Protecting CRAB Pots From POACHERS, Boat Camping Mission - Catch & Cook

After an unsuccessful mud crab mission last week and what looked to be raided crab pots, I decided to camp out with the pots to make sure they were not tampered with again. Turned out to be a fun trip and great catch and cook.
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[@cjod33]

Had to do the same when a Cray pot of mine was being poached. Ended up being one of the local pro's from Patonga. I camped in the bush and got him on video pulling my pot. Once I'd caught him in the act and got him on film, I broke Cover yelled out to him and let him know. He tried to claim it was a mistake 😂. Fisheries certainly didn't think he pulled my pot by mistake when I sent them a copy. Believe me, it's worth your while to get them on film. Big fines etc , especially if you're a pro. 😂

[@davodinkum9090]

That is what I really love watching your channel for rod. You are always thinking about other people so much and doing your part for looking after mother nature. I also love how much of a family man you are,

[@leonardomangiagalli5369]

Came upon your feeds while watching other “survival” fishing shows. Your content is great, I enjoy your conversation. There is no bragging, theatrics or any pretence. Great videos, great content, love it. Liked and subscribed. You deserve a far better following. Got to get that algorithm working

[@jlush444]

Seriously Rod. What a breakfast. Doing it tough out there. Well worth the hard night’s sleep on the water.

[@tiffanyv2212]

I love how excited you get when you hear the fish slapping behind you. I couldn't take my eyes off the crab while your heads on swivel lol. Love it ty

[@tobyneill21]

Female crabs have very sharp bits on their claws. They are absolute masters at cutting an chopping that cheaper thin meshed pots. Especially if the have an enough time to do so ( like overnight) they get very angry at night time.. Iv seen it a million times people complain “their pots have been raided” when actually the crabs have cut them selfs out.. need thicker meshed pots. Or wire pots. (If you use wires pots, over time you will see parts of the water that gets crushed inwards by the crabs claws) as it shows the power and how easy it would be for them to cut an break that really thin mesh of cheap pots.

[@rokkitkit]

Yea I think I might look into some better pots for sure👍

[@meturns4666]

You know your a true blue fisho, when you put down your fresh caught, fresh cooked chilli mud crab to chase the trevally busting up .Love your work Rod cheers from Melbourne mate 👍.

[@nigebkk]

A freind of mine had a bit of grief with the trap raptors on his lobster pots back in the Uk many years ago. What he did was embed upside down fish hooks in the hauling line.They only got pulled once after that. Lesson taught !

[@bentea4776]

Problem with that is fisheries sometimes pulls pots to make sure the pot itself is tagged (required here). I havent heard of it happening but if they got a booby trap hook in them I reckon you would be getting a call. They should be policing the pot thieves more heavily and setting up stings in bad areas as well as publicly naming and shaming any they caught.

[@RealNickTheCoolest]

Booby traps of pretty much any kind are illegal in the US unfortunately and if someone cut their hand on a hook and could prove it’s your pot you could go to jail. I had a car stolen from work and was gonna attach razor blades under the door handle on my next car but the police informed me I would instantly go to jail for doing that. Seems criminals have more rights than law abiding citizens these days.

[@nigebkk]

@@RealNickTheCoolest Saddest part about that scenario is that, They would be admitting to stealing by proving it's Your pot and then you get jailed for it. Sad times indeed.

[@serenepeacefulrelaxingmusi3874]

That's a real man's way of thinking. That he wants to take something home for the family so they get to share in the joy. 😀 Nice! Awesome video, Rod. 😀

[@chipguy11]

Wow! I have been enjoying Rocket Rod videos every Saturday morning with my 6 am coffee in eastern Washington state US! It’s beautiful there! Super video again!! Thanks!

[@johnpenney7623]

Honestly mate - how has your account not taken off yet. You should be getting millions of hits and subscribers! Google must have it in for you!

[@Arandolor]

38:14 Never apologize for slurping Rod!!! Means the food is good.😁

[@TheTwister386]

Found your channel during covid. Was the only thing keeping me going while in lock down. Youve come a long way! so happy for you. thanks for such great content!

