Crab trap raiders at Dewatto

[Old Dog]

Set my traps on Sat evening.  Pulled them Sunday noon.  One trap was fouled, and I am very careful about how I set my traps, with nothing in it.  The other trap had three small crabs.  One of my brother's pots was completely empty, no bait and no crabs.  He had a salmon head wired in the trap, so the bait should have still been there.  His other trap had some bait, but no crabs. 

We re-set my traps, and went cutthroat fishing for a few hours.  After three hours we checked my traps, and they were FULL!  Mostly female, and too small males, but they were full.

I work hard for my crabs, and it really angers me to have some low life azzhat steal them.      Anyone else having this problem?

[CP]

It’s not unusual for a pot to be empty after a soak that long.  A starfish can enter; eat all the bait and leave.  Crabs can find their way out if the doors aren’t weighted, or by other means.  Maybe your pots were raided, but consider other possibilities. 

[gottatree]

I quit setting gear anywhere around Dewatto bay a long time ago. I have caught several people out there messing with my gear. I have had pulled traps that have the doors wired open when I pulled them up. Not worth it anymore.

[DIYARCHERYJUNKIE]

I had a few pots that this happened to me with.  I only fished union but close enough.  I would set for 12 hours come back and nothing.  I had a pot get stolen once and boy that made me mad more so cause my kid was with me and he almost cried.  Flipping 80 dollar pot rope and bouy.  I think the skok Indians cruze around at night and pull pots to check them and If their nice pots they steal them.  I learned to only set for a few hours that way the crab can't get out.  Get some tube lead and fix it to the doors cause I think they do ex cape if givin enough time too.

[Old Dog]

Update:  Soaked them over night again last night.  First trap had 3 keepers, and the second trap had 1.    

 I still think something or someone raided my pots Sat. night.   

[DIYARCHERYJUNKIE]

Man I miss the hood canal.  I have soaked overnight to catch a few keepers then fished an caught a nice chinook then gone to potlatch and dug steamers and picked and shucked a few oysters all in the same day.  I could eat really well out there.     maybe I'll get a place out there to retire and live the glory days all over again.

[gasman]

We had the same problem this weekend at Quarter Master Harbor.

One of our pots was even stolen 

[SemperFidelis97]

I have experienced this a handful of times, but I am sure everywhere has it's problems I still am able to get more than enough for our needs.  Though I will say picking a pot is one thing stealing it is on a whole different level. 

[MatthewHunter98]

I set my pots in a straight line, 8hr soak and the 2 end pots where suffed, 2 middle ones not a thing, olle man who ownes the place I kicked off at said he saw some dirty people pullin my pots

[wheels]

if you can set them little deep theres a  80-120ft hole   set there  not so easy to pull at that depth that bay been hit hard

[hogslayer]

I have crabbed the canal for a long time.   Only 1 time did someone mess with our pots and my dad ran out and put a basketball sized hole in the side of a 24 foot trophy with our skiff .   I would stay away from the heavy hit areas like dewatto and tahuya.