Ocean crabbing closed?

[Phil Layer]

I believe that ocean crabbing is closed until December 15th? Yet, I saw a bunch of pots in 200 feet of water just east of Seal Rock this past weekend? And, they were in a nice straight line so I cannot speculate they were rogue pots.

Maybe they weren't crab pots? What else would people be trapping in 200 feet of water?

Should I have reported them to someone? :whazzup:

[Miss B Haven]

?????? It is closed in Oregon for both Sport and Commercial Aug15-Dec15 (I think the opener is actually subject to change sometimes).

Could they have been fish traps? Did the float look like the commercial crab variety (single float, larger diameter than the normal sport ones). :whazzup:

[Phil Layer]

Yep, Mel.

They looked like your ordinary commercial crab pot floats.

[Miss B Haven]

Phil - just what is that over your head in your avitar pic anywhoo ????? :whazzup:

If Idon't want to know....don't tell me! :grin:

[Phil Layer]

Under that thing is Stoyjun Princess' husband.

The "thing" is a latex glove we were using for handling smelt while sturgeon fishing last winter. During a period of no bite, he donned the glove and I snapped a pic before he could get it off. [img]graemlins/dork.gif[/img]

We call him Captain Latex now.

I suppose you had to be there.

[Orca]

Are they abandoned because they are sanded in? Pull one in, if it is a crab pot, and you don't get shot, then it is yours.

[Stoyjun Princess]

That's funny, My husband the nut. He makes us all laugh. Never a dull day on our boat.

[fish assassin]

Yes sir, those would be crab pots. I've heard the "big boy" commercial crabbers
say that they lose as many as 20% of thier pots *every year*!! They don't
care 'cause it costs them more to go search them out and recover them than it
does just to make (or have made) new ones.

Crab pots still in the ocean after 09/15 are free game. You pull 'em, they
are yours (at least that is my understanding of how this works). However, it *is*
kinda hard to pull a commercial pot by hand (don't ask me how I know this)!!


-assAssin-

EDIT: Little known factoid ... if you tangle in a crab rope/float with
a downrigger wire, if you cut the rope off below the float the rope will
*usually* slip around the wire as you pull it up and fall off the down rigger.
The rope will then sink ... sometimes to the bottom right away, but
sometimes it takes a little while for the "moss" to build up on the rope
to sink it completely.

[ 10-03-2003, 07:37 AM: Message edited by: fish assassin ]

[Mark Mc]

Phil, if they are EAST of Seal Rocks then they fell off a truck on 101. You're probably referring to the ones WEST of Seal Rocks. (sorry couldn't resist)

Like Assassin said, pulling a commercial pot by hand is pretty miserable. Save that for the macho guests on your boat. If they are stuck in the sand / mud, then there is no way you're going to get them un-stuck. There are a few boats around that have special gear for this - a big hose that goes down the line and sucks the mud off the pot. Kind of like a mini dredge. Stuck pots can be a real pain if they're near a favorite area. They'll stay stuck for a long, long time.

[Pilar]

Could this be commercial Shrimping? I have heard rumours that it is happening out of Newport, right now.

Shrimp, right off Seal Rock? What are we missing?

[Pitch Pocket]

200 feet would be in the shrimp range all right. Do the commercials crab at that depth? Seems pretty deep to me.

[Phil Layer]

Stoyjun Princess speculated they may be shrimping there. I know nothing about shrimping so I couldn't even speculate.

I really don't think they were abandoned because I remember seeing at least three of them in a nice straight row.

Hmmmmmmm...I don't think I've ever had fresh shrimp! [img]graemlins/idea.gif[/img]

[Lepper]

in a homer voice..

"ummmmmmmmmmmmmmm.. shrimp"