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ChinookSlayer
09-16-2002, 01:26 PM
All in all, things were pretty good. EVERYBODY is getting crab, with enough people getting limits. The crab are really big right now also. The big ones are sort of a mixed bag. Most measure around 8" across the back. The mix comes in that about half of them are still soft and not quite as full, while others are huge monsters and FULL of meat.

On Saturday we dropped a couple of pots past the bridge, then worked three rings in the inner bay. Leaving the pots by the bridge for a couple of hours would produce around 4 or 5 keepers for each pull. The rings on the inner bay would produce usually at least one keeper per pull. We crabbed for around 5 hours and kept a total of 38 for the day.

On Sunday, we dropped the pots past the bridge again, then also tried working the rings in the area. It was kind of funny. The rings would produce only little crab, and the pots would produce big keepers. So we left the pots, and headed back into the inner bay. Sunday the crab must have moved, because we only produced one keeper with the rings in about 2 hours of crabbing. On the other hand, the pots were spectacular, with one pull producing 11 keepers from one pot! In the short time we crabbed Sunday, we kept 24 keepers. For the weekend, we ended up with a total of 62. I also got to experience the joy of in the water removal of seaweed from your pump...

As long as I was past the bridge, I headed out across the bar for the first time in my new BoiceJet to see what things were like. It was a pretty calm ocean, with a well behaved bar, so it was a good first time training trip. It was kind of interesting being out in the big blue. With no land markings around you, you sort of feel kind of small.

For the Salmon fishers, there were a few people trolling around in the bay, but I never saw a net fly, so I am guessing things were pretty slow.

SKP
09-16-2002, 01:31 PM
Great, I have a friend going to Newport to crab on Friday, and I'll give him the report! :grin:

SKP

MasterCaster
09-16-2002, 01:44 PM
"It was kind of funny. The rings would produce only little crab, and the pots would produce big keepers."

I crabed off the big dock there just above the bridge a few years back and found out that if I pulled my rings every 10 mins instead of leaving them for an hr or so I had MANY more keeper crab on the quick pulls. Seems like they go in for a quick feed and leave after just a few minutes or something. I never could figure it out. It seemed like between 5 and 10 mins was best and if left anything over 20 or so there wasnt much to show for it. Was a very strange and TIRING evening of crabbing.

Jon :smile: :grin: :smile:

[ 09-16-2002, 01:46 PM: Message edited by: MasterCaster ]

Fishplay
09-16-2002, 09:05 PM
I'm amazed at the difference in productivity between bays. I crabbed Tbay on Saturday and it was so lousy I didn't bother dropping the pots again Sunday. There was reason for suspicion of them being pirated however! Nearly empty yet nothing left of the bait but bones?? Both the chicken and salmon carcasses.

get hooked
09-16-2002, 09:21 PM
We had the same experience Sunday at T-bay. Crab pots were empty and the bait was all gone. We think someone was pulling them while we were fishing. Like to catch them in the act!!!