how do you attach float to crab pots?

[Sea-Dog]

On round crab pots, I have tried a single attachment point and of course the pot comes up on an ideal angle for a crab to find its way out of one of the entrances.

I thought I might try making a 3 or 4 point harness - so the pot comes up flat and level.

This way must minimise the possibility of escapees on the trip to the surface.

How do you folks attach float lines?

[madkeen_fisherkid]

On round crab pots, I have tried a single attachment point and of course the pot comes up on an ideal angle for a crab to find its way out of one of the entrances.

I thought I might try making a 3 or 4 point harness - so the pot comes up flat and level.

This way must minimise the possibility of escapees on the trip to the surface.

How do you folks attach float lines?

mate i would go with the 3 point harness if you really wanted to.

it also depends on what type of pots you have, if they are highly expensive $50 - $60 pots then the chances of them getting out are highly doubtful.

but howver the cheaps $10 pots, crabs can probabyl get out of, one day i chucked an old bcf pot in a local creek, when i was pulling it up watched a decent crab just go straight out of the whole .

hope i helped a bit

daniel

[garman1]

I use 4 pickup points on the circumference of the pot, then bring them all up together then use a snap clip which when it all balances gets cable tied underneath the actual clip, so it all stays put and remains evenly balanced. I don't use stainless clips but wash the pots when I get home and then spray the snap clip with whatever you have at home ...wd40 etc. I know s/s is better but expensive if the pot gets knocked off.

The pots fold down a lot flatter when you can take the floats off........ the snap clips makes this job quick and easy. Oh I spliced an eye in the rope going up to the float............... use a thimble if you want to make it look good but not really necessary...again cost etc. Where the 4 ropes meet the top ring of the pot, wire or cable tie them so they don't slip around if you want to be extra sure.

Also use floats that allow you to lock the wound up rope securely as nothing is as irratating as having rope come off the float when it is in the boat, guaranteed to tangle up into a knot for sure.

Not sure if anyone else uses this idea or not but works for me.

[trueblue]

http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/sho...183#post942183

check out my last post in that thread (#15). lots of photos of my system

I use a 2 leg bridle that is centred for my small pots and a 4 way bridle for the really big crab'n'gear pots

have a look at the photos and then shoot a PM if you are interested in dropping around for a beverage and have a look at my system.

there is a bit of set up the way I do it, but it really pays off in the user freindly stakes afterwards

cheers

Mick

[Sea-Dog]

Thanks for the offer Mick, I will keep it in mind.

Thanks to others for the info

What knot do you use for attaching the bridle to the pot so that it doesn't slip around?

I have tried the Buntline hitch and it seems to work OK. I would like to use a knot that "bites" in a bit more though.

I currently have fairly long ropes attached to my floats. Each float rope is terminated by a thimble and small shackle.

I have tied a dropper loop about a Metre below the float. I have attached a small snapper lead to each dropper so the rope stays at least 1M below the surface.

I also gather up excess rope and use large elastic bands around the excess to stop it floating around and getting in the way.

I thought about tying dropper loops every couple of metres as a means of shortening the rope as appropriate to water depth. The idea was to join the loops via a shackle.

It just looks too messy though.

I like the idea of having different lenghs of rope available but space may be an issue.

I may go with the idea by "TheRealAndy" in the thread mentioned in TrueBlue's post. He uses 4 Metre ropes and can extend them if necessary.

Cheers, Ross.

[trueblue]

G'day Ross

I often go in deeper water, and I always add at least 5 metres of rope to the depth. I add much more to the depth in really deep water, as well as more floats.

The clip I use sits 18" below the water, and that keeps the rest of the rope under the surface just nice, no need for a lead sinker in my case to achieve that.

I also use 8 - 12 pots at a time (2 to 3 people) and ropes become an issue if attached to the pots - hard to handle and keep from being tangled. This way the bridle is the only thing I have attached to my pot.

i also change the depth that I crab in, so i need to be able to use different rope lengths, because I hate having to tie knots when dropping pots, and have loose extra lengths of rope to deal with and keep away from propellors

This is why I chose to make at least 8 of each length of rope that I commonly use, and to roll them onto cable drums. I grab the right length of cable dependant on the exact depth, how much current there is, etc, etc.

For the bridle:

a two leg bridle.
cut off a sufficient length of rope for the bridle and tie a figure 8 knot in the middle, to create a loop about 5" long. if you don't know the figure 8 knot, just do a single overhand knot (loosley referred to as a granny knot) - it won't come undone and does not need to.

Hold the loop in the centre of the pot and as high you want it. hold one leg of the bridle out to the edge of the pot to 'mark' it and then tie a normal clove hitch

Then tie off another clove hitch on the other side and pick the pot upby the bridle loop to determine if it will pick up level or not. Tie the bridle knots away from the joiner in the pot hoop. adjust the knots as required.

Once it is level and you are happy with the position, loosen the clove hitch a little and put a dob of sikaflex of non acetic cure silicone under the knot and tighten. Pick up and check for level again

Small diameter nylon or poly propylene ropes are slippery and like to come undone, so then do another half hitch onto the pot hoop in addition to the clove hitch, then do a half hitch safety onto the rope itself. Then using a 'fid' or marlin spike or whatever, open up the rope and push the tail under one lay of the bridle rope. Cut off the tail about 2" long, and then zip tie or wire wrap it to the bridle rope. A fancier alternative to the tie wrap or wire wrap, is to use a heat shrink sleeve over the tail, but you have to put the sleeve on before tying the bridle to the pot hoop.


For a 4 leg bridle, do exactly the same but twice, and connect your rope to both of the bridle loops. You just need to be careful to make the second bridle loop longer then the first one to make it sit nicely. Fairly easy though.

clear as mud I guess...............

Won't ever move, and won't ever come undone. Sounds complicated, but isn't. Takes about 5 or 6 minutes to do.


Cheers

Mick

[trueblue]

hey Ross

How did you go?

cheers

Mick

[Sea-Dog]

G'day Mick,

I tried using a two-leg bridle setup.

It seems to work OK. It was a quick setup option whilst on holidays in Burrum Heads.

Alas, no crabs and few fish.

I will have to polish up on my techniques.

I set the pots about twenty feet out from the river bank and only ended up with a big green toad-fish in the pots.

Others suggested that I should have placed the pots only a few feet from the bank.

The water depth was 14 feet where I sunk the pots and this has worked OK for me in the Logan previously.

I suppose its a case of horses for courses eh?

Cheers, Ross.