hitting crab traps at high speed

1. always keep a bike helmet on the boat jsut in case it's a little bumpy.
2. i will also keep a wet suit on board so that is can at least go under for a short time if i need to.
3. Depending on the wet suit... a small weight belt. Short length fins, comfortable mask, underwater light & extra batteries & bulb. Tether for you to boat. Consider a lifeline & float streamed down current. As mentioned above, coarse blade hacksaw is best (& spare blades) really good rope-cutting serrated blade can work, .
4. If you happen to have one, an underwater video cam on a curved pole
5. 30 cf pony bottle and reg. set., 5 lb small sledge hammer, spare props, nuts and keys along with a prop puller.

OH MY GOD...I NEED A BIGGER BOAT!!!!!!!!
 
Crab pots are the scourge of pleasure boaters. I got wrapped up twice last season--and I am very careful to dodge them. But if I can't see them... I'll be installing spurs or something like them this month.

After many years of dodging traps, I got some revenge as a deck officer on a guided missile frigate. We mowed down pots improperly placed in the channel with abandon. I really enjoyed that, especially in Narragansset Bay where I sailed. I felt like I was scoring one for all the pleasure boaters. In deeper water, we tried to avoid them.

After spending a month or so carefully avoiding crab pots and small boats in Haiti, we were called in to give fire support to some Marines who came under attack in Port Au Prince. I had the deck, so I ordered up 30 kts and made a beeline through the harbor. Think "Caddyshack", but on a slightly larger scale (450', 4100 tons). We plowed through everything, narrowly missing small boats (and capsizing a few I'm sure). Every time I read a thread on running over crab pots or on inconsiderate wake-making, I think about that hair-raising ride. Luckily, I didn't kill anyone and I managed to keep from hitting anything bigger than a crab pot.

Brett
 
Brett,
Please describe the boat you currently pilot to give us Narragansett Bay sailors plenty of time to get out of your way . . . ;)
 
" I had the deck, so I ordered up 30 kts and made a beeline through the harbor."

creating even more angry locals !
 
This thread has been very interesting for me since I fall on both sides of the fence. I have been a pleasure boater for most of my life, but moving more into the salt over the last five years or so. I have seen plenty of crab pots and avoided them and I'm sure that I may have missed seeing some and ran over them, but I've never wrapped one up in my props.

I began crabbing two years ago and have fished between eight and 16 traps since then. I have lost a total of two traps so far. I try to be courteous to other crabbers by not setting mine too close to their string and they are in open, navigable water. For those of you that don't crab, you may be interested to know that generally crabbers set there string of traps in a straight line which roughly follows a depth contour. Most crabbers in our area use floats with a unique color pattern so that they can identify their own traps and to make them more visible. Some will use the dark green and blue colors to make them less visible so that thieves don't find and pull their traps, robbing them of their crab and their livelihood. On the west coast, an agreement has been reached between the bottom trawlers and the crabbers to provide a clear lane where crabbers don't set pots. This allows the trawlers to do their jobs without entangling a bunch of crab gear and everyone is more productive.

I also believe that we all have a right to be out on the water. I am sometimes inconvenienced by a sailboat tacking in front of me or perhaps a jet ski irritates me by jumping my wake. Other times I might be at anchor fishing when a boat zooms by leaving a large wake or a sail boat comes too close, in my opinion. I may get mad, but I don't attempt to damage their boats or their property. I am very distressed that so many of you feel that it is okay to cut or damage a crabbers pots and floats. He has the legal right to have his traps out there. If we are all such great captains, I think it is our responsibility to avoid those traps using all means at our disposal. Accidents will happen, but attitudes like Lt. Brett's really disturb me.
 
Interesting discussion, my first thought was that cruising speed on my boat is 43 mph so "high speed" is only a frame of mind, huh? I remember taking my boat between Naples and Key West and dodging pots the whole way. Down wasn't bad because the seas were calm, back was a different story. Crossing the bay from Naples to Charlotte Harbor was a nightmare in 5-6 ft seas, obviously not on plane at about 6 or 7 knots. The big problem was the pots appearing right in front of me and the thought of having to dive in to unwind line if I caught one. It didn't happen but I was cussing them that day. The crab guys are entitled to a living and we all eat seafood. Too bad the seafood doesn't hang around outside the boating routes.
 
quote:
I may get mad, but I don't attempt to damage their boats or their property. I am very distressed that so many of you feel that it is okay to cut or damage a crabbers pots and floats. He has the legal right to have his traps out there. If we are all such great captains, I think it is our responsibility to avoid those traps using all means at our disposal. Accidents will happen, but attitudes like Lt. Brett's really disturb me.

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Dave, I think you misinterpreted my comments. I have never tried to damage a crap pot that was placed legally. Nit wits who string a line of pots in a channel deserve what they get. When navigating a channel, a big ship has only a few degrees of course change to play with, making it difficult to dodge pots even if you want to.

