Crab pot theft

[birddogdad]

Wonderful weekend crabbing last week . People really REALLY do suck! Salsbury point launch Friday 6pm, return Saturday 8am to find 2 of 4 traps stolen. Pulled out~ moved toward home with remaining 2 traps, dropped in Olalla at 3pm, returned 2 hours later to find 1 trap stolen again!! So Sunday night I get a call from some character up in Bainbridge, who "found" one of my traps. (in other words, he was done using my trap and was kind enough to call me to return as I put phone number on buoys. His story really didn't check. I asked him why he would pull the trap and bring it in, said it was all alone in 200 ft of water "just floating along"....

Got 1 trap back though.

Question, should I turn in his phone number to WDFW for tracking?

[Shrimper]

Add more weight to your traps this will generally solve the "stolen" issue.

The tide and current are really good at "stealing" traps.

One way to tell if your traps are drifting is put the line and buoy inside the trap set in some shallow water like a pool and if the trap floats or sinks slowly they are drifting on you.

Below is a link to some great information to help become a more successful crabber.

http://nwstraitsfoundation.org/project/recreational-crabbing-resources/

[headshot5]

Question, should I turn in his phone number to WDFW for tracking?

Haha!  Someone does you a good turn...  They must be morally deficient, and thieves as well.  Better turn them in.   

[h20hunter]

I can't see a thief going to the trouble. Pulling them and dropping back, maybe. Taking, using, and trying to return....I don't see it.

[heronblu]

sounds like you didn't have enough weight or line or both and the current "stole" your traps.

[CP]

I see lots of “stolen” traps floating along in 700’ of water after a weekend of strong tides.  If your pots don’t weigh enough to stay put with the floats submerged they stand a good chance of being “stolen”. 

I usually just tow these “stolen” pots into shallow water and call the owner to give them the location.

[h2ofowlr]

I believe my traps are close to 30 - 40lb each.  Definitely pay attention to the tides as they will take your pot if not careful and if you are using the foldable metal cage traps those are way to light if you have any current.  I see lots of those drifting by when boating or until they get hung up on something.

Same thing happens with guys out shrimping.

If using the metal cage as pictured, I see these wrapped up all the time in kelp beds.

[CP]

If using the metal cage as pictured, I see these wrapped up all the time in kelp beds.

That yellow polypropylene line is big problem too.  If you use that be sure to weight it or it floats on the surface and tangles in boat props and any sort of flotsam that drifts by.  Boaters hate that stuff and many will just cut it loose if they tangle in it.

[jackmaster]

We add 10 pounds of lead to already heavy pots plus w use weighted line and 3 big buoys and we try to stay shallower than 150 feet, if you dumps them and didn hav enough line maybe your bouys are under water, maybe go back out on a low tide, if your out real deep you can get hung up on bigger boats and they can tow your pots a long ways.. Seaweed can play hell on a string of pots as well.. I really he you get your pots back, pretty cool of the commercial guy to call you, idk why you would want to turn him in

[Bronson]

Most likely he was telling the truth.  No reason for him to steal it and use it only to try to return it to you.  Sounds like one of the good guys out there who was trying to do the right thing by returning it.  Pickers will just pull your pot, steal your crab and then dump it back in the same general location. 

Maybe a thank you is in order instead of an accusation.

[birddogdad]

Question, should I turn in his phone number to WDFW for tracking?

Haha!  Someone does you a good turn...  They must be morally deficient, and thieves as well.  Better turn them in.   

so why would you pick up ANY pots during the open season hours, I could see if there on Tuesday or Wed.? how would you even consider this act acceptable to pickup on a sunday someones gear in the water? as far as turning in, was considering just the phone number as to allow data collection for wdfw. if this person does this as his routine on weekends, turning back over a trap to those who lost, its a hell of a way to crab with free gear and still look like the hero on the back side. trust me they seemed very VERY uncomfortable on the phone when I described the boat people saw pull it..  as far as weight , im fine, been fine, no drift, heavy, multi corks ect running around 75'  with lots of line... They were taken plain and simple.. I just hate people who cant leave your stuff alone..  I was crabbing near the port gamble lands .. I wonder how many traps get legs up there north of the HC bridge?

[fish vacuum]

Thieves don't return stuff.

[bulldogs40]

Question, should I turn in his phone number to WDFW for tracking?

Haha!  Someone does you a good turn...  They must be morally deficient, and thieves as well.  Better turn them in.   

so why would you pick up ANY pots during the open season hours, I could see if there on Tuesday or Wed.? how would you even consider this act acceptable to pickup on a sunday someones gear in the water? as far as turning in, was considering just the phone number as to allow data collection for wdfw. if this person does this as his routine on weekends, turning back over a trap to those who lost, its a hell of a way to crab with free gear and still look like the hero on the back side. trust me they seemed very VERY uncomfortable on the phone when I described the boat people saw pull it..  as far as weight , im fine, been fine, no drift, heavy, multi corks ect running around 75'  with lots of line... They were taken plain and simple.. I just hate people who cant leave your stuff alone..  I was crabbing near the port gamble lands .. I wonder how many traps get legs up there north of the HC bridge?

If I was doing the right thing and trying to return someones pots to them and they were giving me the 3rd degree I would get pretty uncomfortable too (maybe even a little pissed off). It doesn't make since for someone to steal your pot and then return it to "look like a hero". Who do you think they are trying to look like a hero to? Somebody stealing from you doesn't give a crap what you think about them. Put more weight in your pots.

[birddogdad]

you guys are missing the point, I thanked his wife and left.. no negative interaction with them. this is right in line with game cams being taken. hey, your camper was just parked there, so I brought it home, if you want to get it come on over.......a pot isn't going to FLOAT 6 miles, past 2 islands with 10#s of weight in it, within 30 yards of the other set at the same depth (which didn't move) in less than 2 hours. been doing this a while and all of a sudden I have won the lottery with light fingers all in one day! you guys are fixated on weight, did you not read that people saw it pulled and taken right, boat description and all right?  . Just because he turned it over doesn't mean I have to give him a buy and they returned it way away from any boat. Its easy to do the math, just pointing out what may be a common practice to move and use others gear when the summer weather is nice out and for this one, maybe too near crowded areas for boating...

had a friend have the same thing happen in Discovery bay last week, found his trap moved a couple coves away and reset...

[Hilltop123]

you guys are missing the point, I thanked his wife and left.. no negative interaction with them. this is right in line with game cams being taken. hey, your camper was just parked there, so I brought it home, if you want to get it come on over.......a pot isn't going to FLOAT 6 miles, past 2 islands with 10#s of weight in it, within 30 yards of the other set at the same depth (which didn't move) in less than 2 hours. been doing this a while and all of a sudden I have won the lottery with light fingers all in one day! you guys are fixated on weight, did you not read that people saw it pulled and taken right, boat description and all right?  . Just because he turned it over doesn't mean I have to give him a buy and they returned it way away from any boat. Its easy to do the math, just pointing out what may be a common practice to move and use others gear when the summer weather is nice out and for this one, maybe too near crowded areas for boating...

had a friend have the same thing happen in Discovery bay last week, found his trap moved a couple coves away and reset...

I pulled a pot out of the middle of the shipping channel off of Foulweather Bluff, when I contacted the owner he stated that he set that pot south of Edmonds. So yes they can float along ways.