Runaway Floats?

[sailortom]

I was crabbing yesterday in IR near the power plant - crabbing in 4-9 feet of water with 20 topless traps.  I did not do very well, less than a dozen from sunrise until about 9:30.  Anyway, I had three times in the morning where something was running away with a trap.  I had to chase one of them down and grab the float with the boat hook before it went under.  It was moving fast and not with the current.  There was nothing in the trap when I got it to the boat.

Any ideas what was pulling the trap/float?  I was using different baits to clean out the freezer - some chicken necks, chicken legs, fish heads, and some bait bags full of fish parts from cleaning fish. It seemed to go after the traps with fish parts.  I'm thinking it was a cownose ray but I'm not sure.  There were no holes or teeth marks on the baits.

Another interesting note - there were peanut bunker everywhere.  Some were just swimming at the surface, but most were going in circles or swimming upside down near the surface.  We scooped up some for use as future bait.  I have seen similar things before after hard rains - I am thinking the oxygen levels.

Anyone have a similar experience with a runaway float?

[shedking]

I watched a guys 400' trot line bouts and all disappear out the mouth of the Rhodes river once. Never to be seen again

[Mikie]

I retrieved a lost float one day that was moving and it was a cownose ray tangled up in a ring trap. They definitely go after the bait, they will totally destroy clams in bags on a trotline.