Posted by Rich K on March 14, 2005 at 16:43:01:
My buddy Joe and I ran over to the island for the last weekend of bug season, I had filed a multi day permit so we were ready to load up. We were going to work on a very specific area towards the eastern part of the island that I had seen large numbers of large bugs the last time over, with team work we might be able to get a few, yeah well they would have had to have been there first. So we split up and worked a few out on the way back to the boat. Went back in the same general area for a pre dawn run going to look for halibut at the same time, so I'm heading out over the sand scanning ahead for flatties and I come up on an illegal lobster trap sitting in about 20 ft. of water {100 yrds. due south of Hen Rock} so I cut the marker off opened and set free 42 lobster ranging from 3 lbs to legals, very few shorts. I then smashed closed all of the passages and pinned the door back closed so no one can get back in. I'm sure that whoever is managing this trap will fix it and start it up again, but I had to do something. Oh, and for those of you who wonder if I really "set free" the catch, yes I did that just did'nt seem right, I don't need bugs bad enough to shop um. So then saturday night went looking in a different area at about 70 ft. this reef had what had to be thousands upon thousands of blacksmith jambed into every crack and hole {no room for lobster here} so I went into the shallows and managed to grab a few for an even dozen. water temps. were great at 60 degrees and vis was about 40 ft at 70 and 10 ft at 10. Now it's time to shift to freediving for WSB. Have Fun, Richard