Who runs down pot floats in the bay?

[mackmauler]

I know the pro crabbers in the bay are working hard to make a living, but it pisses me off that tiny little floats are used to mark them.

Personally I've run down quiet a few, and think that hazards to navigation like this should be outlawed, its a minefield out near peel Island at the moment, even here warnings over the VHF that tupperware heroes are putting them in the path of bulk carriers in the shipping channel.

Seems most amateurs show commonsense, but if your losing pots consider that boats take there toll as well as thiefs.

Cheers Rob

[sharkbait]

Too true mate especially when there is a bit of chop making it hard to see the floats. while i'm having a whinge what about the idiot who insisted on dropping his pots within 10m of where me and my brother were anchored and fishing out from south west rocks at peel on friday morning. This guy was in an old brown/white
cruisecraft and went within inches of taking out our anchor rope putting four pots around our spot. I was very tempted to take them with me when I left I can tell you.

[jaybee]

Hi Mack not sure but i think the same rules apply to commercial crabbers as recs

Crab pots, dilly nets, traps and set lines must be marked with a tag bearing the surname and the address of their owner. When not fixed to something while in use, they must have attached to them a light-coloured surface float not less than 15 cm in any dimension, with the name of their owner legibly inscribed on it.

I beleive pros only need there license number on a pot and float, still the same 15cm isnt all that big when there is a few white caps around. I have been told tho quite a few pros these days sink their pots, don't know how true it is.
cheers

[argonautical]

Hi Mack

There are a few weedy dirty brown pot floats (pros I guess) in the area to the south of the entrance leads into Wello Point - almost impossible to see in any conditions. I figured it was a deliberate attempt to conceal them from prying eyes.

I wrap a couple of bits of sheet lead down the float lines so I dont catch the lines on my prop and hopefully neither will anyone else.

cya.....N

[Jewmaster]

Sounds like a pain in the bum, Recently in Darwin the cuaght some crabbers with more than 100 extra pots over there qouta, went to court and they got a slap on the wirst and got to keep all there equipment.

Yet the other day I was at the public boat ramp and a fisheries worker was confiscating this poor fellows pot for not having a labeled float, he was sitting on the bank with his son right next to the pot with the rope tided to a tree next to him. He was very irrate and made it clear that if his son wasn't there it would have been a very diferrent outcome for the fisheries guy, Understand he was just doing his job but they wield a big stick to the little guys and pat the rest on the back when they break the law. To say the least all the local fishos gave the inspector a fair bitof shit and he left the boat ramp and didn;t come back.

[jaybee]

hey jewmaster.
read my quote above, but thats the now queensland law, measured my floats, they are round and usually what the pros use,and only a cm above regulation, but being white are not a good colour, so am looking for some fluro paint that wont affect the foam, any ideas
cheers
joe.

[gruntahunter]

JB I use silver reflective tape on all my pots mate.The sun reflects off them and so does the spotty at night from a long distance.I haven't lost a pot for 5 years and I put this down to them being highly visable.
The tape also puts out an odour that attracts crabs and my catch has tripled since useing the silver tape.

[argonautical]

Grunta

I must get me some tape like that - figure I'll do the pots and the tinny as well.

Argo

[jaybee]

I want some too, whats it called, middnight by the crab pot does it work with land dwelling females
cheers

[Fisherman02]

I have been told tho quite a few pros these days sink their pots

I assume that sinking a crab pot is not putting a float on it, but how do they get them back up again? Or do they use floating rope?
cheers jack

[jaybee]

hey jack with gps today and grappling hooks, in years gone by some crabbers used marks of the land its not impossible and does work.
cheers
joe

[adriancorrea]

Hey Jaybee have you ever thought of using the yellow plastic 5ltr oil containers, Thats what I use and they are highly visable.

Grunt where do you get that tape from and how much???

Tight Lines
Adrian

[jaybee]

Sounds like a damn fine idea adrian, yellow markers with reflective tape, (Would that be the tape you can buy for the life jackets?) now if only we could put something in em so we can be alerted when someone is picking them up,mmmm, if you are off to green on monday arvo, drop some out past the 5 mtr mark, this time of year usually produces some rather large sandies, at night, beware though there a usually a lot of pro pots in that area.
cheers.

[adriancorrea]

Thanks Jaybee
Ill keep that in mind when Im out there.
Might just take a pot or three out with us us.

Tight Lines
Adrian

[Fisherman02]

thanks joe