Lobster/crab pots from shore

[fishfosh]

Hi all,

First time here, seems like a fantastic community.

I was wondering if anyone has tried those collapsible lobster pots you can get off ebay. They're ~400g, 60cm long, 30cm wide and have a 15cm entry hole. I'm thinking about taking a couple on camping trips around the coast and wondering if they're worth the bulk.

Has anyone used these from the shore (swimming/throwing out)? Catch anything worth eating?

Thanks in advance!
Fishfosh

 

[Deanno]

well worth it.
i've had spider crabs, and dog fish but it all depends on the bait you use. i use to put mackrel in but the best bait to use apparently my local fisherman said is to use white fish plaice, god, haddock etc

i drop mine from a kayak but i'm trying to do it from the shore along with a bit of overnight camping / bushcraft.

 

[BOD]

Make your own survival trap from drift wood and flotsam or from what is in the shed.

15 minutes the first time.

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=185607&postcount=8

 

[bigandy]

never used one myself but going to have a look at these ready for my hols
http://www.therange.co.uk/invt/395831
http://www.therange.co.uk/invt/395830

 

[nuggets]

http://www.therange.co.uk/invt/395830

i put one of those out in loch fyne one night ,using a tin of mackeral in tomatoe sauce for bait !!

caught about 80 yes 80 little crabs !!! used some for fishing bait but caught nothing !!!

nearly filled the bucket !!!

 

[DavidJT]

Yep tried on a few times in the sea off a small island in Sweden. We had boats but just waded / swam out to shoulder depth, and dropped in amongst the rocks.
Never caught anything very interesting, lots of small crabs, and various unidentifiable (by me) small fish (under 6"), a couple of tiny eels. Not very appetizing but certain nationalities might fancy a Bouillabaisse or Paella.

 

[spiritwalker]

im taking mine to the beach tomorrow ill let you know if i get anything, realistically from the shore prawns would be the main quarry unless you can get to some deep rock marks where you may get lucky with an insize crab or lobster.

 

[fishfosh]

Thanks for all the replies, and the photos - thats a lot of crabs!

spiritwalker, how did your outing go?

On the subject of prawns, has anyone any thoughts on how to e.g. target prawns (bait, placement, timing) with these traps?

I've read that for lobster/crab the best spots are bits of sand surrounded by rock, leaving the trap out over night.

Thanks!

 

[Tracyann]

strange little fact you are more successful with prawns at the full moon and they go for mackerel as with just about everything else. I get them in Lochaline and the sound of mull no probs at all, I have actually landed one size 2 hook before that one was eating mackerel and squid bait lol

 

[Chris Wes]

To catch lobster and edible crab you will need to be out past the low water marks (unless in deep pools), the deeper the better and over Kelp/rocky ground, im actually going out tonight as the tides are huge but i use my canoe and have local knowledge which is invaluable.
Smelly fish baits for lobster...fresh fish for crabs. Our local fisherman are having to go further and further out to see fishing for crabs due to over fishing so adhere to size limits.
As for the type of pot your using...they arent the best but better than nothing.
good luck
Chris

 

[3bears]

I wouldn't mind getting a small pot, there are reputed to be a few good spots down the coast for lobsters, just wondering is there any kind of 'bag limit' or minimum size? I know females with clipped tails should be released , but not much else I'm afraid

 

[trixx]

The measure for landing size is carapace length - measured from the back of the eye socket to the end of the carapace shell. The minimum landing size is 87mm, but some local areas have a higher size limit of 90mm - check the regulations with the Fisheries Office in the area you plan to fish. It's illegal to land a V-notched lobster or one with a mutilated or damaged tail. In many areas it's frowned upon to take berried females, even if they aren't V-notched. It's not illegal, but it won't make you popular with the locals.

There's no bag limit if you are fishing for personal consumption. In some areas there may be a local limit on how many pots you can fish without a licence, it's worth checking that with the Fisheries Office too. You won't have any problem with one or two pots.

I'd suggest getting proper lobster pots as they fish much better than the collapsible net contraptions. Look for a rocky hole where food will collect, somewhere up to 10m deep is ideal, and chuck pot in. Leave it overnight at least, a couple of days is better.