[@peteyphresh86]

nice transition dropping the crab pot in the water 👍

[@billmccabe6188]

Fran has turned into a great outdoor survivalist.

[@bouttimefishingadventures]

I have cut someone’s pot before as they left it out of water on low. A bird was caught inside of it and most certainly would’ve drowned. That may perhaps been the case with you too - unlikely but just a thought

[@debramage739]

Nice work Rod, so pleased no thieves around 😊

[@skylac8839]

that travely if tea leaf one best eating fish in the sea freash in my books beautiful

[@kelsea6591]

The underwater shot at about 28 minutes in was really cool! Keep up your commentary and easygoing nature mate!

[@robertbailey2342]

I live on the coast of Maine and many many people love our lobsters but truth be told I'd take crab over that everytime!! Much love from the coast of Maine 🤙

[@Cruzinaussies]

Fish heads will nearly always scare crabs of. Notice the one with the head had not one crab!

[@davelester1985]

Lights attract even more mosquitos, so good it was not on.

[@markg7508]

How’s the sail boat? We haven’t seen that in a while

[@jasongillanders1962]

It's hard not to laugh when you say you wanna catch crabs lol

[@preztrigger]

this title is glowing with Tom and Jerry vibes, can't wait to watch it all

[@drewk3646]

Love your videos! They're bursting at the seems with practical knowledge, delivered with tasty meals and a seemingly boundless positive attitude. 🤙

[@cakesnipher7024]

I am so glad you got to get some muddies this time. While I waited for this upload I went and rewatched some of your older mud crab vids like the one with you and Timmy back in the day. Thanks for the hard work and effort as always.

[@dylanwilliams3807]

Best crab pots that are still pretty cheap (around $30ea) are the 24 ply mesh 4 entry wilson pots. Add some telstra rope wrapped around the metal rings and they last pretty good. Or just spend around $60-90 ea for some of the good hd/pro ones.

[@takura13]

I know its not like this all the time, but your videos make it look like a paradise. I would love nothing more than to spend a month fishing and camping in Australia

[@dgib1694]

Yes, putting the tent straight to get room over your head would be a great improvement. Perhaps sewing mosquito net on the sides as well?

[@Tongelyeo]

Hi. In Asia when we catch crabs, we use really stinky bait, eg decomposed fish heads. Crabs are scavengers. They like stinky bait. Try it out.

[@beachhermit7171]

Mate! You need a “Kamp-rite kamp cot”. Made in the USA. Would fit in your boat. Compact. Insect proof. Can open on all sides with screens. Has a fly. Off the ground. I use mine all the time here in TAS. Quality piece of gear!

[@beachhermit7171]

Expensive but really awesome quality.

[@cakesnipher7024]

​@@beachhermit7171How much do they run for? Might ship him one if the price range is decent.

[@beachhermit7171]

@@cakesnipher7024 they are going for about $330 in Australia. Expensive. But you won’t have to buy another ever.

[@LockesMusicBox]

Cheers from Canada bud! We have 2 feet of snow on the ground currently. The water and those beaches look surreal and a sight for very soar eyes. Keep up the amazing content! Been a subscriber for several years now and you never fail to release great videos 👍

[@brucedeleon9103]

Good to see ya Mate .Good you took the Boat out .

[@albieapiatawebsitebuilder7872]

Its a nice change to see some action closer to your home stuff, the remote island travel is cool but this is a nice change 👌👍

[@asintonic]

WOW awesome video, i love sleeping on a boat during the rain. Good man sharing your harvest. that underwater cam showed us what really happened. Those crabs said what!? this thread! snip snip. ? the animals that did snip the pots were the intended target!???

[@byronbandit605]

The eagle is a human kid, most likely early teen.

