this morning

[darrmun]

went for a quick run this morning to check the pots , only to find that some scumbag had already done 3 out of my 4 pots for me @ least they closed the doors this time !!! , still managed to get 2 keepers
i just wish i could run an extra 4 pots for the kids too cause they eat more crab than i do !

[geoff72]

mongrels that do that opther peoples pots, very very slack.
great looking 2 keepers you still got though.
those claws look mean.

[sharkbaithoohaha]

I hear ya.I put pots in a Brekkie Ck all the time ,only to be raided,so I decided to use zip ties to make 100% sure and sure enough the zip ties are now being removed.If I catch the Bast@#ds I'm actually afraid of what I'll do.

On the bright side I suppose 2 keepers are better than none.Well done.

[lunatic]

Yeah, that sucks.

I have had pots stolen from the Maroochy River. A lot of the guys I have talked to sink their pots now and use a grappling hook to retrieve them.

Without giving away specific areas, what was the general area of where they were tampered with?

Cheers,
Lunatic.

[sharkbaithoohaha]

Hey Lunatic I even tried sinking them about a month ago and had 2 of the 4 with no bait no crabs and no zip ties >.It really pissed me off.They must have been watching me.What do you do

[lunatic]

G'day Sharkbait,
I have been using floats and just hoping that nobody steals them. Apparently sinking them is illegal, but I am thinking of doing it and risking the consequences, as I have had pots stolen and raided a few times.
Cheers,
Lunatic

[whitingkiller]

Darryn,

Look like Logan river muddies to me !!

Lunatic- yes it is illegal to sink pots, but i have always done that.
to dear to keep replacing all the time, have been pulled up by the
fisheries a few times over the years and i have asked for them
to provide to me in writing, that if i float my pots, and some scum
steals them, that they will replace them for me!..never had a favourably response....reasons that they give me behind floating
your pots, is so that they can see if you are breaking the law by having to many!..how would they know how many you had in if they where spread all over the bay?..also, it saves from people
running over your pots and damaging their prop????
i have seen many pots floated in 3 mtrs of water with 10 mtrs of rope...tell me which is more dangerous.

Also, most of my pots are sunk with no rope on, just the pot, so how can this get caught around a prop.

You will find that the pro crabbers like to "inspect" other peoples
pots from time to time!

[lunatic]

G'day WhitingKiller!

Do you use a grappling hook on a rope to retrieve them, and if so, did you make it yourelf? I have a reef pick that would probably do the job...

Cheers,
Lunatic

[lunatic]

Just another point...

Does anyone have instructions on how to tie a crab up?

Cheers,
Lunatic

[darrmun]

we used to sink them , on a few occasions i'd pull someone elses up ( on the same mark also sunk ) & assume they were doing the same & it's pretty hard to put them back on the same mark for someone else & then there's the trawlers they pick'em up in the nets & after an hour long shot they got no idea where it came from ...... so i find it easier to just run the risk & float them

[sharkbaithoohaha]

Hey Lunatic ,I got a small reef anchor for $4.95 up the road from where I work.For the price it was easier than making one.If you want to know where I'll send you a PM.Cheers.

[whitingkiller]

lunatic,

I purchased 2 graffling hooks (a metal stem about 40cm long
with 5 light gauge prongs on the end that bend quite easy)
from Logan River Marine for $20 each about 8 years ago!!

I am still using the first one, so have got excellent value for money. Don't think a hook for $4.95 will be much chop.
you need some sort of quality.

Reef anchor probably will be to bulky and get to many snags,

[Mullet_Musketeer]

Several times I've seen river trawlers drag them up near the river mouth in the early morning - so it is best to put floats on. Also the commercial crab license holders will pull them up, wreck them/ steel them if you put them near their favorites spots have witnessed this and complained about it several times with no results from DPI - I think DPI must be scared of them - they are a pretty scary bunch -

[Creek_Vermin]

Yeah wouldnt be messing with some of the pros getting around. Nice muddies mate.

[Taipan]

I've heard a story of an older fella fishing the Haughton just out of Townsville. He was fishing on a bend in the river so he could keep an eye on his pots. Some young bloke decided to stop and check the old fella's pots. The old fella then proceeded to his pots at at cracking pace then starting hacking into the young blokes boat with a tommy axe(those small ones, cant remember the name), needless to say the young bloke soiled himself and i dare say he has never raided another pot since.

A few moths back my mate and i went fishing down at the Barratta's system, only to see 2 old blokes launching thier tinny with about 30 bloody pots. No wonder we can't get a decent feed of crabs. Mongrels