Crab pots

[walshie]

Just got my crab and lobster licence for when I can get back out on the boat.

Never done it before but I know what equipment I need to start with.

Anyone got any tips like how long to leave the pots to soak, best bait, length or rope to attach to the pot etc?

[Old farrier]

4 minutes ago, walshie said:

Just got my crab and lobster licence for when I can get back out on the boat.

Never done it before but I know what equipment I need to start with.

Anyone got any tips like how long to leave the pots to soak, best bait, length or rope to attach to the pot etc?

Depends on what the pots made of and if it’s new 

a good plan for the length of the roap is longer than the depth of water👍

and mackerel gurnard and skate frames 

[jason g]

YouTube the fish locker he's ace with anything sea fishing, he does alot of crab and lobster pots in Cornwall 👍

[islandgun]

Is this a recreational or commercial licence ?  here lobsters prefer salt/ smelly baits, herrings good,   crab= fresh mackerel, single pots would work with double the depth warp length, I use less, [boat anchors are recommended 3 times the depth] You should lift at least 3 days weather permitting. berried fish returned, kill a crab by lifting the triangular flap and inserting a spike into the hole [immediate], cut or keep crabs separate to avoid damaging each other. plan where your buoy will end up given different wind direction 

[walshie]

8 minutes ago, islandgun said:

Is this a recreational or commercial licence ?  here lobsters prefer salt/ smelly baits, herrings good,   crab= fresh mackerel, single pots would work with double the depth warp length, I use less, [boat anchors are recommended 3 times the depth] You should lift at least 3 days weather permitting. berried fish returned, kill a crab by lifting the triangular flap and inserting a spike into the hole [immediate], cut or keep crabs separate to avoid damaging each other. plan where your buoy will end up given different wind direction 

Only a recreational one. Thought I'd chuck a couple of pots out when I go out. 

[Lloyd90]

I am considering sticking some pots on the rocks when the tide is low and seeing If I can catch anything with my nephew.

 

Years ago a local fowler used to go down at low tide with an old coat hanger and pull lobsters out of the holes in the rocks. He never told anyone where the holes were though lol. 

[chrisjpainter]

2 hours ago, jason g said:

YouTube the fish locker he's ace with anything sea fishing, he does alot of crab and lobster pots in Cornwall 👍

Booo. You beat me to it! But yeah, the Fish Locker's the place to go. John's got a fair few videos on the site on everything you'd need to know. He also does live Q&A's and that's always worth tuning in for and for asking stuff directly.

[Robden]

4 hours ago, Lloyd90 said:

I am considering sticking some pots on the rocks when the tide is low and seeing If I can catch anything with my nephew.

 

Years ago a local fowler used to go down at low tide with an old coat hanger and pull lobsters out of the holes in the rocks. He never told anyone where the holes were though lol. 

That's cruel, using the nephew for bait......😀

[yates]

5 hours ago, chrisjpainter said:

Booo. You beat me to it! But yeah, the Fish Locker's the place to go. John's got a fair few videos on the site on everything you'd need to know. He also does live Q&A's and that's always worth tuning in for and for asking stuff directly.

Agreed John Locker is very good. There’s also a chap in Guernsey on YouTube ‘Trojs Fishing’ worth a look at too

[Rim Fire]

If you go on Ytube and put in Fish Locker he doing it all the time he is down south 

[Blackpowder]

Are your pots  steel or wood, if it is the latter they need to soak so as they sink and rest on the sea bed.  If there is any tide running your pot to marker rope length needs to be three times the depth of water.   Crabs like fresh bait lobsters are less fussy.  You can salt  down mackerel in plastic barrels where they make their own brine, or dry salt in boxes turning them over a few times  and adding more salt as the bait dries out.    Best bait ever had were cormorants which had drowned in creels they seemed a fatal attraction to lobsters.

 

Blackpowder

[Dave at kelton]

As a child we used to get out on the low of the big tides with a crab hook and get crab and lobster on Anglesey. My brother has some folding pots he drops off the rocks when fishing an all nighter and is generally pretty successful for crab and lobster.

[turbo33]

2 hours ago, Blackpowder said:

Are your pots  steel or wood, if it is the latter they need to soak so as they sink and rest on the sea bed.  If there is any tide running your pot to marker rope length needs to be three times the depth of water.   Crabs like fresh bait lobsters are less fussy.  You can salt  down mackerel in plastic barrels where they make their own brine, or dry salt in boxes turning them over a few times  and adding more salt as the bait dries out.    Best bait ever had were cormorants which had drowned in creels they seemed a fatal attraction to lobsters.

 

Blackpowder

This👍

[captainhastings]

Watch this walshie  his has some good vids and a normal chap

 

oh the lads above beat me too it

 

[Jonty]

@walshie if you have a local fishmonger or market stall, go and see if they'll give you some fish heads etc.  We asked at one local to where we use the pot when we haven't had any joy on the mackerel and they were more than happy to help us out.  They also donated whole mackerel that were past their best - which were perfect.

 @Lloyd90 we have a pot that we keep at a friends holiday home that we visit every year in Fife.  It's great fun with the kids.  we either row it out on a kayak or wander down the beach at very low tide and wade out a little to ensure the pot is submerged otherwise the gulls think its lunchtime.  I can thoroughly recommend it - great fun and incredibly satisfying when you catch something.

[Rim Fire]

12 hours ago, Lloyd90 said:

I am considering sticking some pots on the rocks when the tide is low and seeing If I can catch anything with my nephew.

