On another thread on this site a reference was made to lobsterpots. Does anybody know if there any laws about putting out a pot or two from the beach at low tide to see if I get anything?
My BIL got himself some pots, and put them out with a view of getting a few lobsters for the table, never caught a one, he could not understand why till he saw a local fishing boat hauling up his pots and either taking his catch or cutting away his bait. Local fishermen of the commercial type dont like amateurs horning in on the way they earn a living. The BIL had a go at the fishermen when they landed. His pots vanished never to be seen again.
Be careful where you put your pots.
You could always pop them under the water anchored with no bouy, and snorkel down to them for servicing with a mesh back to swap bait for catch, I doubt they would go missing then!
Or paddle out at a mean low tide in your canoe or whatever and put your pots down tied to anything like an old plastic air tight bottle using very strong thin rope; but make sure that the rope and float is at least a couple of feet below the mean low water height. And this is important, make sure your pots are linked with a cord between floats.
Then all you do is go out at low tide through in a line with a small grapling hook; a bent coat hanger would do and through it over where your pots are and you will be able to pull at the link cord in and then retreave all your pots. Nobody will ever know there are pots there unless they see you place them or take them out.