As for creating angry locals in Haiti, I'm sure I did. I was two hours away from killing a lot of locals, before Jimmy Carter negotiated a settlement. Our attack was scheduled for 10PM, we were already at general quarters and had inserted our seals. Our helos were armed and ready to lift off, I had the deck, and we got a message about 8:00 to stand down. I don't think the press ever knew how close we were to a bloodbath in Haiti in 1994. Military involvement in a crisis has to be a last resort, as the consequences of a military presence can be terrible, even if a shot isn't fired. As a man of conscience, I feel a great deal of compassion for the people of Haiti, and I'm very happy things didn't get worse.

Brett
 
Previous owner of my gofast hit a crab pot and sheared the crankshaft in one motor!
 
Brett,

It sounds as if I misunderstood your intentions. I apologize for that. I just got a feeling from this thread that many felt it was okay to cut floats off if the traps were in their way. That disturbed me.
 
An old, crusty licensed boat captain once told me that if you're going slow, you can easily catch a crab trap line on your props (I've had THAT happen with my twin inboards) I've swam the boat with a knife and underwater light.

However he maintains that if you are up on plane that the action between the water and the hull will push away the crab trap float. While the argument makes sense, I still avoid them. Anyone with inboards ever snagged one while up on plane ?
 
I don't think anyone here is advocating to cut lobster pots just becasue they are there. That would be wrong. The main crust of the conversations here, though slightly off the original topic, was what to do to avoid them in the first place and then what to do if you do get one tangled on your props/shafts...plus a few typical sprinklings of humor (guilty as charged).

RWS...you are asking if anyone ever snagged one while up on plane.....look at Hyperfishing's last post....I doubt he sheared his crank at idle!!!!!
 
Thanks Dominic, it makes sense. Given the water movement there is probably a bit less chance to snag one at high speed, but if and when you do the results are catastrophic.
 
I was in Italy last week and got to run a large Pershing. While up on plane at 40+ knots, I noticed several crab/lobster floats and was about to evade. The captain told me not to worry about them. OK, they're your Arnesons!
 
Some personal experience re crab traps in the Barnegat Bay in New Jersey. I pick up an unmarked trap while exiting a popular anchorage area that typically hosts several hundred boats on a typical summer weekend. I was idling slow and took the engine out of gear immediately when I heard/felt the trap. Unfortunately the trap wire was already around the prop/shaft and a haul was required to remove the trap. The trap was connected to the long cable via a line.

I spoke with the NJ authorities that govern the placement of crab traps and initially found the individual unsympathetic and basically wanted to ignor my concerns. Also I later found out that he did not understand the ICW buoy system and in fact was unwillling to enforce the egulations even when the traps were located in the ICW channel which is not permitted.

NJ does not permit traps in the channel but does permit multiple traps to be tied to a long line or cable as long as the ends of the cable are marked. In the case of the trap I hit it was not marked and the cable extended for about 1 mile across the entrance to the most popular anchorage in the Barnegat Bay with unmarked traps about every 15 feet. I considered it to be a mine field since at least several others that I know picked up traps entering or leaving the anchorage. It turns out that the traps were probably placed in about 5 feet of water and the line between the trap and the cable was probably being picked up by the propellors.

While the location of the minefield was probably legal according to the NJ State representative, locating the traps in such a location did apparently leave the crabber exposed to legal liability should someone get injured or killed due to a sudden stop. After numerous phone calls I was finally able to convince the state fish and game representative to talk with the crabber and he ultimaely relocated his traps. Of course another incentive arose since he was loosing traps and the possibly argument that boaters and crabbers both need to share the resources probably helped.

I also contacted the local state representative who is also a boater and he wrote a letter to the Dep of environmental protection which may have also caused the State employee to take some action.

For anyone in NJ who has a problem with misplaced Crab traps I suggest you call 609 748 2050. I spoke with Mr Meyers although he may have been replaced. I enjoy eating crabs as much as the next person and want the crabbers to have an opportunity to make a living, but the Bay belongs to others too.
 
Hello everyone this is a subject that always is going to cause a lot of good discussion I do believe everyone is going to do everything they can to keep from running over a trap.Now on the subject of the water pressure pushing the float away from the hull at speed I to have always thought this way true also however last summer as we were cruising south down the chesapeake at 20 knots in 35 feet of water I got a sudden bad vibration we stopped and shifted in and out of reverse a few times and then took off had just a slight vibration and not far to go home when we got home hauled her out and found a big loop of 5/8 rope on one prop blade. It was'nt a crab float so maybe the float gets pushed away but the rope under it eeeh who knows.But the weather is warming and hopefully no one has to find out this summer.Happy boating to all .
 
kevdon:

I remember that situation last summer out at Tices....thanks for the phone number and contact. I will have to give him a call and discuss the inconsiderate crabber who thinks it is OK to set traps in our lagoon development....
 
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