Posted by Eric S on February 17, 2002 at 20:47:31:
What to do when it's to rough to dive? hmmm.
I was thinking about this question one day while eating a breadbowl full of chowder sitting at Lucas wharf in Bodega Bay staring out at all the crab pots stacked up on the landing.
The ocean had been trashed for months now and it had been quite some time since I had gotten wet.
I just liked to get out to the coast once in a while to at least see it and inhale some salt air.
I wandered over to the pots and began to examine how they were made. They were obviosly hand made, probably by the crabber, and the construction was very simple.
It dawned on me that this would be a great thing to do when the ocean is not suitable for diving, ...go crabbing. Later, I got curious and went and priced some commercially made pots at an outdoor pro shop and the prices were prohibitive. So, I got a list together of the materials I saw used on the pots at the wharf and went shopping.
Basically the whole frame is made out of regular 1/2" Re-Bar. there are 2 hoops (I made mine 24" for convenience, the commercial ones are huge). Then you have 10" uprights that serve also as the entrance to the trap doors. The trap doors have to receed into the frame a ways so that the crab will have trouble finding it from the inside. They are not all that bright and tend to always go to the farthest outer point to find a way out. The whole frame is welded together and wrapped with rubber innertube that I got for free and sliced up into 1" strip. Next, I wove the frame with stainless mig welding wire, bottom , sides , top, entrance to trap doors. The top lid is a half hoop with two large washers welded onto the ends and two bolts that go through the washers and get welded to the top frame. The top lid is woven same as the rest. I made food cages out of some 1/2" square galvanized small animal fencing that hang in the center of the trap. For the trap door I found some 1/8" stainless rod that I wound around the top of the enrance door in such a way that when a crab crawls in, the rods push out of the way then fall back against the frame preventing the crab from making an escape. 200 feet of 3/8"line on each one and a $4.99 float and we're ready to roll!
Well, Many hours later and some very sore fingers from weaving SS wire and I have 5 beautiful brand new crab pots. I went and tried these things I made and they work pretty darn good.
Now, I can still get out on the ocean even though it's a little rough and get some grub. When I'm really busy and may not have a whole day to dedicate to recreation, I'll sometimes take a few hours in an afternoon, run out there, drop them. Next morning, run out and pick them up.
Were going to take the pots with us even when we go diving. We'll drop them on the way out, do our diving. then pick them up on the way home. Hey a few fresh crabs and a beer after a day of North Coast diving sounds damn good to me!