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Scumbag in Botany Bay


sleepydragon

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Hi Raiders.

First of all Happy New Year to all of you with my best wishes. Secondly, just kindly report that I went out yesterday in Botany Bay. After dropped 2 crab pots down and then ahead out to oil wharf just got a few breams and trevalies and plenty of rat kings under the heavy rain. Head back to the crab pots location to pick up. Surprisingly both of them were gone, some scum bags had stolen my pots. This is the first time in my life seeing how bad people these days. Not sure how I could prevent this happens again, please help.

Tied line guys

 

 

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4 minutes ago, sleepydragon said:

Hi Raiders.

First of all Happy New Year to all of you with my best wishes. Secondly, just kindly report that I went out yesterday in Botany Bay. After dropped 2 crab pots down and then ahead out to oil wharf just got a few breams and trevalies and plenty of rat kings under the heavy rain. Head back to the crab pots location to pick up. Surprisingly both of them were gone, some scum bags had stolen my pots. This is the first time in my life seeing how bad people these days. Not sure how I could prevent this happens again, please help.

Tied line guys

 

 

Sorry to hear you pots were taken.I don't crab but have relatives that do and say they fish in the vicinity of their pots while they wait to lift and check the pots.Iv'e heard others complain about the same thing that's happened to you and it's very hard to drop some mongrel if your not there to catch them.

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a lot of people in our fishing club that crab in lake mac set their witches hats in a line then sit close by and fish so they can keep an eye on them...unattended floats get pulled all too often up here so I assume its the same elsewhere...as a side note fisheries check floats all the time and if the float is not legal size.shape.and details of owner.plus weight on the rope  they take them..so anyone using bottles or pool noodle up here can expect to have them seized...rick

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16 minutes ago, sleepydragon said:

Hi Raiders.

First of all Happy New Year to all of you with my best wishes. Secondly, just kindly report that I went out yesterday in Botany Bay. After dropped 2 crab pots down and then ahead out to oil wharf just got a few breams and trevalies and plenty of rat kings under the heavy rain. Head back to the crab pots location to pick up. Surprisingly both of them were gone, some scum bags had stolen my pots. This is the first time in my life seeing how bad people these days. Not sure how I could prevent this happens again, please help.

Tied line guys

 

 

Only keeping an eye on them is your only insurance. You would think if you could afford to own a boat you would be able to buy a couple of pots and not have to steal someone else's. There is a lot of idiots out there at the moment

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6 minutes ago, Peter Nelson said:

Only keeping an eye on them is your only insurance. You would think if you could afford to own a boat you would be able to buy a couple of pots and not have to steal someone else's. There is a lot of idiots out there at the moment

I don't get out much and even I notice every year it's getting worse.

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They do have a tendency to get pinched. We generally stay in the area of ours and check and move them every hour or two. Another thing that does happen occasionally that people dont always think of is that they drift with the current in areas of strong tidal flow, especially if the water is deeper than you think and the rope isn't long enough. In areas like Towra they do get pinched and ropes and floats do get run over and traps lost but if you don't have a long enough rope the float can also have enough buoyancy to drag the trap and once the water is deep enough that the trap isnt sitting in the bottom it takes off pretty quickly 

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16 hours ago, rickmarlin62 said:

...as a side note fisheries check floats all the time and if the float is not legal size.shape.and details of owner.plus weight on the rope  they take them..so anyone using bottles or pool noodle up here can expect to have them seized...rick

Interesting... does that mean milk bottles are not allowed? I find they are easier to spot than the round floats you can buy at tackle shops. As long as they’re marked properly as per regs and the line weighted a metre below the float, I reckon that should be OK.

