Texas Regs- crab trap gear tag....

[Borabora]

What are yall using for the required "gear tag"

Needs to have  your name and address on it and be 6" from the buoy float.

Im sure theres a home made or easy way to satisfy.

Thoughts?

[CraigFos]

The regulation states that the gear tag must be within 6 inches of the buoy or pier.  If it is on the buoy it is within 6 inches. You can mark on the float with a permanent marker. I add my phone number in case someone finds my trap and wants to let me know.  You may need to remark it when it fades.

[John WAsmuth]

Cut up a clorox bottle, pinch a whole for the zip tie. Write required information on the tag with a sharpie. Simple enough, cheap enough. Was told by a game warden that marking the ball is a no no, but he's a game warden, what the heck does he know.

[CraigFos]

Cut up a clorox bottle, pinch a whole for the zip tie. Write required information on the tag with a sharpie. Simple enough, cheap enough. Was told by a game warden that marking the ball is a no no, but he's a game warden, what the heck does he know.

I use a cut up plastic coffee container to make my gear tags on my traps when crabbing from shore, but have always marked the floats for traps in the bay.  Just to be sure that fit within the law, I checked with Captain Eddie Tanuz with the LaMarque office of Texas Parks and Wildlife.  He is in charge of the enforcement officers for the area that includes Galveston and Brazoria counties.  He told me that marking the float was permissible, but said that you need to keep up with them.  He also recommended using the pieces of plastic jugs because they seem to last longer.  As I recommended above, you may need to remark them when they fade, but I think a theft is less likely to pull the gear tag off if it is marked on the float.  Of,course, nothing says that you can't do both.

[John WAsmuth]

Should be able to mark both the float and the tag, like Florida law says you have to put an R on the ball and the name, addy also on the ball. As far as them goes, I dont know. Peple can still lift yer rigs and get rid of the ball and tag easy enough and re rig them. Florida law makes it a felony for even looking twice at anyone elses crab pots. We need the same laws here in Texas. I hate freakin theives.

[John WAsmuth]

If they are tied to a private pier then you dont have to tag or attatch a float.

[stuff]

i plastic coat some of the millions of return address lables that come in the mail, zip tie on the floats

[Texashillbilly]

I plan to just mark the floats like I do for catfish jugs

[pafree]

i use my expired sail line tags and engrave my information on it.

[photodude]

If they are tied to a private pier then you dont have to tag or attatch a float.

I'm a liveaboard in a private marina in Rockport and I was just told by Texas Parks & Wildlife that I need gear tags on my traps that are tied off on my dock cleats.  Where did you see this?

[CraigFos]

The Parks and Wildlife web page states: "Must be used with a gear tag valid for 10 days and attached within 6 inches of the buoy or pier to which the trap is tied." 

I attach gear tags to my float and to the trap itself.  I was able to recover three stolen traps when the game warden caught the thieves using the traps from a pier.  They had removed my floats and the gear tags attached to the float but did not remove the ones attached to the trap itself. 

I use self-locking car key tags that are available on Amazon for less than $20 per thousand.  In addition to the required name and address, I add my phone number.  That is how the game warden contacted me when they recovered my stolen traps.  There is enough room to include all this information on one side of the tag and to add the date on the other side.  Just scratch through and change the date every ten days.  The tags are legible for a least six months. 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KD2X9AI/?tag=bca1-20

[geezer]

A cut up clorox bottle works well, but to keep the premanent marker lasting longer cover it with clear packing tape.