Happy ending to my fishing weekend!

[Captain PartyMarty]

Last saturday I lost a Crab Trap between south and north arm. I figured it caught on a piece of wood and drifted away or somebody decided they needed more than I did. I was pretty unhappy about loosing the equipment. Yesterday out of blue I get a call, dude I found your trap! I asked him where he found it and he sayed he found it about 2 miles off of thrasher on Sunday!

Two things here:

- I find it amazing that it made it over to the island
- I find it awesome that somebody took the time to check a buoy that was obviously out of place, realize that it's a lost trap and actually called to arrange to return the trap.

I just wanted to share as you read alot about stolen equipment... and not so much about happy endings!

Capt

 

[pescador]

I dropped a trap off West Van on Saturday, marked it on my GPS, came back 2 hours later and it was gone. 60 ft of water. Hard to believe it would have drifted away that fast.

 

[Peahead]

Hey Martin, Your crap pot had heard about the great fishing at thrasher and just wanted to get in on the action!

 

[jeffywestcoast]

pff i would say someone was pulling a prank on you..must have been a really good float on it, i would be more inclined to think someone supplement their ****** day of fishing and decide your crabs were tasty. at least you are getting it back, i watched mine leave on a logboom first day i set it out this year, boat was having fuel line issues at the time.nobody called im sure they are still enjoying my brand new crabtrap.

 

[Captain PartyMarty]

Peahead maybe it had better luck than I did!

The float was a big A2 which I normally use for Prawning. So I am pretty sure it could have floated the trap. I doubt very much that there where any crabs in the traps as the commies seem to have cleaned the vancouver area out over the week before. The other trap which was just 50ft away only had undersized crabs.

When does the commercial opening close, and how long is it going to take before the crabbing is viable in vancouver again?

Capt

Capt

 

[Finished Business]

Pescador, (and others)

Crabbing last weekend was brutal because of the currents. I was actually running 3 small buoys on my crab pot. The current was ripping at up to 3mph Saturday. I originally thought 2 cans was enough but when the current pulled the first buoy all the way down, with the second making its way under, I decided to put on a third buoy. There is a good chance your pot might still be there and it was just current that pulled under your buoy. Not only that, after I set one pot, and was ready to set the second, I was almost out of visual range of the first pot, because the water was moving so quick. If you were using a large buoy, it may have lifted the trap and went for a ride...

I had to crab in 50' of water with 100' of rope and 3 buoys just to make it work.

Might by worth checking that way point again.

 

[Finished Business]

x2 Marty. I had two stainless traps, baited with chicken, in my prime spots. One came up completely empty, and the other had a handful of small females. Wrap up the traps boys, the Commi's got em!

 

[pescador]

Agreed currents were really strong and a 15 foot tide differential, but, I had 100 ft of line in 60 ft of water and it was weighted down. I'll check for it this weekend. dedos cruzados..

 

[Captain PartyMarty]

FB , when do you think it pick back up again. I was just starting to learn the ropes of crab fishing!

 

[Ian]

Why would anyone even look at a float that wasn't there's? And if you did and saw it wasn't yours why would you pull their gear?

 

[Finished Business]

I'm not the guy to ask unfortunately....but a crabby friend said around August we should start seeing some keepers come back. He says they are normally quite large at that time....must be the ones who've outsmarted the commercial opening before

There are still crabs to be caught, no doubt about it. But you will be working for them harder than usual. Mind you, my prawn catch rates have been deteriorating steadily since the opening, so much so that I've pulled the traps from the boat. But of course, a buddy goes out a week ago and had the best catch of the year. Go figure!

 

[jeffywestcoast]

I had an ole salty tell me one time "don't crab between the A's april-august "because it is molting season. i guess there is some truth to that .

 

[Captain PartyMarty]

I taled to him, he pulled the trap because it was floating in over 1000ft of water and figured nobody would be prawning at that deep. I for one am happy he did pull it!

 

[Hookin'up]

I had an ole salty tell me one time "don't crab between the A's april-august "because it is molting season. i guess there is some truth to that .

crabbing is best in months ending in R is what I was taught

 

[CCB]

The real thief in a lot of these theft cases is mother nature herself. I have pulled and called people on a few times cause you know there not prawning or crabbing in 2000 ft of water LOL

 

[sassybroad]

thats interesting like there breeding time ?

 

[jeffywestcoast]

thats interesting like there breeding time ?

Molting is when the crabs bury themselves in the mud and shed their shells and grow a new one, (like a snake shedding it's skin)their is alot of misconceptions about crabbing. If your interested you should pick up this book, A family member bought it for me after i had a few failed attempts.. really informative i would recommend it to anyone trying to better their crabbing results.

 

[trendsetter]

I had an ole salty tell me one time "don't crab between the A's april-august "because it is molting season. i guess there is some truth to that .

Males typically moult in the spring and females in late July / August. July and August is when they breed (right after the female has moulted). That's why you will sometimes catch females carrying huge egg sacks if you crab in winter.

Most of the males have finished moulting and hardened up their shells by mid-June which is one of the reasons why the commercial season opens at that time.

 

[jeffywestcoast]

Thanks Trendsetter! any info on catching them tasty crabs is always a good thing. crabbin over here is pretty good now.

 

[sassybroad]

ill look into that thanx