T&T: Rope Cutters

[Jim Ague]

Every time this subject comes up and the posse wearing spurs shows up to 
justify why they have them on, I have to add my two cents.

We didn't use them with our protected single screw Monk 36. For 5 years we 
traveled the East Coast from Ottawa to Sanford and never caught a line.

I think the two worst areas are Chesapeake Bay and Albemarle Sound, 
especially the stretch from Elizabeth City to Alligator River bridge.

Were we lucky? Possibly. Did we use diligence and common sense? You betcha.

(1) Watch how the wind is blowing and the current is flowing. That will let 
you know which way the line drops from the float. (2) The crabbers drop 
their trap is a long line. Look for the line of evenly spaced, same-colored 
floats. This will help you determine a path through or around and a gap in 
the spacing suggests a float might be pulled below the waterline. (3) In the 
Bay stay out of the harvest areas and use the channels set aside for 
boaters, not crabbers. These are marked by small white marked floats.

-- Jim Ague