Looking for advice - I just purchased five lobster traps, thought I would try my hand at catching some on the North coast of Mass. I have heard that lobstering beats up your boat pretty bad. Any ideas on how to protect the gunwhale/hull/cockpit? Thanks in advance for any advice.
Lobstering
- Thread starter tunagrady
- Start date
Best advice, sell the traps and buy some lobster :roll: .
the easiest way to protect the boat is to buy some carpet long enough to lay over the gunnel and have it reach the water to protect the hull because you will bang the hull with traps and long enough to run over the gunnel and onto the deck so you can set your pot down on it and to protect the deck when you drop the pot on it even if you intend to "work" it on the gunnel.
Good luck and beware, if you put your "newbie" pots in someone elses spot your pots will migrate at best abnd disappear at worst.
the easiest way to protect the boat is to buy some carpet long enough to lay over the gunnel and have it reach the water to protect the hull because you will bang the hull with traps and long enough to run over the gunnel and onto the deck so you can set your pot down on it and to protect the deck when you drop the pot on it even if you intend to "work" it on the gunnel.
Good luck and beware, if you put your "newbie" pots in someone elses spot your pots will migrate at best abnd disappear at worst.
TG, you definity want to lay some sort of rubberized mat on top of the gunwale and possible along the side. if you are pulling up by arm and hand you can control the trap along the boat; just a bit more labor. As for where to lay there is always a good field of traps out in front of Plum Island and on the other side off of Salisbury. Plenty of good spots just stay clear of the commercial guys. Its work but can be fun if you just like being on the water. I'll see you out there; 25 grady with twin Yammies on the bracket.
Even with the rubber mats, the mud, and the mess is a pain to clean, I've been doing it for 8 years now and the battle scare are certainly showing. With them selling a $3.50 a pound the bait cost more. By the time you count the cost of the license , the traps, the bait, fuel , fines, lost traps and time, your better off just buying them. Even if you stop a lobster boat out on the water give him 20 bucks and get a few lobsters, you be better off.
Fishtales
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I got some anti static mat material used in electronic manufacturing in 4' sections. I cut it about 6' and drape 2 of them over the gunnel from the waterline into the cockit floor.
I just hose all the crud off and after each trap. Not too bad.
Rubber mat that rolls easily is the way to go.
I just hose all the crud off and after each trap. Not too bad.
Rubber mat that rolls easily is the way to go.
Fishtales - Anti static mat material seems like a great idea. Any suggestions on where to get it? Thanks again.
I used to leave my traps in the water and dive to them. I had a license for diving and traps for them.
I have tried to keep the trap on the swim platform of our 225, and still everything in the boat seems to get covered with mud and gunk. I now keep the traps behind the garage - lucky for me my next-door neighbor has a lobster boat and I can buy a few really fresh ones from him now and again...
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I did the same - I got sick of getting covered with muck on mh clothes too. It gets worse as the season contiues because the rope to the posts gets covered with some type of algae. Unless you are going to bait and pull daily it is not too productive - I would bait Sunday then come back the next Saturday to empty pots.White Horses (Mike) said:
Tuna, don't fret yet...most commercial lobster boats have extra layers of glass on the side of their gunwales where the traps hit...it aint pretty, but it does the job for them......but for someone who's doing it part time, you can build yourself a U-shaped gunwale protector ( like a gunwale ladder)and attach a long-wide piece of rubber padding like the kind machine shops use for standing in front of a CNC...they sell these for home cooks in the kitchen these days....some ply with cushioning on the inside to protect the gunwale top or a tubular one if you're handy with a bender...maybe even PVC tubing??? and then attach the foam padding draping it down the side for the trap to smack when pulling up.
Go to the Depot and walk around for ideas...you'll find something
Go to the Depot and walk around for ideas...you'll find something
We use a rubber mat hanging over the side attached to the cleat. Sure it's messy but these boats are made to be cleaned easy. Keeping the baby crabs out of the drains is the most difficult part :lol: If the fish aren't biting or it's too windy to go offshore, it gives you an excuse to still go out for an hour or so. Thats my rationale anyway. Someone mentioned bait.....we go striper fishing using live mackerel or poagies for tuna. Use the leftover dead ones as lobster bait, two to three mackerel per pot. In about 5-6 striper trips we get enough frozen mackerel for the entire year. No complaints on the number of lobster we get either. They'll eat pretty much anything so don't be afraid to think outside the box. Definitley worth it IMO. Good luck