 

[Forgeways]

Hi there,

Sorry to hijack this thread but really interested and plan to purchase some pots from here http://www.polypotcreels.co.uk/products.htm as its just down the road from me. I have a small bouy to mark my pots, a licence from fisheries and more canoes/kayaks than is healthy but can someone answer the following questions?

1. What type rope do you use (assume it needs to be sinking)?
2. Do you have to weight pots so they stay on the bottom and how much weight?

Best regards, Neil.

 

[trixx]

1. What type rope do you use (assume it needs to be sinking)?
2. Do you have to weight pots so they stay on the bottom and how much weight?

1. 8 or 10mm polysteel rope. Floating stuff is fine, and cheaper, but you might want to splice a few bits of leadline into it so it doesn't lie on the surface and cause a hazard to propellers.

2. Depends on the type of pot, and the tidal flow. The ones at the top of the page, with bars on the base, are quite heavy and will stay put unless there's a strong tide running. The lighter ones - the all-plastic designs at the bottom of the page - will need extra weight to hold them. At least 5 or 6kg is a good start. Other factors to consider are size of marker buoy - smaller is better as there is less pressure and buoyancy in a strong tide, and less tendency to lift the creel off the bottom - and length of line. Make sure you allow plenty of extra length to allow for tidal range. For lobsters, twice the depth of water is a good starting point - if you are fishing about 10m down, have your buoy line about 20m long. That will save you the frustration of seeing your marker buoy disappear below the waves if you estimate the depth wrongly.

 

[Forgeways]

Thanks trixx this have given me the confidence to go for it

 

[trixx]

Thanks trixx this have given me the confidence to go for it

You're welcome. I fish lobsters (and other stuff) commercially so if you have any other questions just ask, or fire me a PM.

 

[Culloch]

I used to do some lobster potting out of Peterhead with a local potter, I was always suprised that he point blank refused to bait up with mackeral and instead insisted on using foul smelling flounder at least 3 days old and normally older but the results spoke for themselves as I don't remember ever hauling an empty creel!

 

[trixx]

foul smelling flounder at least 3 days old and normally older

Lobsters seem to prefer a really smelly bait. They will take fresh stuff, if that's all you've got, but catch rates go up dramatically with use of truly rancid bait.

Mackerel, coalfish, any fish heads or frames left over from filleting - I leave it out in the warm, ungutted, for several days until it's so putrid it makes you gag when you open the bait bin. If you can handle it without getting the dry heaves, it probably needs a bit more ripening.

Crabs generally prefer a fresh fish bait.

 

[finlay]

that seemes right to me

 

[Lolvo]

My first post here.

Thanks for the info. Very interesting to read. I decided to buy one off Ebay, which I think is exactly the same as nuggets uses, and then I checked it to see if it complies with the local regulations.

http://www.kentandessex-sfc.co.uk/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/LOBSTERSANDCRABS.pdf

The entrance is a metal hoop about 85mm diameter. Local Kent & Essex regulations stipulate that

"Any escape gap must.... be so designed and constructed and of sufficient size that there may be easily passed through a rigid box shaped gauge which measure 84 millimetres wide by 46 millimetres high and l00 millimetres long."

A box that size would not fit in the entrance, so anything that I catch can eat the bait, and then walk straight out of the escape gap, which means that the lobster pot becomes a cafe for sea life.

I may be missing something, but as far as I can see, unless your local regulations are vastly different, or you are prepared to ignore them, these pots are completely useless. I showed it to some freshwater fishing friends of mine, and they described it as a Poisson Chat net, whatever that is.

I suspect that they could be used to target smaller prey, crayfish or prawn perhaps, but I believe that the Ebay seller has used massive amounts of 'Artistic License' to describe these as lobster pots. I'm not sure about anywhere else, but it's a complete waste of money if you intend to use them in the Kent & Essex Sea Fisheries Committee area, and I find it difficult to believe that other areas have massively different regulations regarding the escape gap.

I'm now looking into buying something a bit more expensive that can do what it claims to do.