The Crab Trap Saga Part IV: An Ending with a Strange Twist

This afternoon I went to Bodega Bay to find out the result of my efforts yesterday.  As I paddled out I was encouraged to see the buoys that I set out yesterday had moved, so the trap must have also moved.  Indeed, when I pulled up the rope it was no longer stuck.  However, as the trap neared the surface I was surprised to see an unfamiliar harness.  The trap was a Danielson all right but it wasn’t mine.  The bait cage was wire but mine had been plastic.  At first I thought that somehow my line had snagged this cage after coming loose from my harness but I saw that the harness had been tied to my line.  The only explanation that I can think of is that someone liked my harness and bait cage better than their own and switched the traps.  (Mine was better because I used brass snaps and a carabiner for quick release and this harness was just tied to the trap).  At least they left me a trap.  Mine also may have had crabs in it; this one didn’t.

How do you know the float and rope were even yours ?!?

-Allen

How do you know the float and rope were even yours ?!?

-Allen

The floats were the same combination of two red-and-white floats and four yellow ones, and the line was the same kind as mine and knotted the way I had knotted it and it was still tied to the line that I had looped around a rock on the jetty with my concrete block tied to it.

If I was on a Jury I'd say your right. It's your line

No positive I.D. (name, phone, D.L.#, etc) and you might have issues if push comes to shove.

How do you know the float and rope were even yours ?!?

-Allen

The floats were the same combination of two red-and-white floats and four yellow ones, and the line was the same kind as mine and knotted the way I had knotted it and it was still tied to the line that I had looped around a rock on the jetty with my concrete block tied to it.

How did you know the float/rope was yours BEFORE you added the extra floats and line to the jetty?  You could have mis-identified the pot to begin with.

-Allen

-Allen

How do you know the float and rope were even yours ?!?

-Allen

The floats were the same combination of two red-and-white floats and four yellow ones, and the line was the same kind as mine and knotted the way I had knotted it and it was still tied to the line that I had looped around a rock on the jetty with my concrete block tied to it.

How did you know the float/rope was yours BEFORE you added the extra floats and line to the jetty?  You could have mis-identified the pot to begin with.

-Allen

-Allen

Seems like EVERYONE use the same red and white buoys. So you should put your name on your buoys for easier identification.

I spray paint my buoys gaudy colors for identification, then write my name and number on it.

How do you know the float and rope were even yours ?!?

-Allen

The floats were the same combination of two red-and-white floats and four yellow ones, and the line was the same kind as mine and knotted the way I had knotted it and it was still tied to the line that I had looped around a rock on the jetty with my concrete block tied to it.

How did you know the float/rope was yours BEFORE you added the extra floats and line to the jetty?  You could have mis-identified the pot to begin with.

-Allen

-Allen

Seems like EVERYONE use the same red and white buoys. So you should put your name on your buoys for easier identification.

I think you are correct.  I thought it was my pot because the float looked like mine and so did the rope, and the float was the closest one to where I had last seen my pot.   I now think that the pot belongs to someone else who left it because they could not free it.  That explains why the harness and the bait box weren't mine.  Tomorrow I will put the pot back and look some more for mine.