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Old 20 July 2004, 20:16   #1
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Lobster catching

I was wondering if anyone can give me on tips/info on this. The Norfolk Coast is well known for good lobsters and crabs, so I thought I might have a go at catching some.
Anyone got any tips of bait (I take it you do bait a lobster pot)
Good places to put a pot (how far out?)
Etc etc
Many thanks!
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Old 20 July 2004, 22:42   #2
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Lobster pots

We have been quite lucky with our pot and use smelly old mackerel as bait . Catch the mackerel and keep them in a carrier bag for a day or two in the sun ripens them up nicely ! Tinned cat food is supposed to be good too but not tried it , you just punch some holes in the tin to let the smell out but keep the meat in . Bait the pot and check every day . You may find you friendly locals will check it for you ! Good luck.
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Old 20 July 2004, 23:13   #3
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Thanks Lurcher.
Generally, how far out to sea do you have to take your pot to get good sized lobsters?
Also, whats the best way of killing them? (Not pleasent I know! My aunt swears by putting them in a watering can of iced water for half an hour)
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Old 20 July 2004, 23:18   #4
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Just a quick point to help your fellow boaters. Please make sure the float is visible above the surface with a pole/flag so that us poor unsuspecting sods don't run over it and wreck our engines/drives.
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Old 20 July 2004, 23:19   #5
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lobster

Last one was really close to the rocks in Cornwall about 10metres !I usually put my pot near but not too close to other pots and hope it does not get nicked . Look at Rick Stiens books about killing cooking etc .
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Old 21 July 2004, 00:02   #6
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Fresh fish.

Smelly fish should catch you pleanty of Spider and shanka crabs, they love it. Lobsters tend to like fresh fish, my friend pots for a living and he uses scad. (Horse mackrel)

A lot of people these days prefer the taste of a nice spider crab to a lobster.
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Old 21 July 2004, 07:11   #7
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The best and most human way to kill a live lobster is to leave in the fridge for a while then cleve it straight down the centre with a big knife, apparently its more human than boiling the poor thing alive, the cold of the fridge slows the lobster down so its easy to manage, try Rick Steins Lobster Americano its great

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Old 21 July 2004, 07:29   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by timofengland
I was wondering if anyone can give me on tips/info on this.
Normally just prefer to pick mine up by swimming up behind them

However you will need to find an underwater feature which they like to hide under. A steep bank or large rocks, or obivously a wreck although you may find the locals have the same idea. What ever you do, don't mix lobsters and edible crabs in the same bag when they are are alive or world war three will break out.

Pete
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Old 21 July 2004, 08:13   #9
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Lobster pots

Pete was it you in your PAC22 on Saturday playing with a small outboard on the back off Osbourne area , we were being very bored in a 33' yatch tipped up on one side going flat out at 7 knots!
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Old 21 July 2004, 09:18   #10
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Hi mate, no sorry not me. She was securely tired up having a new cover fitted.

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Old 21 July 2004, 18:17   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pete7
What ever you do, don't mix lobsters and edible crabs in the same bag when they are are alive or world war three will break out.
Pete
Agreed. Should have seen what was left of a 2lb lobster left with a 5lb crab . Good way to get a lobster out of the hole though. Chuck in an edible and wait for the lobster to come running to you
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Old 21 July 2004, 20:36   #12
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Hi Tim,

Couple of tips/hints.

I doubt that the distance offshore matters, look for a rocky area, drop-off or wreck on your sounder and drop your pot nearby.

Please, please put any berried (females carrying eggs) crabs or lobsters back and respect any local size limits/fishery byelaws. If you are in Norfolk then I think that you are in the Eastern Sea Fisheries Committee area, see:

http://www.esfjc.co.uk/Byelaws.htm

Buoy your pot, or use a good transect and a grappling hook (better for a line of pots though).

I think that fresh fish works better in some instances, but the advantage of a smelly tin of dog/cat food is that once a lobster is in the trap it cannot eat the bait, therefore the trap keeps on fishing. Fresh fish means it will eat it and they'll stop a coming!

Good luck and (hopefully) good eatin!

t
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Old 21 July 2004, 23:17   #13
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Thanks everyone. I'm off to invest in a pot, bouy and flag!

Is it best to use rope or chain?
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Old 22 July 2004, 07:33   #14
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Tim,

If you'r just buying the one pot go for a parlour, like a pot within a pot as you can leave these for 2 - 3 days without losing any lobbies! More expensive though but not so important if you're only buying one. Ones with fully barred bases are good as they'll stay put in strong current, I lost 2 creels last year in spring tides. Protection for the mesh is essential on a rocky bottom, some are bound with strips od rubber from old tires otherwise bind with cheap 12mm polyprop.

Lobsters like cover as people above have said but they also like an area with reasonably strong currents as they lie in wait for food rather than actively hunting, they also cannot tolerate fresh water.

A word of warning about bait - there's an issue with using meat etc. as bait, it should only be fish. Any food that has not come from the sea may have bacteria present that lobsters and crabs are not adapted to, and this can result in food poisoning when you eat them. I guess that this is more (only?) likely to be a problem if you store them in a keep pot.
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Old 22 July 2004, 08:06   #15
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Lobster pots

Use rope with a weight on it to keep the excess rope under water at low tide
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Old 22 July 2004, 15:08   #16
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The local fishermen to me have been known in the past to cut lobster pots they are unfamiliar with loose or in some cases steal the contents and the pot, i have a friend who used to fish lobsters and crab in the past but has given up as he kept loosing his pots, he explained that the local guys think because they rely on the fishing and lobstering for there living that your poaching on there area and fish !!! whether this is right or wrong is undecided, his suggestion was to drop the baited pot and mark it with a GPS waypoint, then come back 24 hours later and dive on the pot and check the contents or replace any dislodged bait, if its a rocky area either place the pot or attach a 3 metre line with a brightly coloured float on it to act as a location marker.
One other suggestion if your not a diver or know a friendly diver is to make the rope just long enough so the float is on the surface at low tide, this limits the times you can pick it up but means you halve the chances of someone either stealing your catch or cutting your line.
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Old 22 July 2004, 17:59   #17
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Have a look here. There were some new ones from Portland that keep popping up. £36 buy it now price but they're not there at the moment
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Old 22 July 2004, 19:07   #18
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I was going to buy my gear from gaelforce.net - they cater for fishermen too so they might be good!
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Old 22 July 2004, 20:27   #19
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Re: Dog/ cat food tins
I seem to recall reading somewhere that is was illegal/ naughty to use tinned cat/dog food. I maybe wrong but worth checking local fishery rules.
Nothing worse than having boat confiscated for a crab!
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Old 22 July 2004, 23:11   #20
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Backing up the points made by Bilge Rat, if you are going to put some pots out expect the local fishermen to be hostile at best. As a diver I have seen and heard how low these peoples opinions can be of people who casually take a few for the pot. Make sure you know the byelaws because you can guarantee you will be being watched. I've never witnessed it myself but have also heard tales of fishermen damaging boats / trailers of people they think are depriving them of their livelihood.
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