Conference wahoo::fishing

    I really feel for you guys every time I go to pull my pots and find
    that the bouy has been cut off buy a prop, Even had a fish hook
    go thru my hand this summer that had been caught in the warp.
    
    I've run over my share of bouys with the boat and have cut them
    off also. So I know what it's like on both sides of the fence.
    
    It all boils down to- There are a lot more boaters than there were
    10 to 15 years ago and the pie is only so big, Everybody wants a
    share. 
    
    Mass is not issueing any more commercial inshore lobster lic, only
    offshore. Then non-commercial lic is restricted to 10 pots.
    
    I get more bug diving in one day than I do out of the pots all year
    so here's your chance. I have 5 pot's last count on saterday, I'll
    sell them all to anyone bouys and all for $125. Any takers?
    
    If you want to avoid pot's just run out a ways. They most
    non-commercials don't have haulers and won't put pots in water over
    100 ft deep, Just too much work to hand over hand them up.
    
    P.S. Where did you loose all the tackle? I seldom find tackle when
    out diving? Just golfballs. ( Divers can relate)
    
                                            Walt
    

	I agree with (.1) there are just a lot more people out there today
then there was just a few years ago.  In my opinion, everyone has the right
to use the water for boating, fishing, lobstering, diving or whatever.  I guess
the ocean just isn't a big as it used to be and we all have to learn to live
with it.  I also troll out there and if you want to fish in the pots, then
you've got to take the risk of getting hung up.  I boat out of the Merrimack
and yes there are a lot more traps out there, but if you pay attention to where
you are trolling, yiouy shouldn't get hung up to often.  You did ask for others
opinions.

	RE (.1) - I dive also and where do all the golf balls come from.  I
usually dive off of Salisbury and/or Rockport, and I'll bet that I've found at
least a dozen golf balls in the past two seasons.  Do they grow on the ocean
floor?????

	"De-Fish-Mented" Dave

    I lost most of my tackle off the Green harbor Plymouth area. As
    far as running out aways to avoid the area , I only have a small
    boat, and am not planning to to lose sight of land to try and
    avoid the pots. I hear what you guys are saying about ,,,more and
    more boats and everyone has a right to some of the ocean....but
    the point is....I think if the amount of traps has increased...
    what will it be in another 10 years? I think controlled areas
    is the only way to fly to assure some turf for the sportsman...
    
    You got me on the golfballs, unless they float for awhile....

    I started out with 6 pots this spring and am down to 4. One was
    hung on the bottom while the other some #### cut off. This pot was
    well away from any channel. As a fisherman and a non commercial
    lobsterman I have been on both sides also. I have only lost one
    plug in three years to a pot warp, the reason is I am very careful
    and know better. If you hook up a large blue in a mazed of pots
    he is bound to wrap himself up so why fish there? There are alot
    of pots around but most by shore or around an offshore ledge.
    I would love have my $40 back that the guy cut off on me, that
    is alot more than I will lose in plugs or jigs in 5 years. The
    only restriction I would like to see is a ban on pots inside
    channels, these are hazards to navagation. Otherthan
    that the lobster guys have every right to fish where there are
    lobsters just as we have every right to fish where there are
    fish and we msut coexist the best we can.
    
    Bruce

    Good Point Bruce.
    Let's rally to Ban Pots from Navigation Channels, It's bad enough
    in the daylight but when running at night it's impossible to go
    around all the pots.
    Most Divers will get BIG bucks to unrap a line from a prop, Some
    people will need to be towed.
    
    It's a hazzard! Just picture having a warp wrap up your screw as
    you go out the mouth of the Merrimack. Sound great eh?
    
    Golf Ball's are a natural sea product, Contrary to popular belief.
    Such big name's as Spaulding and Titleist( Came from the word Tidal)
    have aquacultue gardens in the sargarsso sea. Naturely some ball's
    excape the breeding beds and float in the Gulf stream, Comming to
    rest along our coast. I've found well over 5,000. Glof balls over
    the years and have a fine collection of differant specimens.
    For more information contact the Woods hole observeratory in Mass.
    they will send you free information about this phenomenon.
    
                               Tell em Walt Sent you.

    I think that someone claimed salvage rights to all my pots,under
    the guise of last weeks noreaster. I can se loosing a couple but
    not being able to find any in any condition? C'mon.
    
    So much for my short unsucessful try with pots. From now on I'll
    dive for bugs.

