattended and left in the water. Not only is this illegal but harmful to the environment. The amount of traps I have pulled out with dead turtles, dread cray fish and one time i even found a swan had been tangled up and strangled by the rope it was attached to.

On an overall run down a few people have been issued out letters for parking where their not supposed to and this will keep happening until people get the idea.

Darren_Hokes

[Luc]

Hi Darren,

A number of us NPD regulars well understand your problem with rubbish.

I rekon we spend as much time collecting rubbish as fishing.

It's a shame that $1000 on the spot litering fines can't be handed out.

Some people are absolute grubs that should be banned from any public areas

I'd hate to think what their house looks like unless, of course, the long suffering wife picks up after them.

I've seen too many places put off limits due to these grubs.

Luc

[stokesy_86]

Thanks for that darren, i really apprecaited the letter. I have now woken up to myself and cant believe that i would actually fish in the places i have been fishing.

Keep posting those letter out buddy there definetly going to make a difference. And i cant believe i would park my car on whiteside raod, i mean i have noticed all the no standing signs and no parking signs there and yet i still parked there? Oh wait hang on there is no signs that say i cant park there you goose - it a road for f**ksake!

You really need to think about what you say before you say it.

And Luc is absoulty right - the rubbish is in the public accsess places, there restricted areas which we go do off whiteside raod are pristene, it what makes it so enjoyable, you get to fish with ya mate in a beautiful place, get nice big bass and then release them, you dont have to go to mcgavins view and watch grubs catch fish to small and keep them, catch 5 bass and keep them all, watch them leave 50 metres of line on the bank or eat there packet of chips and leave the rubbish there. There the people who should be getting the letters.

[rayken1938]

Darren
I am saddened to see you again provoking controversy on this site.
With your previous post on Rangers at npd dam I contacted the rangers office and was told that they had never heard of you and yet here you go again.
I totally agree that people should NOT be allowed to fish outside the allocated zones but when you are again discredited people will again shrug their shoulders and resume doing the wrong thing.
I also think that members should not boast that they have been doing the wrong thing.
If I were to post that I had been fishing outside the permitted area and said that I had taken above the bag limit everyone would jump on me for exceeding the bag limit.
Also if I boasted that I reguarly ran red lights and drove over the limit the same would happen.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE????????
If you dont like the permitted areas send a polite email to the water board dont encourage others to also break the rules all you do is promote anarchy and the ultimate result will be total loss of access.
Sorry to get on my high horse
Ray.

[Hardb8]

Hi Darren,
I find it spitefull that only after your hand in sending fellow Ausfisher stoksey86 a letter,You now speak on this topic again.

I know you read all the responses to your original post,And you didn't respond to any.But now ya here braggin about the part you played.

PRETTY DARN UNAUSTRALIAN.

[Fitzy]

Folks,
I had a lovely conversation with a senior SEQWater employee about this topic and a previously deleted topic about lake Samsonvale access that SEQWater had read.

I can tell you that Darren Hokes is NOT an employee of SEQWater, and if he was I would imagine disciplinary action would be taken as a result of his posting here. He does not represent SEQWater so I would take this into account when reading his posts on the topic.

The same employee was adamant that nobody has ever been issued a fine by SEQWater for accessing any of their lakes. (his words not mine).

Darrren, you are quite welcome to post your views here, however any attempt to speak on behald of SEQWAter may result in the offending post to be edited or deleted.

*********************************
Ironically I am yet to recieve a response from local MLA about the issue of access to Lake Samsonvale. If & when I do I will inform the members here.

Regards,

Fitzy..
(Moderator)

[Darren_hokes]

I feel all anglers were given fair notice in a previous issue hardb8, SEQ water are now showing a zero tollerance, who can blame them. especially when cowboys openly flout the laws.

[Hardb8]

I was wonderin if his handle was read :- Darein Hoax.Thanks for clearin that up Fitzy.

[Darren_hokes]

Fitzy, posting 2nd hand information from an employee of SEQ water is hardly credible yourself, posting on behalf of SEQ water as you have done and then expressing the view that you are soley entitled to is an unusual form of moderation.

would you like to comment on the timing of the last message to fisherman and the subsequent follow through?

I might like to remind you that letters have been sent out as stokesy_86 can testify. this is a serious matter.

Darren_hokes