Jeff Morris wrote:

Now that that is cleared up, I'll flip sides! While I've generally been a
strong supporter of the Down East fishing communities, in recent years the
number of lobster pots has increased dramatically. I've heard people being
frustrated by traps in the Chesapeake, where you hardly ever see two within 100
feet;

You haven't been in the Northern Chesapeake Bay. There are some fields
(Middle River, Sassafras, and Bush River) where I often brush traps away
on both sides of our about 6' beam (at the waterline). It's highly
seasonal, though. Between one weekend and the next, hundreds of traps
can be set or pulled.

100' between traps is a real luxury and pretty much rates as open water.

in some parts of Maine (Stonington and Tenants Harbors stand out) there
are fields that have one every 10 feet. One's sympathies start to diminish when
you're trying to maneuver through that. Remember that Down East pots have a
toggle - a second float connected to the first with a 20 foot line that lurks
below the surface, usually down current from the pot. Fortunately my catamaran
can be powered on one engine - its impossible to survive such field with both
engines running.

The other issue I have is with pots in the inner areas of commercial harbors or
marinas.

Thankfully, there's some sort of law on the Chesapeake that eliminates
most floats once into an anchorage and many creeks/rivers. It could be a
variant on Darwin: With the number of boats on the upper Bay, a float in
a marina approach wouldn't last long. As it is, we move 2-3 crab traps a
quarter mile or so elsewhere each season.

--
Jere Lull
Xan-a-Deux ('73 Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD)
Xan's Pages: http://members.dca.net/jerelull/X-Main.html
Our BVI FAQs (290+ pics) http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/