Hello All, I’m looking at the actual language of the buoy rules, and they state:

“All crab traps must be marked with a specific sized buoys.  The Main Buoy must be at least 5” in diameter and 11” in length with an additional Red Marker Buoy that is 3” in diameter and 5” in length, attached to main buoy with 3’ of line or less.”

Then, they put up the picture that we have all seen. 

My questions are as follows:

1.  Which take precedence, the language or the picture? 

The reason I ask is that I set up my buoys with a pvc pipe and flag in them.  I put a weight on one side and the flag floats vertically in the water making it much easier to spot when the swells pick up. 

2.   Can I just tie the small 5” buoy to my existing setup with a “line of 3’ or less” and be legal? 

Doing so complies to the language but not the picture.  This is why I’m asking if I can ignore the picture and comply to the language of the regulation.

3.  These regulations are for crab traps.  Are these regulations valid for hoop traps as well?

So, I've been crabbing a few times in Half Moon Bay.  I've found that there's a good amount of time to kill while I let my pots soak.  I'd like to fish while waiting, but I'm way too lazy to paddle all the way to the cans.  I was thinking that the area where I drop my pots is just sandy bottom, there should be sand dabs there. 

Has anyone tried fishing for sand dabs in the shallow areas (~40 feet) in HMB?  Are there any there, or do you have to go to much deeper water (100+ feet) in order to catch sand dabs in the area? 

Sorry if this is a repeat question.  I tried the search bar, but I didn't really find anything that answered my questions above.