- Joined
- May 6, 2011
- Messages
- 1
I recently obtained a position at a fishing and hunting store. After hearing a lot of the other employees talk about all the fun they have fishing, and the slew of fishing licenses I've been selling, I'm become quite interested in trying something similar.
However, I'm a vegan, and while I'm not the biggest animal rights activist, I don't really see the justice or appeal in a lot of catch and release fishing with hooks and lures. Therefore, netting and pots really grab my interest, but it's not quite the same experience as you typically need to leave the traps over night.
There aren't any volunteer opportunities in the area for tagging or anything of the like, so it generally seemed like I'd need to do my own project if I was going to engage in any kind of purposeful catch and release.
Oh, did I mention I live in Seattle? And how little of information we have on our current octopus populations? No? Yeah, no one mentioned that to me either, until I realized you can fish for octopus under the proper general license.
My research into this idea has been rather... fruitless. Most fishermen find the octopus to be rather a nuisance than anything worth interest (Though you can generally find some that are willing to take them back to shore to sell/cook/use as bait).
We have a largish diver community up here, and reportedly the easiest way to catch octopus in the puget sound is with a bag and your hands. Diving lessons are incredibly expensive though, as opposed to baiting some home made pots and checking them at night.
The local scientific community has a lot of interest in the population, but most is reserved away from hobbyists, besides divers.
I digress.
Though this interest is only recent, I have discovered the appeal of octopus domestication. I'm trying to do more research as I go, but my wife seems fairly supportive of the idea, which is rare for her.
I see most people tend to gravitate towards only a handful of the smallish (obviously) warmer water breeds, so I'm hesitant to think many of you will have any experience with what I'm thinking.
O. Rubescens is native to the puget sound, and with enough persistence, I'm sure I could acquire one if not more fairly quickly (Not that I'm planning anything for probably around a year).
I'm finding they're comparable to a large mantled A. Aculeatus in size, but I've read they're nocturnal, shy, and their venom is particularly ferocious (Though not a serious health risk to humans).
They're also cold water Octopus (the area's I'm looking at are between 40-50 degrees). So my tank would require a chiller for those days the land in Seattle gets to 51 (2 days in July).
Anyone have any advice on octopus fishing? I was thinking of assembling a DYI pot with a larger beer or wine bottle with some live bait from my work, then netting/caging the bottle, buoying them in intertidal zones, and checking back later in the evening hoping to catch the little guys feeding.
I want to try this method out a few times (catch and release) before I start to prepare a tank environment, or potentially branch out into husbandry.
More importantly, anyone have any experience with O. Rubescens?
However, I'm a vegan, and while I'm not the biggest animal rights activist, I don't really see the justice or appeal in a lot of catch and release fishing with hooks and lures. Therefore, netting and pots really grab my interest, but it's not quite the same experience as you typically need to leave the traps over night.
There aren't any volunteer opportunities in the area for tagging or anything of the like, so it generally seemed like I'd need to do my own project if I was going to engage in any kind of purposeful catch and release.
Oh, did I mention I live in Seattle? And how little of information we have on our current octopus populations? No? Yeah, no one mentioned that to me either, until I realized you can fish for octopus under the proper general license.
My research into this idea has been rather... fruitless. Most fishermen find the octopus to be rather a nuisance than anything worth interest (Though you can generally find some that are willing to take them back to shore to sell/cook/use as bait).
We have a largish diver community up here, and reportedly the easiest way to catch octopus in the puget sound is with a bag and your hands. Diving lessons are incredibly expensive though, as opposed to baiting some home made pots and checking them at night.
The local scientific community has a lot of interest in the population, but most is reserved away from hobbyists, besides divers.
I digress.
Though this interest is only recent, I have discovered the appeal of octopus domestication. I'm trying to do more research as I go, but my wife seems fairly supportive of the idea, which is rare for her.
I see most people tend to gravitate towards only a handful of the smallish (obviously) warmer water breeds, so I'm hesitant to think many of you will have any experience with what I'm thinking.
O. Rubescens is native to the puget sound, and with enough persistence, I'm sure I could acquire one if not more fairly quickly (Not that I'm planning anything for probably around a year).
I'm finding they're comparable to a large mantled A. Aculeatus in size, but I've read they're nocturnal, shy, and their venom is particularly ferocious (Though not a serious health risk to humans).
They're also cold water Octopus (the area's I'm looking at are between 40-50 degrees). So my tank would require a chiller for those days the land in Seattle gets to 51 (2 days in July).
Anyone have any advice on octopus fishing? I was thinking of assembling a DYI pot with a larger beer or wine bottle with some live bait from my work, then netting/caging the bottle, buoying them in intertidal zones, and checking back later in the evening hoping to catch the little guys feeding.
I want to try this method out a few times (catch and release) before I start to prepare a tank environment, or potentially branch out into husbandry.
More importantly, anyone have any experience with O. Rubescens?