# Pin Fish Trap Advice!



## deersniper270 (Apr 29, 2009)

Had my trap stolen yesterday near the Archie Glover boat ramp. Been puttin my trap in this spot for for a while now, not near the ramp but in that sound area. 

My question is, is there anything I can do to reduce my chances of it being stolen? I see crab traps with buoys everywhere and nobody takes them. I don't use a buoy so it's not visible but I'm thinking about using one now. Do you think if I did that would make people leave it alone? Of course it would be a buoy similar to the crab trappers but different enough they know it's not theirs. 

What do y'all do? My options are pretty limited to that area and you can't beat some good live pins. I need some advice!


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## ABailey (May 25, 2010)

What I do is not mark it in any way, no buoy or rope. Just send it to the bottom where you can hook it with a gaff. Just remember where it is.


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## deersniper270 (Apr 29, 2009)

I did that in the same spot I've been using for a while now and I added 4 1lb lead weights to the corners just to make sure it stayed put. Went for it saturday and it was gone. Had it marked with a pine tree and even got in the water and walked in straight lines from the shore about 10ft across and out from the shore to where I couldn't touch bottom anymore. There is no way it just washed away. It just sucks that we live in a society where people can't just leave things that aren't theirs alone. And I have it marked with my name and telephone number just incase someone happened upon it they would know it wasn't lost and they would leave it alone or call me to let me come get it if they hooked it by accident. It even said if recovered please call. I'm just trying to figure something out because it was a $35 trap and I don't want to keep throwing away $35. We all know how expensive all our other gear is on top of that. 

So do you not think if I marked it with a buoy like the crabbers do people would just leave it alone? I know its a brutal penalty if you get caught taking someones crab traps. Why would it be any different for a pinfish trap?


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## bigrick (Sep 29, 2010)

tie it up under a semiprivate dock. A condo or something that is private but lots of people live there. Make sure the rope is under the water so no one can see it.


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## nathan70 (Jul 12, 2011)

The only way I know is make sure the rope is below the water line. Put it out right at sunset, pick it up at sunrise. Any longer than that it maybe gone.


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## bigrick (Sep 29, 2010)

hard to catch pinfish in a trap at night, gotta have some light.


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## deersniper270 (Apr 29, 2009)

bigrick said:


> tie it up under a semiprivate dock. A condo or something that is private but lots of people live there. Make sure the rope is under the water so no one can see it.


Wish I had one near where we put the boat in


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## Island24 (May 12, 2008)

I have had two "walk away" and it stinks. I was loading the pinfish in the boat at sun up and then returning to load the trap on my boat after a day of fishing. I have since put them out late afternoon and put them on the boat when I pick them up at sunrise and so far have not lost anymore


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## Stephan Pannell (Jun 1, 2012)

Its a risk you have to take! I throw my trap out at the dock the night before without a bouy and have yet to lose one (hope i didnt jink myself). The only way your gonna lose it is if someone sees you throwing it in the water. Weigh the alternatives--pin fish trap $35 or cigar minnows from the bait boat $40 (depending on number of fishermen). Unfortunately there are people out there that dont care you or me. To bad there's not a pin fish boat out there similar to the cig boat for bait.


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## deersniper270 (Apr 29, 2009)

Yeah I don't buy bait. It only takes a few minutes to load up on threadfins and other bait instead of buying them. There are a few private docks near where I put in. I think I'm gonna go down there and knock on a few doors and just see if anyone would care if I dropped my trap under their dock and tied it off. Maybe someone won't care.


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## Polepos21 (Jul 7, 2009)

What is the best bait to use in your pinfish trap?
We seem to spend more time trying to catch live bait.
What's the best way to catch live baits?


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## johnboatjosh (May 19, 2008)

We had three get stolen while fishing/camping out of rocky bayou last week. Really pisses me off but what ya' gonna do? Sad part is, we actually expected them to get stolen eventually. We usually mark ours with something inconspicuous (sp?) and that seems to help them last a little longer. I just can't understand how something no more valuable than pinfish traps can be such a target of thieves....


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## Capt.Kyle (May 7, 2012)

the laws on robbing or stealing a trap only apply if its a commercial trap


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## deersniper270 (Apr 29, 2009)

Capt.Kyle said:


> the laws on robbing or stealing a trap only apply if its a commercial trap


Really? So if we put a trap out its just finders keepers? That's ridiculous!


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## SquidBrand (Nov 10, 2009)

Ive put pin traps out with no weight and it was there 2 weeks later so it was definitely stolen. Someone stole one of mine last week. I was even close pulling the kids on the tube. I dropped 2 in the water and before I got 30 yards away 2 paddle boarders statrted fooling with them. I WAS LIKE WHAT THE HE//???


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