Seal Repellent.

[ctfphoto]

Originally Posted by madncrzydm

Do you have seal proof bait cages?

Seals can't get food, seals leave.

What I really want to know is, will the seals take lobsters from the hoops?

[Necron 99]

I was wondering if you guys had a good night. I didn't make it out Friday morning. I heard a paintball gun might work or it might piss them off. There are a few discussions of anti seal tactics on this site.

[sasha]

Slingshoot with marbles or round rocks. Or you can get some cement and cast your own projectiles weight and size that you like. Easy to use won't get you in trouble and fun to shoot.

[Sdspeed]

NOAA says if they are endangering you or interfering with your fishing that projectiles that will not cause injury to or break the skin is okay. This was a major discussion on the Spear Fishing forums since a number of free divers were be literally attacked after a catch. Big warning they repeated over and over was be prepared because what you do may just piss off a large,fast and heavy doormat.

I've had a run in with them scuba diving down around the Coronado Islands
and their not afraid to remind you it's their neighborhood.

[T Bone]

the biggest problem for me is they scare or eat the bugs in the hoop.

[TJones]

unacceptable?

[withoutapaddle]

Have (had, lost two Thursday to the seal(s) "secure" bait cages. Have heard pb'rs talk about paintball guns (seems impractical on the yaks). If sling shot with projectiles is legal that seems possible, but I'd hate to invite any more agressive behaviors. Was hoping to come up with something safe for all involved. Maybe ill paint the bottom of the yaks to look like a shark.

Thanks for the help!

[FlyFishinYakr]

Originally Posted by sasha

Slingshoot with marbles or round rocks. Or you can get some cement and cast your own projectiles weight and size that you like. Easy to use won't get you in trouble and fun to shoot.

Sling shot with pepper spray or home mix of Tabasco, red pepper,& jalapeños paint balls much like DFG uses for bears. Actually their called pepper balls.(for a moment forgot what they're called).
FFY

[TJones]

i will try this if bothered the next time fishing . like you, i have nothing against them . it is their territory . i never knew that they would eat bugs , but it makes sense . lobsters are a delicacy of the ocean . i really haven't gotten into hooping yet . maybe in the future . all kidding aside , i really am not fond of the slingshot technique . a b.b. is not gonna hurt him on the hide , but if hit in the face , or in eye , or mouth could produce a different result. now you have an injured animal or mammal , who might have trouble fending for self .

[Fiskadoro]

Originally Posted by TJones

.....all kidding aside , i really am not fond of the slingshot technique . a b.b. is not gonna hurt him on the hide , but if hit in the face , or in eye , or mouth could produce a different result. now you have an injured animal or mammal , who might have trouble fending for self .

Chances your not going to hit them anyway, we're talking about a moving target in the dark, but if your worried use rubber balls.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/140915964068?www.ebay.com/itm/140915964068?

It's not about hitting them it's about hitting the water near them and scaring them away.

[TJones]

what i meant is , i will try the banging on the kayak , or using the paddle on the water . knowing that the sound irritates them . or throwing the jig near their location . heck , with my luck i might snag one .

[Fiskadoro]

Originally Posted by ctfphoto

Seals can't get food, seals leave. What I really want to know is, will the seals take lobsters from the hoops?

Yes on both counts.

First off get or make metal bait cages that they can't get your bait out of, but your still going to have the problem of them trying to eat bugs especially the shorts you release.

If you just take shorts out of the net and toss them the seals will grab them on the way down, and keep following you for more free meals. I leave shorts in the net when seals are around then when I drop the net I let the rope slide through my hand with a little pressure on it. If I feel a thump on the way down that means the seals are directly raiding the net on the way down.

In that case I take any shorts I get, put them in a five gallon bucket (I carry one for this purpose) paddle well away from my nets, and then sit for a few minutes watching for seals. They may follow but they get bored quickly if your not pulling nets or tossing bugs in the water, and leave after a while. Dump the shorts away from the nets when the seals aren't around and they will stop following you when you're pulling your nets.

Up here we have the problem of seals that have been essentially tamed by the Marine Mammal Rescue center in San Pedro. Ones that get too friendly they dump in SMB to keep them from repeatedly coming back to the center. I've had pups climb into the boat then hang out as if they expected to be fed and petted. Seals literally so tame you could safely touch them, a screwed up, and completely unnatural situation.

When these pups come up to may yak (they are tagged), I first try smacking the water with the paddle if that doesn't work I wait to their close and smack the side of my yak hard with my fist or the paddle.

They don't like loud noises and the booming sound of smacking the yak will make them afraid of the kayak, and get them to keep their distance.

Jim