    Have you checked the beach??? Depending on where they were, sand
    or rocks, I'm sure they moved during the storm last week. The wind 
    at my house was gusting close to 40 knots. If they landed on the
    beach I'm sure someone is making them into coffee tables. You may
    want to check the local police stations, the may have been dropped
    off there. You also checked south of the area you set them in, for
    a few miles?
    
    Steve

    RE .6
           Can you claim them on your insurance somehow? Those babies
    are not cheap are they? ie; stolen?
                                              NIGHTCRAWLER~~~~~~~~

    Normally I would have to claim the traps as Capital Equip as there
    ptrojected life is plus 1 yr. However they have now fallen into
    the relm of expendible supplies. As has a few doz. norway jigs,
    line and much other terminal gear.
    
    Unfourtanlly they where not insured, I don't know of anyone who
    would insure traps, or tackle? It's a real high risk item and Im
    sure the rate's would be outragous!
    
    I'll just chalk it up as another of life's "Hidden bummer factors"
    
    P.S. They were green wire with yellow/white bouy's # 8409 on each
    if anyone falls acroos one? 
    
                                             Walt
    

    YO WALT,
             I know of several people who have had tackle ripped off.
    They all claimed it on their homeowners policy. The ins. co. likes
    pictures but does not require it. I am sure you can photograph some
    tackle somewhere.....just a thought.
                                             NIGHTCRAWLER~~~~~~~~

I am amazed at the number of poorly identified hardly visible lobster
trap buoys there are around. My boat was docked in Harwichport this
past season and I was constantly worried about wrapping my prop.

Question...I have heard there is a gadget that can be mounted somewhere
near the prop that is razor sharp, that will easily cut a line wrapped
around a place it doesn't belong.

If you know anything about this prop saving device PLEASE let me know where
I can get one.  I have nothing against lobsters or their capters or for
that matter their eaters...my only issue is the poorly visible buoys.

thanks,

Carl

    Carl,
    
    I recall seeing ads for something called a "Weed Shark" that fits
    your description.  Look through the back of a couple current boating
    magazines.  I'm not sure how it does on rope; I'd love one for the
    times I've tried trolling from the front deck and wrapped my own
    line around my own prop ;-).
    
    Steve

Steve,

I believe the Weed Shark is designed primarily for mounting on electric 
motors.  Its purpose is to cut up weeds, pads ,etc so that they don't foul 
up the prop.  Even if it is razor sharp, I doubt that it would cut anchor 
line before it got fouled up in the prop.

Joe

    They're called spurs. I haven't been able to find out the
    manufacturer's name. If I find out, I'll post it here. They are
    illegal in Maine, I don't know about Mass.
    
    The Doctah

    
    
    		Spurs Marine Mfg. Inc.
    		P.O. Box 350246
    		Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. 33335
    		305-464-2707
    		800-824-5372 outside Fl.
    
    		Price for outboards/io's	$169.00
    
    Steve

    I'm going to put some spurs on Rainbow Chaser this winter , I may
    be able to get a discount if we can get enough interested people
    to make a quanity purchace. Anybody interested?
    
    Mark- Where did you hear they were illeagal in Me. ?? I wonder how
    anybody would know if you were running them? Besides the line of
    cut off bouys.
    
                                                Walt
    

    re: spurs illegal in Me
    
     I read it in an issue of Saltwater Sportsman. I also confirmed
    it with a captain in Me. Paul- what have you heard?
    
    The Doctah

    Doctah,
    	I'll have to plead ignorance. I never heard of the law. I'll
    try to dig up some info at home tonight. I've got a Maine Fishing
    Regulations book and I'll see what it says. 
    Paul

    Doctah,
    	I haven't been able to dig up anything on the spurs. One person
    here said that he saw them at a booth in the Portland boat show
    so they are selling them even if they are illegal.
    Paul

Thanks for all this good advice.

I am interested in purchasing this prop saver if someone puts a deal
together.  I plan on contacting the manufacturer (Spurs Marine) and
requesting specs...need to insure it is easy to install on my outdrive.

I will publish specs here when I get them.

Carl

I requested and received literature from:
	
	SPURS MARINE MANUFACTURING
	P.O. BOX 350246
	FT. LAUDERDALE, FL	33335

	800-824-5372

Their literature represents what looks like a fine product.

Claims:	

A line, net and weed cutter for inboard/outboard and outboard engines.

