lobster pots?

[greg 1]

Any of you guys know what is required to place a lobster pot offshore. Can anyone just drop one out there or is there special licence required. Now a really stupid question? I know nothing about lobstering!! Disclaimer. If i did place one how many lobster do you catch in one pot? are there teritories like crabers in the bay that you should not infringe upon . I was thanking about droping a pot fishing all day and picking it up on the way back in? Is this doable?

[27 sailfish]

For the time and $$ involved just buy some from the guys pulling pots.Each ball is a line of 20-30 traps.A trap might have 1-12 lobsters in it.They soak for a day or two.Alot of work to pull up 300' of rope.Don't know about the law-sure you need some type of permit.

[ragnad]

I had the exact same question, and researched it quite a bit on the 'Net. Every mention of a permit for lobster that I could see was for commercial use. I didn't see anything about 'recreational' lobster potting, or a need for a license.

I know a commercial lobster fisherman, and he makes more money from catching black seabass and tautog in his lobster pots than he does from the lobsters. So a further question arises about whether you could keep fish caught in a lobster pot for personal use.

In VA, a permit for up to 200 pots is less than $40, and is not 'limited' (i.e., anybody can apply and obtain one), but most lobster are to be had in Federal waters, whose permits are distributed by zones and those permits are restricted/limited. Again, these appear to be commercial licenses.

There are also a lot of write-ups about gear types. The big thing appears to be a 'ghost trap' device, which is a panel of a certain minimum size that is affixed with light steel wire or cotton twine so that the panel falls off if the trap is abandoned and allows trapped critters to escape.

I would suspect that a regular crab pot would do just fine as a lobster trap - perhaps with widened funnels. I also suspect that a couple of days soak would be needed to give them time to get in.

My conclusion was a clear and unequivocal 'I don't know' when I looked into whether I was allowed to set a lobster pot in Federal waters. I couldn't even figure out who to ask.

[usual suspects]

mark your pot with your registration #'s and the trap must have vent sizes similar to seabass regs.I contacted everyone on this,there is no real 'rec' law as long as you dont keep undersize bugs.3 1/4 carapace length

[Ancient Mariner]

Hi:
Depends on what state your launching and retrieving in.
Conn and N.Y. allow 10 pots per person as of 2004. Don't know if any changes were made to that.
I do know that you must have a registratioon number on your Ball or hi flyer.
If you do pot, then be aware of the amount of time and effort incolved. You should have the equivalent amount of line between pots as the depth your in. You should have a pot hauler AND a aluminum arm to hang the line from.
BE AWARE that when the line scoots overside, YOU HAD BETTER BE AWAY from the line, OR your LOBSTER BAIT. MMMMMM.
A single pot on a Ball or flyer will walk on you. To catch, that pot MUST stay stationary for at least 24 hours. Wire pots catch better than wood. Why? Wood retains air and bleeds bubles. Not good for Lobster. SO u must let it SOAK for quite a while. LOST TIME.
Put 5 in a drag and your in business. Be aware that you might have 'SILENT PARTNERS'. I had a shotgun answer to one group of guys who like my lobsters.
If u do pot, then get the MACKEREL, BUNKER, or that artificial bait(treated animal skins) for bait. Be aware that when two or more lobsters get into a pot, the biggest will try and eat the others.
WACKM N STAKM
Joseph B...aka...Ancient Mariner