setting cray pots
Submitted by Bon chovi on Mon, 2016-03-14 16:28
Hi All
This is my first year setting cray pots off Fremantle
I didnt do heaps of research, but after a few years freediving for them i kind of know the ground they like.
Would say i had a mildly sucessful year, getting enough crays to be well fed with a few spares to go around.
However, I just lost a second pot after gettting snagged up,
i used the swell to help pull thinking it would yank it out... pulled a little too hard (rope snapped down near the pot)
Someone gave me their old plastic pots for free, so im not hurting $$ wise,
Does anyone else loose a few pots a season? is it just part of the game? (like getting snagged fishing)
thanks
Peko
Posts: 185
Date Joined: 01/10/14
Lost a plastic one a week or
Lost a plastic one a week or so ago exactly the same way. Snagged, pulled a bit too hard and ended up with rope and no pot. Hopefully it doesnt happen too often but if you are setting around reefs all part of the risk. You can get guys to dive for you if you are prepared to give a little incentive.
sandbar
Posts: 704
Date Joined: 25/10/09
It is part of the game...
And alot of us assume someone has srtolen our pots when really it's our own fault of either having line too long, (passer boats get caught and drag them) or too shor or not enough ballast and they walk.
What I have learnt off fellow Fishwreckers is to put a g 24oz snapper lead or some other weight tied 5mtrs from the floats towards the pot. This will pull excess rope straight down and minimise the risk of a boat taking it for a walk.
And as mentioned there a people on here that may dive and retrieve a pot for you.
Good luck craying mate, my first season too.
Tradewind
Posts: 756
Date Joined: 18/09/12
Yeah i've had the rope snap
Yeah i've had the rope snap on one earlier this year
When we came back for it and my mate dived on it I found we'd pulled it into a cave
I did splice 24oz sinkers onto the ropes but some piece of shit cut them off for their fishing collection after pulling them
Bon chovi
Posts: 21
Date Joined: 21/08/14
thanks guysgood to know im
thanks guys
good to know im not alone
Just have to be a bit more careful when setting them,
i like the idea with the sinker to prevent the long floating prop trap
i have the spots marked, so will go back one day with a diver.
randall df223
Posts: 6454
Date Joined: 08/08/11
Rather than a sinker, i
Rather than a sinker, i attach a small crabpot sized float about 3 m up from the pot. Keeps the rope coming straight up from the pot and prevents it wraping under and around ledges. I do attach a sinker a couple of metres under the main floats to get the rope down below propellor level.
Fish! HARD!
sandbar
Posts: 704
Date Joined: 25/10/09
Like that randall
I just pulled my pots this morning. Spewing i didn't read this first. I will be back out there in 2-3 days so the new floats are going on.
Cheers
randall df223
Posts: 6454
Date Joined: 08/08/11
Credit to hezzy :)
Credit to hezzy :)
Fish! HARD!
hezzy
Posts: 1519
Date Joined: 27/11/09
thanks randall yeh i have
thanks randall
yeh i have found over many years if you want to really reduce the chances of your pots getting stuck /ropes tangled around lumps etc then attach a small float about 10-13 cm in diameter to your main rope about 3-4 metres up from the pot bridle
this really keeps the main pot rope from the bridle up towards the surface nice and vertical for that first 3-4 metres
most of the time in big swell or strong currents it is the rope that gets dragged back and forth and filled with weed , this then wraps around bombies etc ,
the smaller float reduces this and allows me often to set right up hard against lumps & ledges without the usual hassles
hezzy
OFW 11
evil flourishes when good men do nothing