Crabbing around Tacoma

[Stompor]

Where is a good place to crab around Commencement bay (not in Commencement bay ) or Tacoma area?

[Go Aweigh2452]

Where is a good place to crab around Commencement bay (not in Commencement bay ) or Tacoma area?

I know a diver friend takes many off the Lobster Shop restaurant on Ruston Way... there is a drop off when he dives and says there are a bunch down there. I don't know the depth but would try there. He showed me photos so I know he got them there. The smallest was 8 inches across... is that commencement bay?
http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs133.snc1/5694_1075251524856_1333238797_30184239_6253328_n.j pg

[Nehalennia]

I'm heading out tonight south end of Camano and see if my unlce and I can get a few.

[Play N Hookie II]

I'm heading out tonight south end of Camano and see if my unlce and I can get a few.

I crabbed there Saturday for about 5 hours and there were alot of females and a few just shy of the mark but we ended with one rock crab so let him go back to his family. Big dissapointment. I think it has been fished heavily there.

[Nehalennia]

I crabbed there Saturday for about 5 hours and there were alot of females and a few just shy of the mark but we ended with one rock crab so let him go back to his family. Big dissapointment. I think it has been fished heavily there.

We're going deep and hope to get the big boys.

[Play N Hookie II]

We're going deep and hope to get the big boys.

Yeah I was lazy and short on line so we went to 40 and 65

[Go Aweigh2452]

We're going deep and hope to get the big boys.


make sure you make the opening bigger if you want the big boys. If you notice, the opening on the black traps verses the green traps is 50% smaller. That is why I like the green ones that look like a house when put together. always try to set those deeper than the black traps...

[Nehalennia]

Yeah, I'll have a look but I've got what I've got for now and we'll just see. Hopefully we get something....keepers at least.

[Eagle Lady]

make sure you make the opening bigger if you want the big boys. If you notice, the opening on the black traps verses the green traps is 50% smaller.

I suppose making sure a crabtrap door is larger would be best and easier for those "big boys" but most crabs I've watched and caught underwater walk sideways anyway not forward. Wouldn't you think if they're hungry enough they'd figure out a way to get into a black trap if there's bait inside whether they're the big ones or not? Jeez and we just bought new black traps!! :roll:

I think it's the depth you fish for them...

[Play N Hookie II]

Diving for them is still phenomenally better

[pacopico]

When I was on the courtesy dock last weekend in GH a couple of boats reported catching in quartermaster harbor...I didn't ask more specifically as I don't fish.

[sunnydude2]

Diving for them is still phenomenally better

It is more exciting too! :)

[Eagle Lady]

It is more exciting too! :)

Ya, the buggers look up at you with both claws extended, open and waiting to attack!

[jwishart]

Diving for them is still phenomenally better

I have war wounds from diving for crabs.

[Stompor]

When I was on the courtesy dock last weekend in GH a couple of boats reported catching in quartermaster harbor...I didn't ask more specifically as I don't fish.

I am going to go to Dockton this weekend and see if any crab are left in Quartermaster. I bet it is crabbed out already.

[Go Aweigh2452]

Let us know how it goes. Last time I dropped at the opening and used my dink to motor out to pick up the pots. No crab...

[mowhawky]

7 pots, 3 soaks of 24hrs and 9 crab. Crabbing sucks so far. I am trying every thing I know and moving every where from 65-130ft. I hope it gets better. Bunring 15 gallons of gas to check them each time is getting pricey. I'm heading out in the AM to check them and try for a salmon or two.

[Tedster]

I went to Safeway and QFC and both of them had crab on the first visit with one trip to each, both were on the way home from work!

[SomeSailor]

With that logic, who needs to buy a boat then?

:eek:

[Tedster]

Everyone that doesn't like to catch crabs silly!

[mowhawky]

Well, still crappy today. The tribes carpet bombed the crab grounds just before the season opener. I had to dodge thier pots while running out for ling cod. I guess I will have to wait a while before they move in.

[SomeSailor]

Not much better up this way. It's starting to get pretty picked over. We managed to get one limit between the two of us today. First crab of the year for us though so they'll be good eating.

:)

[mowhawky]

Congrats. I lost a down rigger ball today on a submerged pot. GRRRRRRRR! Caught 1 silver and had no other bites at all. Things just really seem dead in the sound right now. I've heard of some great catches though.?

[SomeSailor]

It's still a week or two early I think though. The last week of July and the first week of August seems to be when it really gets going.

It'll be a fun season.

[bradvo]

Last month when i headed North I stayed over in Ludlow, the dock attendant told me crabbing is really begining to suck there . It used to be great for crabbing, they also think the indians have made it harder for the regular Joe to get anything.

I'm heading north again this Friday so by the time I get to Roche on Saturday I will have to scoot butt to Wescott for a quick soak. It should produce well since it has just been open for the past week. While there I will stop by the farm and buy 3 or 4 pounds of clams.

Looks like most my crabbing will be done in Canada again. I'm almost thinking of just screwing buying the US license for crab, if I was up north it would be different or the season was in my favor but it seems to be the oposite for myself.

[voyager]

I crabbed in Ludlow over the weekend. I left my pots down overnight Friday night. Saturday morning I arrived at the crabbing grounds around 8:15 to check my pots the first one came up with two miniature crab in it so I stacked on board and headed for the second pot. This one came up with all kinds of slime and junk on the line and had about 8 crab in it. Two of them were keepers. So I threw it back down and then I started to wonder about why it had lots a junk on the line and the first one which was about 50 yards away was relatively clean.

