Scalem
08-09-2015, 09:14 PM
On the topic of nets - in the bay. I was scooting across the bay before sun up, you can see well enough with a glow to the east, in the open water heading north, coochie on my left, heading toward hole in the wall at peel and I see a flashing light. I can see the silouette of a small boat, one POB. No other lights on the boat, I think because he is turned away from me, but I didnt see an all round light either. I honestly thought he was signalling me, I presumed maybe in distress, so I stayed on a course close enough to get a better look. Wrong! He was a netter ( presumed commercially licensed)with a net out spanning several hundred meters which I didn't see until I was nearly on top of it. The skeg caught it for a second as I was coming off the plain, but it didn't hook up fortunately, no harm to either net or my boat, as much as I was surprised at the bump I felt as it lifted the motor off the rams for a second.. In all the years I have fished the bay this has never happened, and apart from recognizing the big black on yellow commercial rego on the boat, I wouldn't have known the 1st thing about who these guys are ( there was another boat and net half a K away)
This thread is not intended to be a sledging of commercial netters, I am just interested how to know who these guys are, do others regularly come across them? Apart from the rego I would not know, and if they used the correct signalling to warn a boat they have a net out??? I know now, chalk one up for experience, if I see a similar signal which looked like a flash light aimed at me, I will be more cautious, it could be a commercial netter or someone genuinely in trouble. Can someone clarify what to look for if they are legally netting our bay, or should I get more familiar with the phone number you call when you see suspicious activities on the water.
Scalem
This thread is not intended to be a sledging of commercial netters, I am just interested how to know who these guys are, do others regularly come across them? Apart from the rego I would not know, and if they used the correct signalling to warn a boat they have a net out??? I know now, chalk one up for experience, if I see a similar signal which looked like a flash light aimed at me, I will be more cautious, it could be a commercial netter or someone genuinely in trouble. Can someone clarify what to look for if they are legally netting our bay, or should I get more familiar with the phone number you call when you see suspicious activities on the water.
Scalem