Crab Rings for Kayaks: The good and the bad!

Let's have a crab ring assembly party for our next meet up!!


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Mike the Jammah's got skills. I've seen him at work at the rings and rustle up a mess of dungies in little time.

I was a Pacific Sportsmans in Camas yesterday and mentioned the folding rings and he recalled seeing them and said he'd check into availability. The YouTube link is dead so I assume the company is out of business. They probably cost a bundle, too.

Thinking about building them using used fan belts instead of plastic rods. Maybe just buy the good crab rings with the thick green nets and replace the large metal ring with a fan belt.

What about a good home brew crab float? Looking at these 6"x3' white foam rollers, $10 on Amazon, could make 3-4 from each, paint half of it red, drill a hole through it:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000Y4W9VA/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=A2ODE8821OGE9P

Any other thoughts on this?

Wouldn't it be easier to get a milk jug and fill it with that expanding foam sealer. Re-use a milk jug with a built in attachment point and create a unique, identifiable float.  Make sure that you fill the jug in stages. Too much foam at one time tends to compress the closed cells in the middle.

Stevehawk

WA state regs (p139):
"Buoys must be constructed of durable material (no bleach, antifreeze, detergent bottles, paint cans, etc.) and must be visible on the surface at all times except during extreme tidal conditions. Personal flags and staff, if attached to buoys, can be of any color. Buoy lines must be weighted sufficiently to prevent them from floating on the surface."

"Every shellfish pot, ring net, or star trap left unattended in Washington waters must have its own buoy line and a separate buoy that is permanently and legibly marked with the operator’s first name, last name, and permanent address (telephone number is voluntary)."

"All crab gear buoys must be half red and half white in color, and both colors need to be visible when fishing."

Using a milk jug filled with orange foam and properly painted would still leave it up to the individual officer to determine if it was "durable".  You may get a citation in the mail (your name and address MUST be on the buoy), or find your gear confiscated.  Consider how fast the cost of a commercial buoy will amortize per crab over a season.