The cutter has three rotating blades and one stationary blade, which cut 
monofilament and dock lines, leader wires, weeds, etc., with each 
revolution of the prop shaft.

The cutter fits on any prop shaft, so now every boater can take advantage 
of this unique solution to an age old problem.

The super-hardened ( I question this aspect) stainless steel blades, which 
never need resharpening, cut in both forward and reverse.

Cost:	$169.00 each for all I/O and 150+ HP outboards.

Fitting and installation:

The manufacturer requires exact measurements be taken of shaft and other 
critical dimensions.  They provide worksheets for this purpose.  
Additionally for some I/O's & Outboard props they require some physical 
machining of the prop itself.

A bit more complex than I envisioned.  I do however, like the concept and 
intend on contacting my marina to see if they will tackle the job.

Seems like a cheap price to pay for total relaxation out on the water when 
those lobster trap mines appear.  (Assuming I can get it done for $300 or 
less.)


Comments welcome...anyone still interested in a volume purchase?

Carl

We were fishing for scup in the Sakonnet River this weekend, when my nephew
reeled in his line to check his bait. His seaworm was in the process of being
eaten by what looked like a lobster tail. About 8" long, almost an inch thick,
segmented just like a lobster's tail. About the color of an uncooked shrimp.
No claws. Flippers on one end similar to a lobster, and flat arms at the 
other end. Eyes like a lobster, and stubby antennae about 2" long. This thing
looked exactly like the tail from a bumblebee lobster!

Could this be what a "Rock African Lobster" or Langostino looks like?

Any ideas?

Art

 I believe that there's a jumbo shrimp.

Well, I thought about that. It did not have a shrimp-like head, nor shrimp-like
legs. Where the cross-section of a shrimp is oval, with the longest dimension
of the oval being vertical, this was horizontal, like a lobster tail. 

        /^\                    ------
       |   |                 /        \   just under 1" thick
       |   |                 ww-------ww
        www                  
                              2-1/2" wide    ...and about 7 or 8" long

      shrimp                unknown thingy

The shell felt like a shrimp, and was sort of transparent. The body was jointed
like a shrimp tail or lobster tail, but there was no real body or carapace; 
The entire thing looked jointed. 

Now I wish I had saved it. Someone hooked it up for bait.

    I have seen these things while crabbing at low tide in Marion, MA.
    
    One of the locals called them "mantis shrip", due to the praying
    mantis-like legs underneath the front. My guess is that they are
    one of two things, either a not-so-common type of crustacean, or
    a lobster in an early stage of development. Crustaceans such as
    crabs and lobster go through many stages of development, where the
    younger stages bear little resemblence to the mature stages.
    
    In past years, I would only see about 1 per year. This year, I have
    already seen a few. Maybe this is  something is making a comeback?
    
    While I have been curious about this, I haven't given it much thought
    when I was away from the water to investigate.
                              
    -- Kevin Phillips

    It sounds like you folks have identified the beast correctly
    but I believe the name is "Manta Shrimp"....Manta from greek,
    latin, french italian or swaheli meaning very big.
    
    /brett
    

    Mebbe teenage mutant shrimps frum Cheerynobel???
    
    Don chere we used to get dem Cuban Rock Lobsturs. Dey wuz so big dey
    made dem Main ones look lak mud bugs, but since Mr Castrol took ober we
    don get dem some more.
    
    Me, I don lak lobsturs, I'd ruther have mud bugs.
    
    Coonass

Re: .26

You hit the nail on the head! I didn't mention the praying-mantis-like forelegs
in my original entry (don't know why) but that's exactly what this had.

Coonass, if you could grow mudbugs this big just a few would make a meal!

My son is a microbiology major at UNH and hasn't come across anything like
this. I tried to get him interested in doing some research on it, but he
has other things to do. Studying, every night. Honest.

Sure. 

    I consulted with Mr. Webster regarding these creatures.  He had
    an entry for Mantis Shrimp, which described it as a "burrowing
    crustacean". The description referrenced the "Squilla"
    
    The Squilla is defined as "any of various burrowing marine crustaceans
    of the order Stomatopoda, having a pair of jointed appendages. 
    also called mantis shrimp, Mantis Crab..."
                                          
    It sounds like this is our beast.
    
    -- Kevin.
             

    re: .30
    
    Well having a degree in Oceanography, I'd like to say that I've
    wasted my money.  :-)
    
    I humbly stand corrected.
    
    /brett
    
    Have you guys seen the size of those Mantis Rays?????