stolen pots in the pine

[chopper*]

went out yesterday late afternoon up the pine to drop off 4 pots to try get a feed for in the morning to return early and find them gone so just giving every body the heads up.

[lunatic]

That sucks mate. Wouldn't you love to get your hands on the bloody share farmers!

Cheers,
Lunatic

[Neckrofish]

Thats what it is coming to these days unfortunately. You basically have to drop your pots and sit with them in eyes sight, otherwise they get checked or get taken.

We were up there last weekend and watch a boat slowely glide up to one of ours and attempt to check it. Two old guys in the boat, were like, "oh sh*t sorry mate, it looks like one of ours". Clearly it wasnt, and they knew it.

End Rant

[dreemon]

I know EXACTLY how you feel, went to pick up our pots that we knew had crabs in some cause all the bait was gone the day before so we baited enough to keep them eating, we got one good keeper the day before.

pulling up to the spot and H,mmmm theres that dead tree with the sandy bank on the left and not one of our four pots left ! my 8 yr boy was devo to say the least, just makes your gut drop, , this happend at the tweed river, but it will happen forever everywhere sadly,

I usually sink my pots about 8 - 10 m of rope between two pots with a sinker in the middle of the rope to hold it down then drag a reef pick to pick the rope up, along with gps 's help, BUT no ! the wife says it's too hard, and also says lets just buy a crab once a month, Yes dear, that sounds fun and sporting,

my boy and me love catching them as much as eating them, but there will be no more crabbin for awhile, maybe get some pots for crissy,

maybe if there signs at the boat ramps stating the $ 10.000 fine it would slow them down ?

[tim barra master]

i lost a heap some time back so i figured a plan i bought some new ones and put some small pieces of tie wire on all in an unusual place took em out and prompley had them nocked of the next weekend i hit the ramp for a few hours making out i was just chatting to boaties as they came and went Guess what spotted my pots with new floats I contacted fisheries and the constabulary the f wit had about 70 pots at his house most with other persons floats still attached. NOT AS SATISFYING AS GIVING A FLOGING BUT WE LIVE IN ANOTHER WORLD THESE DAYS


I wont forget a face

[Obi _ Wan]

Well done Tim, good on you mate.

Was that a recent happening? Just thinking t may be a little safer to drop my pots in.

I haven't had them in for a couple of years, last time i went out there was an incident, my blood pressure went up to buggery but i got my pots back, should start cutting the bastards hands off.

Cheers,
John

[Just_chips]

Sorry guys but this is a well publicised event these days. If you leave your pots out unattended you are simply asking for trouble. It's been going on for years and steadily increasing, if you were unaware that this sort of thing happened then you must have your head under a pretty big rock.

You wouldn't leave your fishing rods in a holder on the bank overnite and expect it to be there in the morning with a fish on the end of the line (even though set lines are pretty common out west, they still get checked by the undesirables), so why leave your pots out when we all know some prick is going to pinch them or at best check them for you?

The simple answer is you either need to stay within sight of your pots (not always practicle) or sink them and mark them on a GPS and return later with a grappling hook. to recover them.

The sad part about the whole thing is that you simply cannot trust anyone anymore.

Kev

[dreemon]

I'm wondering if sinking them is even legal , heard you need to have a float
but for only a few bux more than a float you could buy a small sand anchor and go the GPS,

I know that the longer the line the better chance you have at picking up the line with either grappling or reef pick, then you can set your pots further apart,

[TheRealAndy]

I'm wondering if sinking them is even legal , heard you need to have a float
but for only a few bux more than a float you could buy a small sand anchor and go the GPS,

I know that the longer the line the better chance you have at picking up the line with either grappling or reef pick, then you can set your pots further apart,

Until you get a big tide and your pot moves 10 metres. Then you cant find it, and it continues to fish. Crabs get stuck and die, fish get in to eat the crab and cant get out and die, crab gets in .......

Do yourself a favour, if you cant watch your pots or check them every few hours then dont put them in. Sad fact, but thats the way it is.

If you see someone raid your pot, report them on 1800 017 116. Follow up your complaint.

[BR65]

If you see someone raid your pot, report them on 1800 017 116. Follow up your complaint.

Im over theives, ram them at full noise.

[smashed crabs]

hi all , having your pots nicked is bullshit but it happens all the time. as others have said you have to stay with them, sad but true for most but there are other ways to limmit theft from A-holes.
Up here in the channel i have to sink em but the things is they have to have a float attached , so i only set em on the bottom of the tide and tie the float down low, i hang around long enough for the floats to go under then nick off home and always get back on the next low before someone else cleans you up. Working the tides it the trick to avoid the farmers!!!
i crab an area that is full of low life farmers and havnt lost a pot for years, this is because i pick my tide , tie the float down low and stay away from areas that are being worked and i never get seen where i put my pots, i also make sure no one else is home, you have to check the bottom , i use a large pole and scratch around the area that i want to put the pot, no point putting a crab pot on top of someone elses and to make sure the bottom is void of trees and lays flat.
cheers and good luck to all keen crabbers

[dreemon]

The real andy,

I've never lost any pots that I sunk, sometimes took longer to hook em.
but only have had pots with floats flogged,

SC the low tide idea only should work well at times, my only drama is getting my wife and kids to the spots at the right times,, ( I'm in a glass boat too now, the tinny was great for crabbin )

I hope the perfect solution comes around before next year