Stolen traps

I wonder how the bouy would come off the trap line and the trap line, and traps, remain attached to the boom? What I am hearing is if we only marked the traps with our names and phone numbers we could expect a phone call.
 
Obviously you've never seen a boom before. The buoy gets run over and goes underneath, then the line gets tangled up in the bundles. With all the bundles and swifter wires and boom chains shifting, usually the buoy gets sawed off. The only reason we recover them is when we take the booms apart, we're only in 20 -50 feet of water and the line is floating everywhere. Like I said, identify them and you can have em. If not, stop being babies and quit setting your traps in towing routes.
 
Hello, Red.

There have been a few occasions when I have had my traps go missing and I have wondered if a boom got them.

Your advice is for prawners to avoid setting traps on tow routes.
My queston for you is: how can a sport fisherman find out where the tow routes are for a given area?

Thanks in advance for the advice :)

Roo.
 
quote:Originally posted by goodoutroo

Hello, Red.

There have been a few occasions when I have had my traps go missing and I have wondered if a boom got them.

Your advice is for prawners to avoid setting traps on tow routes.
My queston for you is: how can a sport fisherman find out where the tow routes are for a given area?

Thanks in advance for the advice :)

Roo.
Click to expand...

Generally they are the shortest distance between the log booms and open water/channel. In the COw for instance, when I used to crab there, the boom path was obvious.
 
Early this summer I dropped 2 traps off the east side of quadra and ran close to shore for a bit of jigging for acouple of hours so i could keep an eye on my float all my gear was stolen right in front of me by a commercial boat the simba out of campbell river found my line and a bait can on the boat later with my name on it. lost 2 ss traps and about a 32 inch yellow float.
 
Shouldn't you be able to talk to RCMP and press charges against the dumass that did that to you?
Where are the days when was an eye for an eye[}:)]
Let's start a Posse[:eek:)]
vic
quote:Originally posted by luckywagon

Early this summer I dropped 2 traps off the east side of quadra and ran close to shore for a bit of jigging for acouple of hours so i could keep an eye on my float all my gear was stolen right in front of me by a commercial boat the simba out of campbell river found my line and a bait can on the boat later with my name on it. lost 2 ss traps and about a 32 inch yellow float.
Click to expand...
 
quote: I wonder how the bouy would come off the trap line and the trap line, and traps, remain attached to the boom? What I am hearing is if we only marked the traps with our names and phone numbers we could expect a phone call.
Click to expand...

With this in mind, I just ordered 100 lobster trap tags from a place back east in Maine. They're orange, with my name and # embossed and a warning. They're going on all my traps and lines. At least this way, no-one can say they "didn't know who to call" I'll post pics when I get them. $.35 each is a small price if I get just one trap back...
 
Unfortunately, the tugs don't always stay in their tow routes. I've watched them stray close in along the Sunshine Coast and suck up several crab traps before. I know they don't come in close on purpose as it seems related to extreme high tides and/or weather.

Those lobster tags sound interesting..... might have to use some of those myself. Haven't lost a trap in a LONG time, but the extra insurance sounds like a good idea.
 
One time I set my prawn traps in 350 ft of water with 300 ft of line. Boy was my face red[:0]. It took me a bit longer than expected to get my gear ready and I guess we drifted. When the floats all started going under I decided to check my depth sounder. DOH!!!! When I got home I told my wife that someone stole them. The truth was too embarassing to admit to. How else could I get another $200.00 to replace them.
 
Hey Red Sled.
I am sure those traps are mine!
Were they stainless steel with 750' of new line?
I had them set between Vancouver and Campbell River.
If this fits the description they are definately mine.

Please return them asap.

Thanks!
Tips
 
quote:Originally posted by Barbender

One time I set my prawn traps in 350 ft of water with 300 ft of line. Boy was my face red[:0]. It took me a bit longer than expected to get my gear ready and I guess we drifted. When the floats all started going under I decided to check my depth sounder. DOH!!!! When I got home I told my wife that someone stole them. The truth was too embarassing to admit to. How else could I get another $200.00 to replace them.
Click to expand...
does she know the truth now? Hope she does frequent this site.;)
 
I think you meant "beg for forgiveness":D
vic
quote:Originally posted by Paul Burak

Rule number 1

Sometimes it's easier to ask forgiveness then it is to ask for permission :D:D
Click to expand...
 
Hi capt,just wondering if you are using the scotsman buoy, they are the small yellow buoys for prawns, and the red and white for crab.If you are, they probabaly are not getting stolen. The current is pulling them under that will happen if you are using 300 hundred ft. or better.DON'T use a buoy smaller than a basket ball,bigger the better.Plus with a set of glasses you can see it for acouple of miles away.good luck Capt.
 
I guess I cant say for sure they were pinched ...but Im 90% sure.Ive been crabing and prawning for years in those areas and while I have thrown traps into water that is deeper than the line on one or two occassions [8D]this wasnt the case with these traps.They were not set in high current flow areas.
 
I've had one crab trap "go missing" and had one let back down EMPTY about 200 yards from where I had placed it.
I now post a sign on my floats stating that I'm watching you through a scope on my rifle!
I've had no more problems....yet
This is up the Indian Arm.
 
I watched a guy pull my traps up out at Tsswassen with my Dad a couple of years ago. I said to dad "check this idiot" he is emptying out traps. Sure enough, get out to them, and both are empty, The SOB didn't even bother putting out bait bins back in.

We walk up to his truck, and lookin at all his boxes (counted 12) full of crabs. I spotted my Bait bins right away (with my name on them). I called 911, and dad pulled his truck right upto the idiots bumper so he couldnt go any where. The cops showed up, DFO was in tow. We got our bait bins back, they took all the tubs he had and dumped them into the ocean, anything that lived went on its way, anything that was dead was put into a bin.

We watched the police & DFO count the number of dead, dad heard them tell this idiot, that he was going to be charged for illegal harvest of the crabs for each dead one they had.

Out of 12 bins of crab, they had 4 full of dead.
 
I find if I use a bouy that can support the weight of traps it's more likely to drift the traps if they are not significantly weighted, ends up being more weight to pull (I do not use a pot puller), a large bouy in rough seas or tide will impart movement on the first trap and you will notice that the first trap on the line will not fish as well, and a large scotty is expensive. For these reasons I purchase smaller bouys, watch my depts carefully when I set and have around 20% scope.
 
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