Getting set up for prawns.

[capt hook]

I,ve been sport and commercial fishing onthis whole coast for 65 yrs.
I love spot prawn sport fishing and never have trouble getting a huge feed.
After the commercial guys , you just need to get into the holes and corners , they usually set in a long staight line .
My catch rate does not go down , maybe a bit harder to find , but after a month its right back to normal.
Yes they export alot , but if you want to buy and sell them in Montreal , knock yourself out, it is free enterprise commercial democracy.
I salmon trolled all my life and founded many of the popular sporty spots on this coast , i experimented with gear to develope what most are using today.
It was a great way to make and living and fun hard work. I was proud to do it and feed people.
I still actively sport fish all year and enjoy showing newbies little tricks to increase thier luck (yes we all need it) but i,m appalled at the anti commercial attitude by some on this forum.
And like i said on the other thread the new buzz word is "ACCOUNTABILITY" without it we (sport or commercial) are sunk!!!! redneck , bully attitiude only hurts both sides.

 

[Red Monster]

"Sporties" and "Commies," I guess I was being politically incorrect without even trying so feel free to be insulted I guess, Hook.

I lost all my new gear one year because a "commercial" prawner set his string over mine off Gabriola. I needed to head back to Vancouver, and everything was gone when I was able to go back. I'm sure it was quite accidental that the "commercial" prawner didn't see my huge red buoy. Nevertheless, I now prefer to go prawning when the nice "commercial" prawners are not out.

Thanks for the heads up Springer. Or should I say "spring time?" Whatever.

 

[capt hook]

yes , i too hate lossing my sport traps. I caught a couple of gansta shaved heads pulling my traps. they were in a Sewells boat rental. got pics and phoned dfo and police and sewells.
they had a nice surprise at the dock.
Remeber Red that when the commercial guy is setting his gear he is setting on the edge and mostly in a fairly straight tack , he either goes port or starboard of your bouy if you are both fishing same edge and depth. One way he misses , the other he corks you. Most guys I know will just cut and tie you under and you end up with a knot in your line. but there are dickheads on both sides.
Also if there is big tide and your traps are not secure by weight they will flush away. Along Bowen I put a cinder block on the bouy line and have seen it nearly total under water when tide is ripping.
and yes ... i think Commie was not the correct word for a working guy.

 

[Despy]

What baffles me to no end is that commercial fisherman seem to be willing to accept the fact that they have to lease quota from slipper skippers, and are ticked off at sporties because the government gave the sporties a
slightly bigger quota.I asked the question earlier on this thread and got no answer so I`ll ask again. Who is responsible for this mess anyway?Why is there such a thing as a middleman making money off of something he doesn`t put one ounce of effort into.Commercial fisherman want to make a little more profit from the fish they catch why the H don`t they go after the government to get rid of these middlemen?

 

[Tsquared]

Despy--There are a signifcant number of "slipper skippers" as you described but there are also a number of fishing
families where one generation is trying to pass along the business to the next generation--a father is trying to get his sons established in the business but they do not have enough money to pay for the quota outright. This way dad gets some retirement income and son goes fishing.
T2

 

[capt hook]

i guess jim pattison is passing his quota onto his son?
he has golden slippers. he is such a "commie"