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16 hours ago, rickmarlin62 said:

a lot of people in our fishing club that crab in lake mac set their witches hats in a line then sit close by and fish so they can keep an eye on them...unattended floats get pulled all too often up here so I assume its the same elsewhere...as a side note fisheries check floats all the time and if the float is not legal size.shape.and details of owner.plus weight on the rope  they take them..so anyone using bottles or pool noodle up here can expect to have them seized...rick

Hi Rick,

Yes, I used milk bottles as float, however if the fisheries got my trap they should see clearly my phone number their and kindly give me a call if they are not allowed. This was too obvious some scumbags around there.

Cheers

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12 minutes ago, sleepydragon said:

Hi Rick,

Yes, I used milk bottles as float, however if the fisheries got my trap they should see clearly my phone number their and kindly give me a call if they are not allowed. This was too obvious some scumbags around there.

Cheers

Your phone number is not required on the float. The float must be a minimum of 100mm in all directions and marked clearly in lettering of a contrasting colour at least 15mm in height with:

* CT for crab trap or HN for hoop net or witches hat

* First initial and surname

* Date of birth of user

* Postcode of user (as per fishing licence)

Witches hats are not permitted in Port Stephens but hoop nets are OK.

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Yes the same thing happened to me a few months ago and to top it all off i loaded my boat to go fishing on the 28th, boat parked in my back yard and someone during the night stole 2k worth of fishing gear.

Doxbox

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These days thats getting off lightly, at least you had your car and trailer at the ramp when you got back:wacko: unlike some people.

Often it can just be kids doing this sort of thing, not that it makes it right. Back in the UK I remember a comercial crab boat getting so fed up with people steeling his catch (mainly the lobsters for their higher value) that he used some nasty tactics to solve his problem.

Edited by mrsswordfisherman
Description of tactics removed
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I have had traps stolen, cut, and claws taken  in the Georges , it's just the minority who spoil it for the majority, I have had countless chats with fisheries however nothing they can/will do, u have to catch em in the act which is very difficult for them to be everywhere , So my opinion every man for themselves, no more id's, floats , rope , I just sink em....Do what u have too! Love the hooks in the rope idea....  ripper! 

Now If i see someone near my traps I think I might make the news, ? ?, cause it is very frustrating especially when my kids pull up a trap and both claws have been ripped off.. not cool!

karma and time waits for no man 

 

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I'd like to get other peoples thoughts for marking witches hats. The rules for leaving them unattended is clear (which details, how big). At times if I plan to do a long session from a wharf and I have some fragrant refrozen squid left over I'll bring a witches hat or two (less than maximum allowable) and check on the hour. I don't bother bringing a marker buoy as I tie it off the wharf and if the authorities turn up I am right there, right then to admit ownership.

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Sorry to hear about the loss of your crab nets sleepydragon.

Just wanted to share my own experience in the area - was out at Kurnell/Towra a couple of days before the new year. There were a couple of crab floats in the exclusion zone in Towra (south of the yellow bouys) which when I saw them I thought to myself - they're not supposed to be there! I was crabbing in the restricted area but did not venture too far from my nets. Sure enough later in the morning, a Fisheries boat rocked up. They zoomed straight for the buoys in the exclusion zone, checked them and seized them. We got thoroughly checked (nets, buoys, catch sizes, license, etc) and had zero issues. The officers were friendly enough and were doing what they were supposed to do. We also saw them remove some crab traps north of the yellow buoy (only hoop nets allowed in the restricted zone). 

 

I've lost a crab net before in the past from boat traffic cutting the buoy off. I've also had nets get carried away in the current where my float rope was too short or something big got caught in the net. Have been fortunate so far not to have my nets stolen but i try not to leave them for too long anyway. 

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What's the legality of leaving traps offshore, eg: 10km out.  Same as inshore?  We found one on the way out to 12 mile last weekend sitting in 100m of water. Looked like a professionals lobster trap.

Edited by Smasher
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I dropped a witches hat in the same area yesterday. When i checked it a few hours later the net had 3 holes in it clearly cut by a knife. Obviously my catch had been stolen. Same scumbag probably. 

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