Warning Cooroooman Creek pot thieves

[grahams]

Don't leave your pots in Coorooman Creek at present the grubby low lifes are in overdrive. Maybe because the Fitzroy is in flood?

I lost 3 out of 12 on Monday night to 2 blokes in a 4.5m vee nose punt with a tiller steered new low profile 50hp Merc. They only took my $70 opera house pots. I recovered 2 floats thrown up in the mangroves....They didn't realise we hadn't gone home, just crabbing out the front of the gutter. They were the only boat in the gutter between pots and no pots. I hope they run into a hornets nest in the mangroves while wearing their jackie howes and slapping each other the back for being so clever.
I lost another 5 last night, now they have started pinching the round pots. Another mate got back 1 from 5. Another bloke at the ramp said he had 4 pots up a gutter, another boat went in and out, then he only had 2 pots and the other bloke had 2 pots, lifted the other blokes floats...and what a surprise his rope his pots...thats a bit of clever re-badging.

At least it won't be hard to work out what to get me for xmas!!
Did we get any crabs? out of 3 blokes, 12 pots (now a lot less) we caught a good crab in each of the pots not checked or stolen, had another 3 pots checked and left open, so nothing there..... I think we will end up with 4 or 5 crabs each, probably cost about $150 a crab when you bait, fuel etc.


Its pretty sad. These blokes must have mates, how about someone taps em on the shoulder and lets them know what pricks they really are.

[peterbo3]

You need to identify your pots with a hidden symbol on the ring or steel frame. A few Xs done with a file & then photographed prior to leaving home would be evidence against the prick who swapped ropes & floats with you. Get their rego # then straight to the police with the rebadged pots, floats & ropes.

[XtremeBoony]

I grew up fishing that area and we have always had pots run but never stolen. It is the most low act that anyone can do on the water and it is so frustrating that we can do bugger all about it. Just hope that karma bites them in there low, filthy, f**ked up asses. Sorry about your pots and crabs.

cheers from boony

[halcoholic]

I had 3 out of 4 pots flogged out of coorooman on sunday and a mate from work had 4 stolen last weekend we have been thinking about trying to set the #######s up have heard a couple of sets of trebbles on your rope is a good trick to slow the low life dogs up

[grahams]

Somebody must have a mountain of stolen pots in their backyard!
Yeah,
I've had plenty checked where they cut off my zip ties, but if they do up the pot again at least I have a chance, but never such blatant wholesale theft.

I'll give the authorities a heads up but as you say its so tough to catch em.

anyway, its nearly xmas!!

[sandbankmagnet]

sorry for my lack of knowledge of the local area, but could it be a case of all the extra flow with the rain carrying your pots away?

[halcoholic]

sorry for my lack of knowledge of the local area, but could it be a case of all the extra flow with the rain carrying your pots away?

Mine were stolen ropes and floats were cut and in the mangroves just down from where i dropped them

[dan12345]

not sure how often the area your talking about is visited by the dpi but if ur pot are not marked correctly an that means pot an float the dpi will pull them out of the water an take them. i set 8 pots total with my partner all in a line same pots floats an ropes all same details on floats apart from surnames but 4 of my pots the names on the pot tag had faded so much u could only just read it an the dpi took them, an left the others, they then phoned me up for a friendly lil chat an to give me a written offical warning then they let me collect my pots, when i was there there were alot of pots just rusting away just some food for thought for all

[No Tiller]

It's an offence. Report it DPI&F.

[grahams]

Halco,
same blokes for sure, found my floats downstream in the trees too. Floats and pots were marked up spot on, they rejected the faded old rectangles.
I know its an offence and I will report. I'm not getting my pots back, just hope I save a few ausfishers some pain....unless someone knows these guys

[sandbankmagnet]

Ahh. OK. Fair enough. Haven't seen a tide cut ropes and throw the floats in trees before.
Sounds like a bit of pot setting attention is required. One idea.. Take 10 besser bricks out with you tied to ropes and floats and take your normal pots. Will keep them busy and pi$$ed off. Leave notes on the ones with bricks letting them know they are low life and are being filmed. Thank them of course for checking your bricks.

[jtpython]

Is why i only run dillies now not worth the pain
Haave a Good Xmas Graham seems the fishing may be a little wayward with this weather
JT

[grahams]

Yeah JT,
I think I'll change over to dillies. I've lost a lot of pots over the years, rolling in the current, hit by floating snags and dragged away, accidentally run over by boats...but never so blatantly pinched like this.
You guys have a good Xmas too. I reckon it will still be good, whiting on the beach, a few crabs, maybe even some prawns.
We might get an offshore day sometime but it doesn't look good.

[jtpython]

Need something mate may have to throw ya for a charter over holidays for a trip lol.
May just be like my trip sunday spent 10 mins sunday squiding and kids had a swim to come back in NNW 26 knots wasn't nice i can tell ya . Expensive swim for 70 litres of juice
JT

[wayno60]

This sort of thing is going to p i s s off the wrong person so dont be surprised if you hear about some boat getting shot gun pellets thru the side of their hull..i have a baseball bat on board.......of cause it for giving big macks a dont argue..