[@aliceduser6347]

I reckon someone stealth dived in overnight and put those crabs in your pot :)

[@desertfairychickres4021]

Lol

[@andrewpolzin8489]

Great video Rod. U always manage to put a smile on my face no matter how I'm feeling. Would love to see Rockit Kat Ray out on the boat in a harness😂 that would be so funny. He could taste test the cook up. The crab dish looked phenomenal ❤

[@balthiousdire6795]

nice day m8 thanks for taking me out again see you next week o/

[@jasonbarreto8020]

The real world, Steve irwin such amazing material you deserve a accolade for the amazing material you produce simply amazing 😊

[@oliewray8357]

In what way is this guy like Steve Irwin so dumb 😂😂😂

[@captmulch1]

Can’t believe you chucked that fish back …

[@oliewray8357]

Why

[@cjod33]

I use a similar set up when sleeping on my tinny. I burn a couple of mozzie coil's in a protected tin and place them under my bed set up, works great, as long as you don't mind a bit of smoke.😊

[@zephi]

Nice to see a decent attempt at putting a gopro underwater in a crab pot. I reckon a fresh change of bait and you'll get more attention. If possible I would swap baits out 2-3 times a day.

[@timrosenthal46]

Nice little trip, a couple of nice fish and the crabs, I agree re crabs v lobster as well, crab is nicer.

[@cliffordodel]

Setup some bear traps around your crab traps. That should put a stop to it.

[@jackgalloway8314]

Wicked, Rod. A hard nights sleep on the water. Need to tweak the setup.Prevent the raindrops falling upon. Love the channel. 💜

[@jonnyBravos]

Yeah he needs to get the sewing machine out, he could have that cover sewn up and rain tight easy I reckon, a few cletes and thing e me bobs from Amazon and he'll be away 😂

[@jackgalloway8314]

@@jonnyBravos Ain't called the RoKKiT for nothing.

[@haza7486]

Puffer fish bit through the mesh

[@Ron-Swanson]

Don’t give up Rod!

[@howardbodiford7130]

Nice boat !

[@brianjames9482]

I haven't even watched this yet, phy uck yes man, good for you. People have to remember to stand up for certain things. Rock on

[@andrewmcwilliam1764]

Thoughts and prayers for Rod's hand. Cracking episode - that crab looked delicious

[@mikeladley5149]

Turned out to be a fine trip less the rain, however rain stimulates the fish in the river. Tasty crab and nice trevally. 👍🐟

[@oscarure1475]

Hi Rod, love the vids as always. Id kill to watch a vid of you trout fishing in NZ. Its been my dream for a while, but its a hop skip and jump from where you are now. Consider it! I will watch every video regardless. Cheers

[@LankyLarrikin]

Yeah bullsharks come in for the crabs, along with poacher's cant win hahah

[@Jiml3ob]

garlic butter and an oxy cube and fry. and make sure to crack those claws

[@arjovenzia]

Just got back from a week down south, very poor crabbing unfortunately. on the last night however, I scooped one of the biggest Blue Manna crabs Ive ever seen. Id normally not keep a single crab on the last night, but this was just to much of a trophy not to. we'd already done a proper clean in the kitchen, so I wanted to cook outside, but the wind was just to strong to get up to temp, and were pretty tight for time. decided the best option was to drop him off to Dad on the way home, rather than keeping him for the long drive. which he was obviously very pleased about, nice to keep the ol' boy happy. but I am seriously craving some Crab about now, that looked amazing. very jealous.

[@ZulkSOD]

95% of recreational crabbers that bring up an empty or low count pot jump to conclusions and blame other humans. In all reality 98% of the time other things are to blame... tides, other sea-life, wind, bottom type, the fisher-persons own incompetence, or luck. Poaching does happen, but its very, very rare.

[@TheTopend2]

Thats why I cable tie my pots shut so I know for sure if it was raided or not. Then I can consider alll the other variables, tides, moon, location, bait, water salinity etc

[@ZulkSOD]

​@@TheTopend2you shouldnt do this, if a pot becomes lost it will kill thousands of crabs. Theres a reason we use rot cord. An alternative is tying the lid half open with a light monofilament fishing line. Then when the trap is opened all the way, the line will be broke. But it will allow the crab to escape eventually if the pot becomes lost

[@TheTopend2]

@@ZulkSOD WRONG... depends how and where you cable tie the pot.