As I was looking around decided where to toss the second one back in I spent a few minutes watching the other boat that was there. It was an Indian boat and they were pulling pots. OK if they are crabbing here there must be some crab. So I moved south and dropped my second pot. Then I spent a few more minutes watching the Indian boat and it was obvious they are pulling every pot they can find. So that explained why my first pot came up empty and with a clean line. I watched them pull at least a dozen pots, but there was nothing I could do about it.

After I got back to dock I asked a few locals about it and they confirmed the Indians had moved into the bay last week and have been taking everything.

[Tedster]

I crabbed in Ludlow over the weekend. I left my pots down overnight Friday night. Saturday morning I arrived at the crabbing grounds around 8:15 to check my pots the first one came up with two miniature crab in it so I stacked on board and headed for the second pot. This one came up with all kinds of slime and junk on the line and had about 8 crab in it. Two of them were keepers. So I threw it back down and then I started to wonder about why it had lots a junk on the line and the first one which was about 50 yards away was relatively clean.

As I was looking around decided where to toss the second one back in I spent a few minutes watching the other boat that was there. It was an Indian boat and they were pulling pots. OK if they are crabbing here there must be some crab. So I moved south and dropped my second pot. Then I spent a few more minutes watching the Indian boat and it was obvious they are pulling every pot they can find. So that explained why my first pot came up empty and with a clean line. I watched them pull at least a dozen pots, but there was nothing I could do about it.

After I got back to dock I asked a few locals about it and they confirmed the Indians had moved into the bay last week and have been taking everything.

Paul that is just wrong.........not a thing can be done, but it is just wrong! :(

[Chass]

I had the first pots in the water on the 15th where we were at in Rocky Bay on San Juan island. Those were the black square ones. I checked them two hours later and we got 8 keepers out of 2 pots. All pretty big crabs. We set the other two round traps at around 9:00 am about the time the other crabbers were putting their pots in.

We checked them all two hours later. At that point I was wishing I hadn't kept some of the barely legal crabs that we had caught earlier because they pots were FULL of giant crab. We had a number of 8 plus inchers and LOTS of 7 plus inchers.

We set them all again but realized we had more than we could eat. I went back out to check them an hour later and they were packed again. Some pots had as many as 15 crab in them. Made for hard pulling! We were throwing back 8 inch crab . . . just didn't need that many. We kept 20 total and ate them all over the next week :) What an incredible opening day for crab.

We had crab cheese dip, crab cakes, crab linguine, crab salad, and crab cocktail. Life is rough.

Chass
ct

[tolly28]

Crabbing has been good up north!

Today at Saddlebag: Just shy of two limits in two pots down for an hour. Drifted around for a while, had six more, and had to choose which ones to throw back...

Cleaned and steamed the crab while drifting around. Sampled a few of course...

http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs173.snc1/6500_1215613549865_1214610404_30613679_3291443_n.j pg

[SomeSailor]

We picked up 4 limits of crab yesterday and were culling the ones below 7"

The whales were out in force too. At one point there were two that were literally 20 feet off my starboard side. We kept waiting on anchor for one of our pot floats to bob below the surface. :)

http://www.iboatnw.com/gallery/d/7076-1/Gray+Whale+Off+Everett.jpg

It was crazy compared to only a week ago. I found that Cash & Carry has Turkey butts for $14 for 30 pounds, and Chicken gizzards for $3 for 5 pounds. It's AWESOME bait!

http://www.iboatnw.com/gallery/d/7073-1/Nice+Dungies.jpg

[Nehalennia]

Good catch Mike

[SomeSailor]

Yeah... the whales were pretty cool too.

They were all around us for several hours.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1HHzdUlsD4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1HHzdUlsD4

[Nehalennia]

Yeah... the whales were pretty cool too.

They were all around us for several hours.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1HHzdUlsD4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1HHzdUlsD4

Nice.
They were out there just north of the "Stantion" two Wednesdays ago. A nice site for sure.

[Stompor]

Well I went to Wollochet Bay this weekend and after 2 days of crabbing, on my last pot pull, I caught a 7" dungeness. It was tasty, my first and only crab so far this year.

How do you cook yours Mike? I like to clean my first and then boil in saltwater.

[Tedster]

So how much do ya think that (1) crab cost 'eh Scott?! HeHe!

[SomeSailor]

How do you cook yours Mike? I like to clean my first and then boil in saltwater.

I always clean them first and then boil them in saltwater, vinegar and bay leaves.

I made a couple dozen crab cakes yesterday and vacuum bagged those for later this winter. Crab chowder going in jars this evening. :)

[SomeSailor]

So how much do ya think that (1) crab cost 'eh Scott?! HeHe!

As they say on the Visa commercial.... "Priceless"

[Stompor]

So how much do ya think that (1) crab cost 'eh Scott?! HeHe!

$15 for the license. I was boating anyway.

[Tedster]

Cool I was just poking a lil fun, glad it tasted good. Just think the next one will be cheaper!

[mowhawky]

Went out to check the pots today and BINGO! The heaviest pot I have pulled the season. Must have had 25 big ol dungies in there. What luck.
.
.
.
Only 1 freaking male....:cry:

I'm not giving up. It may cost me $20 per pound in fuel but I will not give up. Tomorrow is another day and another crab pot check.

[Tedster]

:) :) :) :) :) :) :)