Using Lobster Pots & What I Can Keep?

[MartinTee]

I have managed to get two lobster pots from friends of my parents so when I go travelling to Scotland I intend to take them out in to the ocean and use them to see what I can catch.

I was wondering how I should be using the pots? I know i'll be putting bait inside of them, but what type of bait? how much?

I know they need weights to hold them down and I have that sorted, I have a few KG's of lead block and about 6kg of lead shot of which I can put in to packets to hold it down too. Will this be enough?

I don't plan on putting a buoy on to it, any reasons I should? As I'm only going to be putting them no more than 50 yards out from the coast inbetween kelpy and rocky areas on patches of sand. I'll also be going no deeper than about 10m, is this ok to catch lobster?

Anything else I need to know, like what I can keep? Male, female, how big do they need to be etc?

My plan is to take the two out on a surf board and simply drop them in and then come back the next day or later on that day if I do it in the morning... Maybe it will be a good idea if I do put lines on them with buoys so I don't have to dive down for them and can sit on the board and pull them up.

 

[Jonny250]

if your spearfishing then just use the carcass of a fish as bait.
if your putting the pots in between rocks then use enough weight to hold them; if you put them in the tide you will need more, if you put them in the tide AND put a bobber on then you will need more again.
dont know what it will be like there, but probably the biggest rick to your pots will be from other fishermen, try and find a patch of rock that isnt being fished already, i.e. no local turf. no bobber would be better for this, obviously...

 

[e.m.p!]

I just know the rules for New Zealand, but if you don't put a buoy with your contact details on it you'll be fined big time (makes it easier to find too). you'll need to check the pot every 24h otherwise the beasts start to munch on themselves (and you'll get a hefty fine).
Pack as much fishy and meaty stinky stuff as fits in there - it needs to look like McDonald's to them.
getting weighted and baited pots out on your surfboard is very ambitious - kayak is bare minimum me thinks. Ask your local fisheries officer to avoid surprises and good luck…

 

[Mr. X]

I recommend that you fit a bright-colored buoy to each lobster pot - alternatively you could share a single buoy between 2 if they are both attached to the buoy or to each other. Re-locating pots can be harder than you might think, even with a buoy - esp. if the sea is choppy. Yes, it mechanically aids recovery too, even when you are in the water diving. I found my buoy but you can make them out of old plastic bottle (probably easier to attach to if they have a handle) if you don't want to invest a lot of money in this. I painted mine to make it easier to see.

BTW I use (& recommend) thick, cheap, orange strimmer line (2mm+ diameter) to hold my buoys: I find its stiffness makes it easier/tidier to deal with - less tangle-prone than many other options, easy to see and strong. The thinness also means they cause less drag on the pot than thicker alternatives. I mushroom each end of the thick monofilament with a lighter, then thread the line through buoy/pot & splice the loops in the end with wrapping-cord & then superglue the splices. I've made my own wooden line-winders to keep the line tidy in the water - you can include a handle and/or hole for a lanyard if you like (small & simple works well for me, not too short though).

Bait: I don't think lobsters are that fussy - Omega3 reckons they are like rats in Scotland! I generally use old fish offcuts (e.g. mackerel/bass/mullet heads & guts) which I store in the deep freeze for this purpose, cheapest tinned sardines available. The most effective thing I've used is ballan wrasse offcuts - perhaps closest to what the local lobsters get to eat naturally (seen local pros use this too - although mainly, I suspect, because there is not market for this fish). I've read that limpets can be effective.

Let us know how you get on, and what works/doesn't work for you

 

[SurfnSpear]

2 lobster take here in Cornwall, 90mm Carapace length (see measurement technique).
I believe Scotland is 87mm CL, but not sure of take limit, but non-commercial 'vessels' I think 5 lobbies.
Do not take berried (eggs) lobster.

 

[denian]

I would say yes to marking your pots even with short small float 1-2 m long .with changeing tides and viz its very hard to find pots in 4 m of water !even if you have placed them between other easy referance points.you will be very supprise what ends up in or around your pots/traps.