Cray pots bait box opened?
Submitted by kirky79 on Tue, 2014-12-02 11:55
Hey guys,
As the title suggests the last two trips out to check the pots, 3 of the 4 pots bait box lids have been opened. I'm guessing smart occys but not 100%. Tied some rope around them this morning but think I will get some wire and wire them shut in future. Anyone come across this before. I've used these pots for 2 seasons and never had it happen before. Got 6 nice size whites in the pot that still had bait 
Cheers
Chris
scottland
Posts: 3038
Date Joined: 10/05/10
Sounds like
sounds like someone might have checked them for u
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Ben85
Posts: 442
Date Joined: 20/11/11
I've also had that happen in
I've also had that happen in the past. Cant see how an occy could do it. The pots in question had heavy duty occy strapped bait lids. If it was someone pulling them on me, I don't understand why they would open the bait boxes?? unless it was greenies trying to save the universe?
carnarvonite
Posts: 8665
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Occies
Occies will open bait box lids, that's why pros use stretch cord to hold their gates shut
RobertMc
Posts: 326
Date Joined: 19/01/09
Cable ties mate
Cable ties mate
dumper
Posts: 1027
Date Joined: 03/04/08
Used to happen to me all the
Used to happen to me all the time. Wire or cable ties do the trick
kirky79
Posts: 1351
Date Joined: 13/01/12
Yeah thought about cable
Yeah thought about cable ties Robert. But I'm a tightarse so I'll try the wire first. See how it goes.
black gen
Posts: 762
Date Joined: 13/04/11
Bahahahahahahahahah
Bahahahahahahahahah
karlos 22
Posts: 52
Date Joined: 10/11/11
Haven't had them opened but
Haven't had them opened but had a decent size eel in my bait basket today god knows how that got in there
z00m
Posts: 1086
Date Joined: 10/05/14
The occy held the door open
The occy held the door open for him!
derko5000
Posts: 125
Date Joined: 12/01/13
bahaahahhahahahahaha
bahaahahhahahahahaha
hezzy
Posts: 1521
Date Joined: 27/11/09
agree with carnarvonite ..go
agree with carnarvonite ..go to bunnings and buy 20 metres of black shock cord it is about $30 bucks,
much cheaper than buying it off the reel by the metre from them and use it on your bait lids and doors , I also use a few galv nails at the top of my doors,
then nothing short of a human is going to get em open , so you will soon suss out if its occys or not
hezzy
OFW 11
evil flourishes when good men do nothing
Ben85
Posts: 442
Date Joined: 20/11/11
that's exactly what I have on
that's exactly what I have on my doors, its hard enough opening them myself, but as I said above, last year 2 pots came up with doors open. no way an occy could have done it. but again if someone was to pull your pots why would they open the bait doors? surely the world hasn't gone down the drain to the point people are stealing cray bait. So its got me stuffed. This yeah haven't had any problems.
kirky79
Posts: 1351
Date Joined: 13/01/12
Haha, yeah that went thru
Haha, yeah that went thru our heads too, Ben. Maybe someone forgot their cray bait that day. But the pots were in the same spots we had dropped them. Will definately be using something to stop them from now on. Must be a few occys around this area. Lost one cray to one, caught two occys and had a total of six bait boxes opened.
Notorious
Posts: 914
Date Joined: 23/02/12
I'd say it was a sting ray,
I'd say it was a sting ray, powerful jaws those things
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hezzy
Posts: 1521
Date Joined: 27/11/09
mate of mine potting north of
mate of mine potting north of the river in the metro , about a month ago pulled his pots,
one bait basket on the pot had a mars bar wrapper in it the other bait basket had a stubbie screw top lid left in it
bait lids where put back nice as ........no occys that smart he is going to finnish his beer and mars bar , and put it in the bait basket as trash lol
hezzy
OFW 11
evil flourishes when good men do nothing
C.P
Posts: 345
Date Joined: 04/01/12
Stubbies
Yep, that has happened to me. Empty stubbie bottles & Bourbon & cola cans stuffed into the bait baskets. I think they're called Wankers.
Ben85
Posts: 442
Date Joined: 20/11/11
jesus christ thats what you
jesus christ thats what you call driving the slipper in boys. Thats rough
Auslobster
Posts: 1901
Date Joined: 03/05/08
Seals/sea lions...
...have no trouble opening lids, occy straps or not. Back in my pro crayfishing days out of Jurien, it got to the point where we had to shift the gear until they buggered off!
kirky79
Posts: 1351
Date Joined: 13/01/12
Pulled the pots this morning
Pulled the pots this morning and another two had opened boxes and that was with a rope tied around the lid on one end. So put cable ties over each end and one thru the middle too. Hopefully that stops the buggers. Had about 4 tiny occys come aboard over the last couple of days, anyone else getting the little occys?
big john
Posts: 8749
Date Joined: 20/07/06
Crays
Any crays?
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kirky79
Posts: 1351
Date Joined: 13/01/12
No where near as many as you
No where near as many as you guys, 2 whites and a red, Big John.
Hezzy, I gave them a bit of a poke to stir them up a bit first. As I've heard they show the rings when aggro. But seem just to be juveniles.
Cheers
hezzy
Posts: 1521
Date Joined: 27/11/09
kirky , just check your
kirky , just check your little occys are not blue rings mate,
those little blue buggers love pots , how small where they ?about 60-90mm ?
hezzy
OFW 11
evil flourishes when good men do nothing
little johnny
Posts: 5355
Date Joined: 04/12/11
havent read any comments
at all ,99% of time stingrays, seen it under water (smart buggers) bait boxes peice of cake, they suck them of in 2 secs.. ,wire or cable tie them,end of problem
,good luck
dumper
Posts: 1027
Date Joined: 03/04/08
Sucked off in 2 seconds? I'm
Sucked off in 2 seconds? I'm impressed
Ashram
Posts: 134
Date Joined: 23/10/09
last season
I pulled my pots last season and one of them was away from my mark and I suspected it was pulled. Got it on the boat and no crays BUT when I went to rebait the basket there was an undersized Dhuie filleted in it. Freaked me out thinking what would have happened if Fisheries happened to board at that time.