 

Years ago a local fowler used to go down at low tide with an old coat hanger and pull lobsters out of the holes in the rocks. He never told anyone where the holes were though lol. 

Where my caravan is at Pothcawl on spring tides there is a couple of reefs that show and we sometimes get lobsters in holes there 

[figgy]

Used to with crabbing hooks as a child with great uncle and grandad, much fun was had. Many a nipped bleeding finger off not watching and being to keen grab a fleeing crab. 

Two days is usually the minimum soak for pots, depending on your area. I'd leave for three and pull and re bait.

Used to go out on mated dad's boat when in my teens, we would drop or pull pots first, if we pulled them catch was brought it sorted and then we would go wreck fishing. Sometimes hauling the nets on way back in. Great times.

Do you ever use a shrimp net off your boat, loved pulling that up after a drag along the bottom. Never knew what you'd get along with the shrimps. 

Edited January 28, 2021 by figgy

[walshie]

2 hours ago, figgy said:

Used to with crabbing hooks as a child with great uncle and grandad, much fun was had. Many a nipped bleeding finger off not watching and being to keen grab a fleeing crab. 

Two days is usually the minimum soak for pots, depending on your area. I'd leave for three and pull and re bait.

Used to go out on mated dad's boat when in my teens, we would drop or pull pots first, if we pulled them catch was brought it sorted and then we would go wreck fishing. Sometimes hauling the nets on way back in. Great times.

Do you ever use a shrimp net off your boat, loved pulling that up after a drag along the bottom. Never knew what you'd get along with the shrimps. 

Didn't even know there was such a thing a shrimp net till 30 seconds ago. 

Thank you for all the advice gentlemen. 

[figgy]

Shrimp net for the boat was much like the pushed kind, a half hoop but with a heavy pipe along the bottom to keep it down and move along getting them to flick up into the nets cod end, got to go very slow when using it, in gear at tick over. Used to get the odd crab, sand dabs baby flat fish, all-sorts. But a good bucket full of shrimps was always a treat for when we got back in. Big boiler on and rolling boil then in and more or less back out all pink and tasty. 

I could eat nice heap on newspaper with salt sprinkled on now. Slice of bread and butter with a mug of tea. 👅

[ClemFandango]

9 hours ago, Blackpowder said:

Are your pots  steel or wood, if it is the latter they need to soak so as they sink and rest on the sea bed.  If there is any tide running your pot to marker rope length needs to be three times the depth of water.   Crabs like fresh bait lobsters are less fussy.  You can salt  down mackerel in plastic barrels where they make their own brine, or dry salt in boxes turning them over a few times  and adding more salt as the bait dries out.    Best bait ever had were cormorants which had drowned in creels they seemed a fatal attraction to lobsters.

 

Blackpowder

This. 

 

Salt herrings are good too. 

[Lloyd90]

On 28/01/2021 at 13:55, Jonty said:

@walshie if you have a local fishmonger or market stall, go and see if they'll give you some fish heads etc.  We asked at one local to where we use the pot when we haven't had any joy on the mackerel and they were more than happy to help us out.  They also donated whole mackerel that were past their best - which were perfect.

 @Lloyd90 we have a pot that we keep at a friends holiday home that we visit every year in Fife.  It's great fun with the kids.  we either row it out on a kayak or wander down the beach at very low tide and wade out a little to ensure the pot is submerged otherwise the gulls think its lunchtime.  I can thoroughly recommend it - great fun and incredibly satisfying when you catch something.

What type of pot do you use please?  

On 28/01/2021 at 14:05, Rim Fire said:

Where my caravan is at Pothcawl on spring tides there is a couple of reefs that show and we sometimes get lobsters in holes there 

Yes it was down Porthcawl / kenfig this old lad used to catch lobsters on the rocks  

 

My nephew is only 8, he got some waders and has been down the beach in the pools but keeps falling over and the waders fill up 🤣🤣

[enfieldspares]

On 27/01/2021 at 21:46, walshie said:

 

Never done it before but I know what equipment I need to start with.

A tip from what I was told five decades ago by a Cornish crab man. Carry in a sheath the sharpest knife you can and never, never, never ever stand inside a bight. Just in case you forget. And that fifty years ago...I nearly ended up drowned crab hooking. So please be careful.

Edited January 31, 2021 by enfieldspares

[walshie]

8 hours ago, enfieldspares said:

A tip from what I was told five decades ago by a Cornish crab man. Carry in a sheath the sharpest knife you can and never, never, never ever stand inside a bight. Just in case you forget. And that fifty years ago...I nearly ended up drowned crab hooking. So please be careful.

Sound advice. 👍

[Jonty]

10 hours ago, Lloyd90 said:

What type of pot do you use please?  

Yes it was down Porthcawl / kenfig this old lad used to catch lobsters on the rocks  

 

My nephew is only 8, he got some waders and has been down the beach in the pools but keeps falling over and the waders fill up 🤣🤣

Loyd, its one we found washed up on the shore.  It was a bit smashed up so my mate and I fixed it up.  
 

[derbyduck]

On 28/01/2021 at 01:22, Lloyd90 said:

I am considering sticking some pots on the rocks when the tide is low and seeing If I can catch anything with my nephew.

 

Years ago a local fowler used to go down at low tide with an old coat hanger and pull lobsters out of the holes in the rocks. He never told anyone where the holes were though lol. 

an old mate told me he used to do that on  Jersey , he said if he found a hole with the lobster facing inwards there would be a conger eel in front of it ! so win win .