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South Devon 2017

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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... ...7 1/2 lb ..after finding it in it's lair and a pretty swift and successful full frontal grab ( I was feeling brave !! ) I was on a shore dive and had a bloody long,hard ,slow 300-400 metre swim with the beasty to shore ...exhausting but worth it ...For scale the right (crushing claw ) is next to my size 42 ( 8-9 ) shoe happy days !!!! ...View attachment 43943 View attachment 43944
Excellent! Do you have a float &/or net crab bag on your float? I always take a crab bag with me. I've tried several different designs. Some have handles to help keep the mouth open while you put your crab/lobster in, which is handy. Some also have a canvas section around the entrance, to avoid crabs entangling their feet in the netting - which can save a lot of time and hassle. I found one that is attached to a waist belt (for those with no fear of crabs/lobsters grabbing in that general area!). But I prefer to use a Rob Allen cray bag these days, mainly because it folds up very small small yet has quite a large capacity, the mesh size & stiffness seem just right. They all cause drag when loaded up though, esp. with scallops :)

Spearo Dave used to suggest tying crabs/lobsters up in your float-line if you are not carrying a bag. I think I might opt instead to swim to shore, like Mirror, with such a prize catch though, rather than risk loosing it!

Care to share any further insights on your technique? Do you go out looking for lobster or was this a chance find? Do you use a torch/bait/etc.? I've taken to carrying a torch on my float recently but I usually can't be bothered to get it out and use it - perhaps I am missing a trick. I rarely see lobster & brown crab.
 
Hi , Dai .... I too went to Meadfoot today whilst in the area on motorbike , and saw there was a comp on .... spoke to a few guys ( not many young ones !! ) and as you say very little caught by competitors . good result on the Bass though !! With lobsters you need to be a bit brave and just grab them , bigger ones seem slower I think , but it is amazing how quick they can reverse by using their tails which makes it difficult if they are in a hole . I suspect you are all enthused again now for diving ...Terry ..
Thanks Terry. Good advice on the lobsters, going to have to go for it and grab one. And yes, enthusiasm has resumed!
 
Just a reminder as to the rules on the number of scallops you can take in a day !!! I have been in a few times and the freezer is quite well stocked now ( not much fish though ) and will be out for a serious razor clam session soon as I like to have the 2 together in a meal , although tonight I had cuttlefish as well .... One thing about fish and shellfish is there is a lot of crap ( bones , shells ,guts etc ) to get rid of at times ....Terry ...
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Just a reminder as to the rules on the number of scallops you can take in a day !!! I have been in a few times and the freezer is quite well stocked now ( not much fish though ) and will be out for a serious razor clam session soon as I like to have the 2 together in a meal , although tonight I had cuttlefish as well .... One thing about fish and shellfish is there is a lot of crap ( bones , shells ,guts etc ) to get rid of at times ....Terry ...View attachment 43991
I tried to pry out some razor clams today at Babbacombe. I'm still learning the knack so no clams. I saw a small octopus today too. I didn't realize we got them here.

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Nor did I! Is there a legal/suggested size limit for them does anybody know, or are they all fair game?
I must say that I was keen to watch it rather than eat it, especially as it's the only one I've seen here. It was probably just a bit longer than my hand so it could have been a nice addition to a salad.

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Octopus are very rare in the UK, I think it was in 1962 when we had an exceptionally cold winter and in certain paces even in the South, the sea actually froze over with ice!
Up until then octopus where very common but the cold seemed to completely wipe them out!
Where I live, octopus were so common that people would patrol the beaches at low tide with the intent on killing everyone they found.
The poor creatures would be turned 'in side out' & left on the beach.
People did this to try and keep their numbers down because octopus would enter the fishermen's crab pots & consume the captive crabs & lobsters.
Fishermen often keep a large Bull Huss in the store box to deter octopus.
There is one in our local aquarium that was found in a crab pot earlier this year, so perhaps they are finally making a recovery?
 
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Where I live, octopus were so common that people would patrol the beaches at low tide with the intent on killing everyone they found.
The poor creatures would be turned 'in side out' & left on the beach.

Wow, I didn't know that! Why did people not consume the delicious little buggers atleast? What a waste!
 
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Wow, I didn't know that! Why did people not consume the delicious little buggers atleast? What a waste!
I did read in a coastlife book that there were so many octopi around the channel islands that they had enough to fertilize the fields on some years.

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I did not know we had Octopus in our area , or ever did to be honest , are you certain it was not a cuttlefish ? as I saw a few and took one the other day .
 
I tried to pry out some razor clams today at Babbacombe. I'm still learning the knack so no clams. I saw a small octopus today too. I didn't realize we got them here.

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If you are diving at Babbacombe try to be discreet as the cafe owner and another chap who does diver training there are not keen on spearos killing stuff , especially cuttlefish as the diver trainees like to see them and others film them , and are generally not particularly welcoming to spearos .
 
I did read in a coastlife book that there were so many octopi around the channel islands that they had enough to fertilize the fields on some years.

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Yes indeed! but I am not quite old enough to remember such things.
However I do remember all the stories about the octopus & people really did persecute them!
The problem was not only the profession potters problem but, also virtually every Guernsey man of the time, had a big issue with octopus eating our local delicacy ... the ormer!
The reason we had so many octopi was partly due the abundance of the ormer.
On the big summer spring tides, thousands of folk would descend down the beach armed with a long handled hook, with the soul purpose of killing the enemy!
Yes some were eaten, very slowly stewed, others were kept for bait but in the main they were left on the beach... inside out!
 
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Interesting story! Thanks foxfish! :)
I could live on octopus slow cooked in it's own ink, some vinegar and olive oil, so I would have had the time of my life back then. :)
 
If you are diving at Babbacombe try to be discreet as the cafe owner and another chap who does diver training there are not keen on spearos killing stuff , especially cuttlefish as the diver trainees like to see them and others film them , and are generally not particularly welcoming to spearos .
Well I'm a terrible shot so he has little to fear from me. [emoji1]

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Well I'm a terrible shot so he has little to fear from me. [emoji1]

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I just remembered that I clambered out of the sea carrying a carrier bag, three beer cans, a beer bottle and three water bottles as well as my crab and scallop, so they should be happy with that.

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I did not know we had Octopus in our area , or ever did to be honest , are you certain it was not a cuttlefish ? as I saw a few and took one the other day .
Definitely an octopus. Is there much meat on a cuttlefish?

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Loads mate, obviously depends on its size but, they are mostly around or over 2lb this time of year and at that size you can eat about 80% of it!
However they are a pain to prepare and tricky to cook right.
 
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