There was a recent post about octopus as (grouper) bait. Not wanting to derail that thread, I will bring the questions here.
Are they legal to catch and keep?
Is there a way to catch them consistently?
Capitan Nemo
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Here is something I found. PBS has also covered this.
Unglazed earthenware pots are used in traditional octopus fishing in the Mediterranean and southeast Asia. The pots are placed on the sea bed for octopus to use as shelter. They differ in size and shape depending on the size, type and behavior of the octopus being targeted. Although earthenware pots are traditional, you can also use other materials such as plastic piping, steel piping, old motor tires and large empty mollusk shells to make traps for octopus, as they will enter almost any receptacle that can provide shelter
Octopus pots are normally set overnight attached to long lines with up to 100 pots on each line. They are hauled back up in the morning. The number of traps on each line depends on the extent of the grounds and the size of your vessel.
The point being that you are offering a place for the Octopus to hide during daylight hours. No bait is needed. I would try a small neck vase (like a single rose vase) with the base being as big as the octopus you would like to catch (clay not glass). Tie the buoy to the neck of the pot and leave overnight. The octopus will crawl in in the morning. Haul the pot up quickly when you check it in the morning so he will not get out.
Good luck.
Unglazed earthenware pots are used in traditional octopus fishing in the Mediterranean and southeast Asia. The pots are placed on the sea bed for octopus to use as shelter. They differ in size and shape depending on the size, type and behavior of the octopus being targeted. Although earthenware pots are traditional, you can also use other materials such as plastic piping, steel piping, old motor tires and large empty mollusk shells to make traps for octopus, as they will enter almost any receptacle that can provide shelter
Octopus pots are normally set overnight attached to long lines with up to 100 pots on each line. They are hauled back up in the morning. The number of traps on each line depends on the extent of the grounds and the size of your vessel.
The point being that you are offering a place for the Octopus to hide during daylight hours. No bait is needed. I would try a small neck vase (like a single rose vase) with the base being as big as the octopus you would like to catch (clay not glass). Tie the buoy to the neck of the pot and leave overnight. The octopus will crawl in in the morning. Haul the pot up quickly when you check it in the morning so he will not get out.
Good luck.
