Hey guys. I was wondering have any of you put crab traps out just to find out they have been tampered with. Me and a buddy put a trap out this weekend in Folly and came back the next day and checked on it. Put it back in after counting our catch. Came back Sunday morning to find our trap had been moved and some crabs missing. Have anyone else had this issue…
Definitely. Lots of dishonest folks on the water unfortunately.
Its sad. Cant even set a trap out for crabs these days without getting bamboozled.
Take into account that it was a full moon with big tides and strong currents also. That tends to move traps that aren’t weighted real heavy. Sometimes a long ways.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Swamp Worshiper
Folly and the surrounding creeks seem to be heavily laden with commercial pots. Gotta make sure you aren’t remotely close to the commercial guys. Close could be the same creek, unfortunately.
Also what Cracker Larry said
Crabs can and do climb out of crab traps.
.
PROUD YANKEE
Oyster Baron
NMFS = No More Fishing Season
“Back home we got a taxidermy man. He gonna have a heart attack when he see what I brung him”
and some commercial guys can and do steal crabs…and pots…inn the Clark Sound / Folly River area…
The Morris Island Lighthouse www.savethelight.org
quote:
and some commercial guys can and do steal crabs...and pots...inn the Clark Sound / Folly River area.
While I’m sure that probably happens a little bit, and probably mostly by the out of state crabbers who come down for the season. But in my experience, for the most part, is that river men respect and don’t steal from each other. If your traps are empty, it was more likely a lazy recreational person who took them than a commercial crabber. Do you think Penny’s Dad steals crabs or traps? Not. Most are just like him.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Swamp Worshiper
It is pretty cut throat in Charleston from the stories I’ve heard from crabbers and personal experience with having a few crab pots.
quote:
Originally posted by Cracker Larryquote:
and some commercial guys can and do steal crabs...and pots...inn the Clark Sound / Folly River area.
While I’m sure that probably happens a little bit, and probably mostly by the out of state crabbers who come down for the season. But in my experience, for the most part, is that river men respect and don’t steal from each other. If your traps are empty, it was more likely a lazy recreational person who took them than a commercial crabber. Do you think Penny’s Dad steals crabs or traps? Not. Most are just like him.
</font id=“quote”></blockquote id=“quote”>100% agree most rivermen are honest, hardworking and ethical, as are most of any other type of person…but personally I’ve had 2 separate tampering instances where I’m positive they were local commercial guys…
The Morris Island Lighthouse www.savethelight.org
I don’t know who number 80 is in the upper cooper but he must have pissed someone off earlier this year.
Floats and lines found in multiple locations, typically tossed in the grass a bend or two up a small creek.
The first one I saw just seemed out of place, thinking maybe the current pushed it or something.
Then they started to appear in pairs in very small creeks that typically dry out at low tide. Not a creek a commercial guy would set in.
I pulled the lines up so I wouldn’t get tangled in the lines. There were no pots just lines cut at the knot loop.
Havent seen any for a while now so they must have “worked it out”.
if you pull the pot and have crabs you better dump them and rebait. as sellsfish said they will crawl out the same way they crawled in.
If you’re not sure what’s happening tie a piece of twine or some type thread when you close the bottom of the trap,will have to cut it to open it and use bigger rebar for the weight.
You can’t catch fish on a dry line
Commercial buddies of mine started zip tying them shut they were getting robbed by rec guys so much. If a commercial guy has to pull 100 of his own pots, the risk vs reward of pulling your 1 recreation pot that’s probably baited and set wrong isn’t worth it.
quote:
Originally posted by EdistodanielCommercial buddies of mine started zip tying them shut they were getting robbed by rec guys so much. If a commercial guy has to pull 100 of his own pots, the risk vs reward of pulling your 1 recreation pot that’s probably baited and set wrong isn’t worth it.
harsh conjecture… I think I’m pretty good at it, and GF learned everything he knows from me, so he must be pretty good at it too 
I’m sure you’re just speaking in terms of statistics ED, and in truth I pretty much agree.
Torrey, zip tie a brick inside the corner of the trap where the line is tied, make sure you have at least 2 (preferably 3x) scope for your line, possibly a second (small) trailer buoy. I have had 2 traps stolen from the area Bonzo mentions, and both seemed to be jealousy/revenge type theft where we had been tending them a while and then they suddenly disappeared.
a couple of treble hooks randomly strung along the rope that you know about but thieves won’t should stop them from trying many more at least that night anyhow
quote:
Originally posted by EdistodanielCommercial buddies of mine started zip tying them shut they were getting robbed by rec guys so much. If a commercial guy has to pull 100 of his own pots, the risk vs reward of pulling your 1 recreation pot that’s probably baited and set wrong isn’t worth it.
X2
the plastic zip tie won’t lie.
I can remember my Dad telling me if I pulled a pot and left the crabs in the pot they would see the way out. I have pulled pots in a location where no one could get to them other than me. If I left them till the next day, some would be gone.
They can and will crawl out.
ZX
Marsh Picker thats a good idea. I will do that next time. Yeah that you all mentioned it could have been the tides but im still not sure about that one. Then only reason why i didnt empty trap out because i am from out of town and was down for weekend so left it in until checkout sunday morning. But yeah we would go check it periodically during the day. Yeah so either crabs climbed out somehow or someone tampered with it. So yeah tie twine next time.