[@JonathanMark-sf5tm]

Bit of night fishing while crabn nice work mate! The fishing educate buy who ever it was that raided your pots should be ashamed of themselve. All of the effort that you go into catching a feed. Spoit buy some idiot. Keep up the epic content bro!! Hope to have a yarn on live stream soon🤙

[@jeffrogonzalo5067]

Eels cut through traps like that even heavy duty mesh

[@kraekennedy]

Crab or Lobster, please don't ever make me choose!😊

[@tyshaver108]

Damn, Rod at messin around. Outa the center of the channel, but don't fuk wit mee!!! Good job Mate!

[@chats5957]

Most people jump to the conclusion that their pots have been raided when they're damaged/empty, or stolen if they're missing. In reality 90% of the time the pots are damaged by marine life or birds and the pots drift away with the current. Rod, you should hit up the southern bay islands this week. The prawns are on and a good chance at a few crabs as well.

[@shadownyxiancat750]

watch his first video. he confirmed bc the boat's propeller trail was near the tampered with pot.

[@benwinter2420]

Probable an octopus , smart buggers

[@chats5957]

@@shadownyxiancat750 that boat propeller track left in the sand/mud was from a boat travelling at speed, not one that stopped and checked the pot. It was likely there well before Rod placed his pots.

[@oliewray8357]

​@@chats5957I think your right

[@LexieEclectic]

You found a way to outsmart them👍

[@tombrayton4412]

Pot thieves make good bait

[@danny88dh]

Man rod u gadda dial this crab thing in man there are definitely crab down there but it's obviously a mater of where u put your pot Id just once love to see u haul one up that was just totally loaded with good size keepers I know that's in a perfect world aye but the last video u said u could see someone else's pot that had just that going on. I know u can do it man ur persistent

[@xsla7erz2]

Look at Trinidad, I asked them about the Bleaching

[@desertfairychickres4021]

One more cast....awesome.

[@paultaylor3856]

Nice vid Rod. Nice also seeing you at the AKS comp. PT

[@margueritemitchell1829]

❤🎉😊👍🍁 Hello from British Columbia Canada 🇨🇦

[@PhyllisTong-zr4om]

Thanks!

[@rokkitkit]

Wow! Thanks so much for the support, super appreciate 👍🥇

[@TheLyrad1]

All I had to see was poachers, good on ya Rod

[@akwamarsunzal]

Come on, slurping is a MUST with crabs man!

[@mbnz0174]

Don't think I've ever seen anyone in Aussie keep a trevally to eat. Here in NZ, people who know what they're doing rate silver trevally highly. Good sashimi and ceviche and even pan fried when fresh. Admittedly, they don't freeze well, but that's not an issue with smaller fish.

[@rokkitkit]

I have eaten lots in my vids👍

[@mbnz0174]

Oops, missed it or forgot!@@rokkitkit

[@rokkitkit]

@@mbnz0174 well maybe lots is an exaggeration 😅 but a handful of times. But definitely agree with you that they are worth taking and can make a great meal👍

[@jarod2321]

Exactly right Rod. Happy Wife, Happy Life!

[@coolblue5929]

Bow sprit as in spit mate. Not sprite like the fizzy drink.

[@BRZZ-xw4hd]

great vid! my grandfather had metal wire pots.do they still make metal wire pots? heavier than twine but not as easy to cut or shark to bite through...peace out

[@TN_Unlimited]

Great Video. Crab is the best.

[@mattkeegan3236]

Very much could have been someone that knows the area, seeing your traps poking out of the water and decided to give the crabs a way out before they’re stuck in the sun… not the best way to go about it but it’s a possibility!

