Shrimp pot marauder!

[Northern]

Went out on an old friend's boat today for the open spot shrimp day up in the San Juans. Set 2 pots and came back in an hour to check em.
Our first pull contained zero shrimp...but DID contain a massive Giant Pacific Octopus that appeared so stuffed with shrimp that it couldn't get back out through the hole! If an octopus can look sheepish, this one did. OMG, we laughed so hard, but released it unharmed, of course! The 2nd pot, a few yards from the first, had 130 shrimp, so...

 

[Bambooflyguy]

Should’ve eaten it….heard they taste like shrimp!

 

[Wanative]

Do you know how to cook octopus?
You put the octopus legs in a pot with a fist sized rock, add water to cover them. Bring to a rolling boil.
When you can stick a fork in the rock the octopus is done.

 

[Yard Sale]

Looks defiant to me! Yeah, I ate all your shrimps stoopid human. Whatcha gonna do about it?

 

[RCF]

Octopus is one of my favorites to eat.

 

[Matt B]

Octopus is one of my favorites to eat.

Pulpo a la plancha — <chefskiss>

 

[Nick Clayton]

Hah This was way better than the constant "shrimp pot thieves" complaint posts I see on FB from people who don't have any idea how tides work.

I've never eaten octopuss. Never really had any desire to try it honestly, though many have told me theyre pretty good. I think they're cool, in a "kinda creeps me out" sort of way. Don't think I'd have any interest in killing one personally.

 

[Sam Roffe]

Squid on the other hand is really good.

 

[Northern]

Hah This was way better than the constant "shrimp pot thieves" complaint posts I see on FB from people who don't have any idea how tides work.

I've never eaten octopuss. Never really had any desire to try it honestly, though many have told me theyre pretty good. I think they're cool, in a "kinda creeps me out" sort of way. Don't think I'd have any interest in killing one personally.

Yeah - we had no interest in killing it - what a thoroughly cool animal!

 

[Matt B]

I don't want to kill the things, I just want like one arm to nibble on. I mean, they got eight of 'em, they don't gotta be stingy.

 

[Northern]

Looks defiant to me! Yeah, I ate all your shrimps stoopid human. Whatcha gonna do about it?

Right?! It made no attempt to escape, just looked at us in its inscrutable alien way.
Makes you wonder if it ate a dozen, realized it couldn't slither back out through the little holes now that it was essentially a bag full of pokey things, and thought "F**k it. I'm eating them all"

 

[Northern]

I don't want to kill the things, I just want like one arm to nibble on. I mean, they got eight of 'em, they don't gotta be stingy.

Well, I think it did lose a toe/sucker somehow on its way out...

 

[ThatGuyRyRy]

Ours was just a bit smaller.

 

[Paige]

I caught 1 that was about 6" fishing for Sanddabs for ling cod bait.
And once while guiding in AK I wached an even smaller one come up a river estuary with the tide, I tried to catch it with my hands but scurried over to a little deeper water than was wiling to get wet for.

Amazing creatures, that are definitely amazingly tasty!

 

[Northern]

Ours was just a bit smaller.

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When the friend hauling the pot up exclaimed "there's an octopus in it!" - that's what I initially pictured, lol!

 

[Jim in Anacortes]

Octopus is a creature unique to this planet. They are highly intelligent and have magical abilities of camouflage. I used to play with them underwater, the blue ink that they would spit out made the water look like cool aid. They would "flush" different colors when I touched them. Their homes were always obvious, with the shells and bones outside of their caves. I sometimes tied a string around the neck of an octopus.. it was like having it on a dog collar. At any time they could easily get away, but they seemed to enjoy the experience. "I'd like to be, under the sea, in an octopuses garden in the shade" lyrics of one of my favorite songs.

 

[Jim in Anacortes]

If you put a lobster in a jar, in a tank with an octopus, the octopus will quickly "learn" how to unscrew the lid. This is outside of natural animal behavior.

 

[Jim in Anacortes]

Long ago I knew a guy with an octopus as a pet. That damn thing would get out of the tank, cruise around the room , and get back in the tank. It finally got busted when it was found on the doorknob.

 

[G_Smolt]

Octopus are tasty. It takes awhile, but they make bitchin' tapas.

We used to get them all the time while shrimping commercially. As a bonus, they're some of the best halibut bait around.

 

[Jim in Anacortes]

Many years ago, I gave Suzukison a live "taco" (octopus) in a Tupperware container. That man took that octopus down to the beach and let it go. When I asked about it, his boss was not happy. It seems that he was so infatuated with this animal that he just could not serve it to his customers. I never harvested octopus ever again after that.