Lyme Bay - Pots

[Wight Leopard]

Crossed Lyme Bay E-W yesterday. After dodging all the traps around Portland Bill we were relaxing in deeper waters further out when we found ourselves in an 'intensive farm' of 12+ traps in fairly close proximity all trailing about 12m of floating line set in 40m depth. With the lowering sun in our eyes they were hard to spot; we played slalom for a while as they appeared out of the water. There was no pole and no markings on any of them. I have to wonder if the 'fisherman' who set them was deliberately intending to catch yachts instead of lobsters.

I'm not sure if the RYA's petition to have these things properly marked and set responsibly is still going ahead but in the meantime I'm trusting in my proven rope cutter, as shorthanded it's just not feasible to keep an effective lookout in areas where you might not expect this sort of selfish fishing.

Anyone crossing Lyme is recommended to keep a special look out around 50 31.264N / 002 48.623W

 

[Cerebus]

This thread was recommended to me for some reason.

It is a pet hate.

Is there a reason fisherman do not illuminate their poles and markers with flags and solar powered LEDs? Some do of course.

I carry a silky saw and croppers and wet suit and dry suit but I don’t want to be entangled in the first place.

There are some places where sailing is very stressful owing to the knowledge of pot laying.

This has been ongoing for 20 odd years for me.

Can the RYA do anything?

Can anyone do anything for us yachties?

 

[BobnLesley]

It is a pet hate... There are some places where sailing is very stressful owing to the knowledge of pot laying.

These things are all relative.
Go spend a summer sailing in Maine, where you're rarely more than 100m from a pot marker and more often within 20m of several, after which you'll find sailing in home waters far less stressful. On the upside, fresh lobsters in Maine only cost about $10 each

 

[potentillaCO32]

This thread was recommended to me for some reason.

It is a pet hate.

Is there a reason fisherman do not illuminate their poles and markers with flags and solar powered LEDs? Some do of course.

I carry a silky saw and croppers and wet suit and dry suit but I don’t want to be entangled in the first place.

There are some places where sailing is very stressful owing to the knowledge of pot laying.

This has been ongoing for 20 odd years for me.

Can the RYA do anything?

Can anyone do anything for us yachties?

I understand, but maybe wrong, that the law in Scottish waters is much stricter.

 

[Cerebus]

These things are all relative.
Go spend a summer sailing in Maine, where you're rarely more than 100m from a pot marker and more often within 20m of several, after which you'll find sailing in home waters far less stressful. On the upside, fresh lobsters in Maine only cost about $10 eachView attachment 194744

But those pots are marked to an extent.

Some UK pots are virtually invisible.

 

[Cerebus]

I understand, but maybe wrong, that the law in Scottish waters is much stricter.

The Scottish seem to do a lot of things better than the English it is sad to say (as I live in England).

Good to say If one lives In Scotland.

The UK is a fallacy perhaps.

 

[potentillaCO32]

The Scottish seem to do a lot of things better than the English it is sad to say (as I live in England).

Good to say If one lives In Scotland.

The UK is a fallacy perhaps.

Creel marking: guidance

 

[justanothersailboat]

It really ought to be allowed, even encouraged, to treat unmarked (or even marked but unlabelled) pots as abandoned and collect them for destruction - perhaps with some sort of bounty like old milk bottles had.

 

[Cerebus]

It really ought to be allowed, even encouraged, to treat unmarked (or even marked but unlabelled) pots as abandoned and collect them for destruction - perhaps with some sort of bounty like old milk bottles had.

They are very heavy as I found out once upon a time.

Tv shows them being pulled up via capstan winches of various designs.

 

[justanothersailboat]

Interesting. Windlass?

 

[Cerebus]

Interesting. Windlass?

Personally I was just glad to be free of the barnacle encrusted thing even if it had a few lobsters in it.

A pole and flag and dusk to dawn light?

Why not?

Fishermen may provide an answer?

 

[Wight Leopard]

I don't object to pots per se, just those laid or marked in such a negligent way as to constitute a hazard to navigation. In my own classification of 'non-crime hate incidents' towards yotties this includes, in descending order:

Floating pick up lines of excessive length, sometimes greater than 10m
Pots laid in narrow channels or swatchways
Floats barely visible above the surface
Clusters of floats in unexpected places, spaced just so far apart that you breathe a sigh of relief to have missed it before.....
Use of any old object that floats as a marker, especially if coloured black

Use of a simple flag marker, such as used in Scotland, Brighton and some other more enlightened places would help tremendously. My rope-cutter has earned its keep on at least two occasions which would have cost the fishermen a tidy sum of money as well as the waste of at least a couple of crustaceans. Surely it's in everyone's interests to have these things properly marked, and considerately laid?

 

[wonkywinch]

I noticed a lot more in the Solent recently, especially along Calshot Spit where it meets the dredged main channel. If you come outside the channel to avoid large shipping, you avoid the risk of picking up one of the dozens I often see strewn along here.

 

[Cerebus]

I don't object to pots per se, just those laid or marked in such a negligent way as to constitute a hazard to navigation. In my own classification of 'non-crime hate incidents' towards yotties this includes, in descending order:

Floating pick up lines of excessive length, sometimes greater than 10m
Pots laid in narrow channels or swatchways
Floats barely visible above the surface
Clusters of floats in unexpected places, spaced just so far apart that you breathe a sigh of relief to have missed it before.....
Use of any old object that floats as a marker, especially if coloured black

Use of a simple flag marker, such as used in Scotland, Brighton and some other more enlightened places would help tremendously. My rope-cutter has earned its keep on at least two occasions which would have cost the fishermen a tidy sum of money as well as the waste of at least a couple of crustaceans. Surely it's in everyone's interests to have these things properly marked, and considerately laid?

Agreed.

But no one has said why fisherman practise as they they do.

Is it to secure their equipment and lobsters from theft? I think I read this as a reason in a magazine 20 odd years ago.

I don’t know any fishing forums to ask.

Float, pole, flag and light are cheap, so why?

 

[Cerebus]

It really ought to be allowed, even encouraged, to treat unmarked (or even marked but unlabelled) pots as abandoned and collect them for destruction - perhaps with some sort of bounty like old milk bottles had.

I like this idea.

I will volunteer as crew.

During the Summer, please.

 

[lustyd]

I noticed a lot more in the Solent recently, especially along Calshot Spit where it meets the dredged main channel. If you come outside the channel to avoid large shipping, you avoid the risk of picking up one of the dozens I often see strewn along here.

Judging by the videos they’re probably Cadoha’s not sure he has a boat any more though

 

[Supertramp]

Some fishermen mark their pots well, with flags or large buoys and no long trailing lines. Others don't. And there are pots laid by locals or occasional visitors, some of which get abandoned and left.

The biggest challenge is tide pulling them under so they become invisible in anything other than calm.

One of the best fun (not) experiences I've had was navigating through Codling Bank off Dublin in fog. The tide comes across your beam and we had buoys looming out the mist at several knots at right angles to our course for about 2 hours.

One small advantage of a long keel.

 

[johnalison]

There was an occasion when we left New Grimsby Sound heading for the Lizard and in the choppy seas in the early morning I realised that we had sailed between the marker buoy and its attached floating buoy.

 

[wonkywinch]

Judging by the videos they’re probably Cadoha’s not sure he has a boat any more though

Is it still available? For Sale Blue Water Sailing Boat Trident Warrior 38

 

[lustyd]

No they sold it I believe.