[@oliewray8357]

There would be foot prints if they walked out to it when it was out of the water so no

[@drewandcharlie7583]

Man are all your crustaceans gigantic? Just like your “crayfish”

[@colinwhiting5410]

Rod finally mud 🦀 catch and Cook could taste it from here the only way I get Muddies is to buy them from the market here in SA $58 + per kilo plenty ok big blue’s here good size 400/500mm claw tip to tip. Hope your wife enjoys 🦀👍. Cheers Wombat 🐾🍻🍷

[@benwinter2420]

Get the meat out raw & then cook

[@mikew3194]

Defend your territory dawg

[@cjod33]

Agreed 💯% , crab is far better chewing than Cray. Personally I think Cray is over rated. Maybe I'm just spoiled.😂

[@jak0x622]

i set pots around the gold coast, they get raided like 75% of the time

[@Light178-tc5eb]

These days I stay around my crab pots. Had enough. Watch the house boats , locals , pro crabbers , pretty much anyone is suss now imo. Went land based crabbing a few weeks ago , had the pots in my view but was hidden from the water. Thick mangroves and 2 million mosquitos. In 1 hour had a young bloke in a kayak aim straight for my pot , then he saw me and decided to change direction. Then another small tinny he was on the plane but decided to lower rpm and cruise slowly past my pot. They do get a shock because prob do it all the time but next minute someone there watching them. Once had another boat in plain view just cruise up and check all my pots (I was on a sand bank in middle of river) just couldn't believe it aye wtf is wrong with people. Im shure most people have something to add in this regard.

[@blackbirdxx4613]

Rod regarding the crab pots.... Can't you put the coordinates in on your cell.... Then leave off the tell tale floats.... Taking into account the tides

[@rokkitkit]

Unfortunately the float it a legal requirement. You can fix them on trees in Qld and just have smaller tags, so that might be the best option 👍

[@Jake-ky9ed]

Malosi Micro your using?? Doubt it was an animal bud unless those eagles are running outboards!? Cheers man, cool overnighter -

[@rokkitkit]

Yea the Malosi boys sent me a few out to try, works great👌

[@lukegodbee1520]

Get some good quality pots mate, best move I ever did

[@lukegodbee1520]

I try sit on my pots now aswell, nearly 100 a pot I'm worried the grubs will steal them

[@sing759]

another good video..thanks for sharing

[@maxfish4770]

They are keen

[@Bedguy666]

How in the world do you get those shots from above the boat? It's been bugging me for a while. Great videos BTW!

[@rokkitkit]

It’s an Insta360 C3 camera👌

[@Bedguy666]

@@rokkitkit thanks for the answer!

[@rm709]

What stove are you using? Crux lite?

[@harleyxxfabco]

Nice boat

[@Guitarwolfluke]

Wow you got clowned by the rain

[@ericcope8216]

Nice video! thx!

[@SD-ft6gs]

It feels like you need to also make a net to protect against the mozzies and midges, it feels like it would be an easy addition? Also, I always wondered if a bivvie sack could be an easy solution as well, although if you are claustrophobic not the most fun. Also, an unrelated question I keep having about bait over there. Are you not allowed to cast net bait over there? It seems when you are sitting on top of a lot of livies you could net them instead of using the sabiki. Is this not legal over there?

[@cakesnipher7024]

This is the kind of question I wish people would ask during live streams. I would love to know the answer to this me self.

[@twinflowerfioretta]

Wow ! I like to see you share your passion and the sea, it`s always fantastic ! I`m curiousnif you need a permit paper for fishing a.s.o. ? i would love to have your cooking skills Rod, Lol ! Great video, i love it as always, Thankyou ! 👍⛲💝

[@juanacosta8190]

You should invest in a folding cot for sleeping. Walmart has them at affordable prices. that way you have no gap on your back and your off the floor comfortably. I'm just saying...

[@Rf-Vision.Technologies]

youve gotta make a side quest to catch poachers while you fish bro, trail cam style and youll get the boat back at the ramp, then get plates ect

[@Rf-Vision.Technologies]

or just publically shame them by personal pic and area only, keeping it legal

[@Rf-Vision.Technologies]

link up with powerfish you guys are both tweed goldy area

[@richardallen-e7e]

I absolutely love that boat. Just call me green. Awesome content by the way. I would subscribe but just don’t have the disposable money

[@rokkitkit]

Thanks for watching 👍 you can subscribe for free, only becoming a member cost anything 🤙

[@cakesnipher7024]

For the right hand mate 😅

[@rokkitkit]

Haha, thanks for the support 🤙🥇