That sux

 and where are you fishing out of bud

feel you pain

had one of mine taken as of yesterday. (decky and I had 4 (now 3 in)) so we had 4 pots on one area .......couple of cheap pots and the only one missing is the steel base double bait basket, best rope. (heaviest one) F%^#@rs.

Edit: mine back of Garden island.

DM0469 engraved into base too.

 what areas you guys fishing

 Yep does suck.

Luckily not lost one yet this season, but did see some peanut off mindarie today wrap every 2nd pot up around his prop... wouldnt be surprised if a few get cut off.

 S3214248 E11540269 is the 1st mark. 2nd within 50mtrs directly south. 

Launch Pt Peron.

Any suspected foul play I witness on the water  will end in misery, reguardless of wether they touched my pot or not. 

 I've spent the same on pots then put a winch and tipper on big $ if someone f:"/ks with my gear and I find out you will probly see them tied to the ramp with a sign around there necks and bucket of rocks for others who've lost pots to throw at them .. 

what did it cost you Broome Lad to have yr winch and tipper fitted mate 

 Cost about $1100 for the tipper and winch fitted it myself Dirt was easy 

 Well went to check our pots today the brothers were there bait all gone and no crays ,mine where  there still full of bait but the young blokes pots which were the old plastic pots are gone his had new rope and bright orange floats about the size of a basketball both of those were no where to be seen,taking anyone's pots is bad enough yet alone a 10 year old's 

I think I will be putting double the ballast in my pots at least make the bastards work to get my crays or give them a hernia

These were over at Rotto and all our pots are engraved deeply as well as the floats

 There was a single pot all on its own with 2 large orange floats on it yesterday towards the back of the five fathom bank, could be a coincidence ,

I have given up.  8 pots stolen over last 3 years, its not worth it........

 where are you fishing out of mate, that's crazy 8 pots in 3 seasons I would be giving up aswell

 Why buy when you can pinch.bad luck mate

 I have been reading up on crayfish potting so next year I can attempt it for the first time.  After hearing about all these thefts, Im having second thoughts on the idea!

we have not lost one and hope the luck keeps up we are around that area and got boomed out with pots to.And to ask the question why does a diver with the flag up anchor in the middle of dozens of pots and where a lot of cray came out off these pots the day before and had ZERO in the that day as much as I cannt say for sure they where raiding pots why out of all the areas are they there maybe just me or should I be grateful they only stole the crays its a sad place when you can buy a boat costing $$$$ but not a fcking cray pot or take the time to find open water to dive

Id be setting up some floats with a tyre on the end , with a tag on it half way down the rope that reads, YOU HAVE JUST BEEN CAUGHT,YOU HAVE F#*KED WITH THE WRONG PERSON , HOPE YOU LIKE YOUR BOAT.

If you get new pots i am happy to engrave them for you at no cost - i engrave all areas i can on my pots and have not lost any - YET !

 I remember some years ago at Rotto it was common to weave some fish hooks and razor blades into your rope. That will sort a few out.

 with a sh1t load of sharpened spikes/star pickets pointing straight up. That way they get the hernia on the pull and a few holes in the hull!

But seriously appreciate the comments and others stories, helped me calm down.

Bring on crab season

Bring on the 20 knot winds and 2 meter swell.  We get our bag limit every time in the shit weather but in good weather like today 4 of our pots were off their mark and empty. They don't move in 20 knots and 2 meter swell, but move 100m when there is no wind and no swell, work that out?  Pulled by shit heads! for sure.  Hope some bad carma goes to pot poachers.  Fishing from Mindarie btw.

found our first 3 pots easy , took another good hour to find ther 4th one strangley it was a about 1 km from its drop spot and is my heavest pot about 40kg

 what a start hey. Thanks I will check with fisheries but am 100% certain re compliance. And the spot has been dived.

I'd rather put them in and out for a season and catch bugger all than know some other prick is doing it for me! I just enjoy getting out onto the water. I might have to  try getting "IN" to the water.

 to a couple of the guys on this forum. You know who you are

 Mate of mine saw a scumbag pulling one of his pots off Ocean reef as he got closer the culprit jetted towards mindarie

for the record we've lost 2 pots already very frustrating 

 Money time fuel . Sorry to hear

 we lost one yesterday, no where to be seen 

I had just pulled my pots yesterday , and was heading of when I saw a boat motoring over to near my pots I thought F this turned around and sat about 20 meters of him he came over and asked , any problem , I said no but have reason to believe my pots have been pulled , nah not me mate but we have our pots in this area and there are that many floats its hard to tell whose is whose and yea think mine have been pulled too and worse have 1 pot stuck , ok mate no problem if you catch the pot puller gill and gut him

 lost another pot, thats 2 gone now

 The best advice I ever got off this forum was from Bellyfish. 2/3 m down from your buoys put a heavy snapper sinker. It holds down any loose rope. See sooooo many pots with at least 10 m of rope floating on the surface. Doing this keeps most of it under the water away from props. Since doing this I haven't lost a pot. Touch wood. Try it. 

Having seen some pots with very long lengths of rope on the surface you can't help but wonder if some of the lost pots are due to being cut of by props from people going out to pots in the dark.

I know some of the pots have been stolen because people have taken the effort to dive looking for cut off pots and found zip in the area they put the pots in.

I walk the beach in the mornings and so far this year have picked up 3 sets of cut-off floats washed up. I'll bet they had too much rope on the surface, and I'll bet they swear black and blue someone has stolen their pots 

 keep them to the bare minimum you need to get them around the winch in a bit of wind. At least you are minimising the chance of having them cut off accidentally, or hooked up and dragged a bit until the boat that did it can stop, and drift a fair way while  they can unhook it  Something else you can look at is the sinking rope the pros had to use during whale season--splice a length of it into your rope so it sinks. I don't think most outboards would have the guts to cut a 10 or 11mm rope off anyway.

 Lost pots this morn????

 Ago we went to five f to check our one pot! First time with pots so mate started with one as worry of losing! Heading there, boat very close, leaning over like he's pulling pot, three or four in spot so didn't think too much from a distance, cruise up real close! Two guys jigging! 7 in the morning in 8m of water, our pot was there but well off its mark, we grabbed it and moved.

we moved to a dive spot I like, 3 pots there so am worried it will be pulled with others, what can you do? We keep as much distance as we can with our pot! And when I dive the same reef, I use the same rule! 50m for blue dive flag, any pot on that reef can still be pulled and not enter my 50m zone.

Sorry to hear sandbar, hope you come across them, most cases of pots missing I believe on two cases:

rope too long, hit by boat.

Pulled and moved for somebody else to use.

 Don't know what to do Brock. I've got a little patch of reef that I like to dive. Drove past it the other day and it's got a fair few pots bombed all around it. Still want to dive it but bad form to park the boat in the middle and throw the flag straight up. Good way to cop unwanted abuse.

 hard to avoid, I'm just on the edge with the small crop I visit, any more pots I'm Phuked, I dive solo mostly with newby mate on boat, last thing I want is a boat coming over and mate copping the abuse!!

so much reef flooded with pots, so many floats the same! Told mate! Try a bright pink and a yellow, get out there!! Same colours every were!

we do the right thing and hope for the same in return.... Touch wood!!