Bulletin Post

Watch for Crab Pot Floats

Crab season is in full swing on the Chesapeake, and watermen have pots set throughout the Bay and its tributaries. The small floats marking each pot can be hard to spot in chop or low light, and a wrapped line means an unhappy waterman, an unhappy boater, and often a haul-out.

Stay alert in shallower water and along channel edges where pots tend to cluster, slow down in waterman-heavy areas, and steer well clear of any float you spot. If you snag one, don't cut the line — kill the engine, drift clear, and free it cleanly. The pots are someone's livelihood.