Crab/Lobster Pot

Hi Guys,

For a bit of fun I ordered one of these.
I know it's light weight and might get trashed easily but I thought it would be an interesting experiment.

I was thinking of dropping it somewhere off Howth Head maybe on Friday and then pulling it up on Saturday.
For bait I was just going to take some mackerel out of the freezer and stick it in there.

I was just wondering if anyone has done anything similar, any advice?
Would I need to weigh it down with anything?
Does it have to be in a sheltered area?

Of course...a tasty lobster would be the dream result but I'm thinking that a tasty brown crab and some shrimp might also wander in there.
I'm going to a party on Saturday and it would be great to bring along a few treats!

On a separate note.
After doing some research on this site and elsewhere I invested in a new spinning rod this week.
I went for a SavageGear Bushwacker twinned with an Okuma Trio 30s real with braid.
After using my old beachcaster all summer it's amazing, having great fun.
I've spent an hour after work off Howth hunting for pollock (Red Rock/Lion's Head) using fire-tailed jellies.
Not having any luck, must be doing something wrong, but enjoying it all the same.

If you leave a pot near an area where regular fishermen leave theirs it will be cut

Yeah...I'm not trying to get in the way of anyone's livelihood, plan on putting it somewhere out of the way.

That being said, from the research I've done, it's perfectly legal.
Cutting it would be just as bad as me going out and damaging the traps of one of these "regular fishermen".

Hi bluebeard,

I used to fish lobster and crab myself and to be honest it looks a little small and so do the openings, especially for lobster. You never know your luck though and it is worth a pop. You would have to weigh it down, half a cavity block should do it. I would drop it out during a weaker tide and leave it for about 3 days, tight to shore in a very rocky weedy location. Mackerel is the bait you want to use alright preferably whole, it will last a bit longer, especially if you get a bunch of little nippy crabs in there.

Best of luck with it, let us know how you get on.

Tom

Hi Tom,

Thanks for the advice.
Going to be a bit awkward lobbing it out from the shore but I'll give it a go.

Yeah, I doubt a big lobster will find his way in there and obviously I'd throw back any that are undersize.
Should be a bit of fun though.
I know the beasts are around there as a scuba diver handed me one last week (which is illegal afaik).

If I have any luck I'll be shore to post a pic!

mackerel is one of the Worst baits to put into a trap it only encourages congers and if you get one in the trap it will wreck it. use a pollack or the likes if you can get one.

Hi Tom,

Thanks for the advice.
Going to be a bit awkward lobbing it out from the shore but I'll give it a go.

Yeah, I doubt a big lobster will find his way in there and obviously I'd throw back any that are undersize.
Should be a bit of fun though.
I know the beasts are around there as a scuba diver handed me one last week (which is illegal afaik).

If I have any luck I'll be shore to post a pic!

Sorry bluebeard, for some reason i thought you would be dropping it from a boat. If you are doing it from shore then you would be better off just using a brick to help it sink. John1 may have a point about the mackerel too, there would be a chance of a gonger taking it and damaging your pot. The pots we used were steel and more than enough to handle a conger. Still best of luck and im looking forward to hearing the result. Just dont go alone to do this, from a safety point of view.

Tom

mackerel is one of the Worst baits to put into a trap it only encourages congers and if you get one in the trap it will wreck it. use a pollack or the likes if you can get one.

If only it was that easy!!
I've been trying to catch a pollock every day after work.
Spent well over 200 quid on new rod/reel/lures.

If I catch a pollock it certainly won't be going to no lobster!

mackerel is one of the Worst baits to put into a trap it only encourages congers and if you get one in the trap it will wreck it. use a pollack or the likes if you can get one.

If only it was that easy!!
I've been trying to catch a pollock every day after work.
Spent well over 200 quid on new rod/reel/lures.

If I catch a pollock it certainly won't be going to no lobster!

The head will do

I find a tin of tuna or sardines, in brine, not sunflower oils, with a few screwdriver holes in it... means the scent bleeds out but the blennies, crabs and gobies don't devour it alll too fast..

Or just pick a few limpets off the rocks at low tide, mussel, anything you can get easily and for free from the shoreline. Crush the lot together with some old bread or whatever you have to bulk it up a bit and put it down together with a rock as weight wrapped in some old tights inside of your trap. If you are friendly with a skipper ask him for permission to hang down your contraption from his boat in order to avoid any complications. He might even have a few more hints for you.

Another option bluebeard would be to go to you supermarket and ask the fish monger for some fish heads bones etc, they will usually oblige.

Another option bluebeard would be to go to you supermarket and ask the fish monger for some fish heads bones etc, they will usually oblige.

Yeah...the mongers in Howth have been pretty decent in the past.
I might swing by and ask them for some nice scraps.

I've been hunting for Pollock the past three days in Howth after work.
Monday - Red Rock, Sutton.
Tuesday - Lion's Head
Wednesday - Devil's Rock

Spinning with a toby lure and fire-tailed jellies.
No luck at all.
There were three other guys out on Devil's Rock yesterday using feathers for Mackerel.
They'd been out for hours and only managed three at the very end, all quite disappointed.

Must be doing something wrong.

Hi Blue Beard.
I used one of these for a long time. It really worked the best for me at Bray harbour but I'm sure it would work at any pier. It would do the job off rocks too as long as the water is calm enough. They are easily damaged and if dragged out my a wave could easily get tangle. First thing to do is buy a rope that's stronger than the one that sometimes come with them. Nothing fancy. I'd tied a few heavy weights to mine to keep them down.

I used all sorts as bait, cat food, fish heads anything that was going. I mostly caught prawns, they seemed mad for the cat food. Mack heads would lead to a pot full of small eels, rockling and small whiting. I would tie it off at the pier wall and pull it up every 30min or 45min. If there were small crabs in it I would crush them and put them in as bait. In Bray I caught a fair sized brown crab once, At Wicklow harbour I caught a lobster but I threw it back. These things are really designed for prawns. At the end of a session I would easily have enough decent sized prawns to feed 2 people.

You can get cat food pouches in lid, 10 for €3 or something. Put one in the inbuilt bait holder and you're away for prawn fishing. Mack heads do just lead to a pot full of undesirable species. I've had some rockling that easily could have been specimens.

They're only for end of pier use in my opinion they wouldn't last offshore or left out at low tide.

Great advice Cormdogg,

Given the modest cost I won't be too upset if it gets wrecked, it's really just an experiment.
I'd be more than happy with a few prawns but hopefully one of their larger cousins will stumble in there.

Now where am I going to get my hands on a decent length of rope?
I'll need to go hunting in the shed when I get home.

I think I'll just go for a variety of different baits and see what happens.
It will be like the Thunderdome in there!

I was thinking of trying to plonk it down somewhere here.
From the map it looks like there's plenty of rocky places that might be hiding some prize specimens.
Think I have some old weights hanging around the house that would do the job.

Looks a lovely spot , it looks dodgy on the way down ,be careful and good look:)

Looks legit, if there are any rock pools that remain full at low tide that could be a good starting point. Keep us informed.
Good luck

Really good info here, me and a buddy are thinkin bout doing the exact same thing!!