Bobber7
Member
Can I ask you to please keep your pet otters on a leash, or at least keep them at home? I live on Watts Bar Lake South of Kingston.
I had something, I assume an otter, steal fish from a wire covered box, that uses PVC pipe for the frame, that I keep at my dock. If I catch crappie, but don't want to clean them right then, I'll put them in the box until I'm ready to clean them. Last Thursday was the 3rd time within the last 2 weeks or so when I've had fish stolen from the box. First time it was 11 crappie, second time it was 8 crappie, and Thursday it was 4 crappie. Thus, as best I can tell the score is Otters 23 Bob 0 .
I fished with a neighbor friend last Thursday and we caught 9 keeper crappie that he was going to clean. I told him that I had 4 more keepers in my box and when I pulled it up to get them out, there was only a part of one crappie left and it was stuck in a narrow opening (about 4 inches by one inch)on one side of the top flap of the box. First time I had one fastener on the lid (top) of the box, I added 2 more spring clamps to the lid and they were pulled loose the second time I lost fish. I took an old type fish stringer (metal with nine clasps one to hold each individual fish). I had attached about 6 of the 9 clasps around the lid, as well as the main fastener and the 2 spring clamps and whatever got the fish, pulled the clamps off and apparently forced its "paw" into the narrow opening and bent the wire of the box and the lid and pulled the fish through the opening. The fish left had all its head and gills eaten off, but the body of the fish was apparently too wide to pull through the fairly narrow opening. I don't know, it is possible that the culprit was eating on the last fish when I pulled the box out of the water. The box has a rope and harness attached to it and I let it down into the water, about 3 ft UNDER the water, so whatever got the fish had to be under the water for some time. The internet says otters are mammals that must breath from time to time, but can apparently stay under water for some time also (somewhere between 4 and 8 minutes). They are pretty big, powerful animals, I believe up to about 20 lbs or so and up to 4 ft long.
I have had poop on my dock twice during this stealing spree. Looking a bit closer at it I can see fish scales and some bones in it, further pointing to otters. I'd have said raccoons but I don't think they would be able to go under water and stay long enough to get the fish out of the trap.
I've heard from neighbors that saw otters across the lake from us last summer and other have reported seeing otters nearby where we are located. I've never seen an otter around my place, but have seen beaver. I would have bet that Houdini couldn't have escaped from that box after I put those 6 clasps around the lid, but whatever it was it got it open enough to get the fish out. I guess that proved who is smarter, me or an otter!
Any experiences with otters? Looking at TWRA trapping and hunting regs, it looks like I'll have to wait until next fall to battle the otters. I believe the season was October until February 28th.
I had something, I assume an otter, steal fish from a wire covered box, that uses PVC pipe for the frame, that I keep at my dock. If I catch crappie, but don't want to clean them right then, I'll put them in the box until I'm ready to clean them. Last Thursday was the 3rd time within the last 2 weeks or so when I've had fish stolen from the box. First time it was 11 crappie, second time it was 8 crappie, and Thursday it was 4 crappie. Thus, as best I can tell the score is Otters 23 Bob 0 .
I fished with a neighbor friend last Thursday and we caught 9 keeper crappie that he was going to clean. I told him that I had 4 more keepers in my box and when I pulled it up to get them out, there was only a part of one crappie left and it was stuck in a narrow opening (about 4 inches by one inch)on one side of the top flap of the box. First time I had one fastener on the lid (top) of the box, I added 2 more spring clamps to the lid and they were pulled loose the second time I lost fish. I took an old type fish stringer (metal with nine clasps one to hold each individual fish). I had attached about 6 of the 9 clasps around the lid, as well as the main fastener and the 2 spring clamps and whatever got the fish, pulled the clamps off and apparently forced its "paw" into the narrow opening and bent the wire of the box and the lid and pulled the fish through the opening. The fish left had all its head and gills eaten off, but the body of the fish was apparently too wide to pull through the fairly narrow opening. I don't know, it is possible that the culprit was eating on the last fish when I pulled the box out of the water. The box has a rope and harness attached to it and I let it down into the water, about 3 ft UNDER the water, so whatever got the fish had to be under the water for some time. The internet says otters are mammals that must breath from time to time, but can apparently stay under water for some time also (somewhere between 4 and 8 minutes). They are pretty big, powerful animals, I believe up to about 20 lbs or so and up to 4 ft long.
I have had poop on my dock twice during this stealing spree. Looking a bit closer at it I can see fish scales and some bones in it, further pointing to otters. I'd have said raccoons but I don't think they would be able to go under water and stay long enough to get the fish out of the trap.
I've heard from neighbors that saw otters across the lake from us last summer and other have reported seeing otters nearby where we are located. I've never seen an otter around my place, but have seen beaver. I would have bet that Houdini couldn't have escaped from that box after I put those 6 clasps around the lid, but whatever it was it got it open enough to get the fish out. I guess that proved who is smarter, me or an otter!
Any experiences with otters? Looking at TWRA trapping and hunting regs, it looks like I'll have to wait until next fall to battle the otters. I believe the season was October until February 28th.
