Cray Pots With No Floats
Submitted by wazzbat on Tue, 2010-02-09 05:32
Was just wondering what you should do if you happen to stumble across a long rope with no float on it? We were out on the weekend and near some other pots, we found 3 different ropes floating in the water which were obviously tied to cray pots (I think). We weren't sure wether to cut them back, pull them up or what? We didn't have anything to use as floats, otherwise we would have tied them to the ropes. Hopefully no one else gets caught in them. It was low tide as well. I was thinking maybe the pots got stuck so the owners just cut there floats off and left them or maybe another boat had previously chopped them up???
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I fish for the future - Cause I can't bloody catch anything!
West Coast
Posts: 333
Date Joined: 10/12/07
What depth were you fishing
What depth were you fishing in?
wazzbat
Posts: 977
Date Joined: 19/01/10
At that location, we were in
At that location, we were in about 14 meters I think. The reef came up to about 10 meters.
I fish for the future - Cause I can't bloody catch anything!
West Coast
Posts: 333
Date Joined: 10/12/07
I thought maybe you were on
I thought maybe you were on a lump out a bit deeper that probably had a few pots on, and a ship went through and cut them off. On days when there is little tide the rope will quite often be floating on the surface.
I would leave them. They will get found. If i had a plastic bottle or something I would tie that on, but I don't see any upside in pulling them in or anything..try explaining that one.."...honest your honour"!!
wide open
Posts: 444
Date Joined: 24/12/09
maybe some
dont use floats because of the idiots who steal pots and crays
they mark on a gps point and they have a much lower chance of losing crays and pots
but of course i would just leave it.
till
Posts: 9358
Date Joined: 21/02/08
Thats nothing, down in
Thats nothing, down in Margaret River the locals have tied their pots down, and they have no surface rope at all. They have to dive to rebait and empty the pots.
Lamby
Posts: 3145
Date Joined: 04/08/09
I think its a damn good idea
I think its a damn good idea myself
sunshine
Posts: 2696
Date Joined: 03/03/09
But totally illegal
I am reasonably sure it is a legal requirement for the floats to be in place and marked with the license number - that is why much of the new technology for professional cray potting cannot be used at they have no floats or even rope but have an on board compressed air cannister than fills floatation tanks when the boat gets above and triggers activation - illegal because fisheries can't monitor how many pots they are using as I understand it