Best Crab tides?

[Mr. Fisherman]

Can anybody provide information about the best tides for crabbing ?

I know that the incoming and high slack is best but what about the difference between high and low? For instance would crabbing be best when there is a small differential like 1 to 4 feet or a higher differential like -2 to 10 feet (low, high respectively).


It would seem to me that a large differential would push more crabs into the bay? Is this line of thinking correct ? Maybe a small differential allows the crab to feed without being disturbed as much, I don't know and would appreciate some advice .
Also, what depth is recommended in crab harbor?

Looking forward to crackin' some tasty critters,

Mr. F.

[Pete]

Certainly tides have some effect on crabs, and I believe that strong tides make crabbing worse by pushing the buggers around too much. But I don't think tides are the critical factor. Most important is timing in the season since crabs migrate into the bays and back out to the ocean over the course of the year. Crabs come into the bays in good numbers in early fall and are there in good numbers until the fall rains change the salinity of the water. Next most important is positioning. I like places where current breaks reduce the flow and help collect food regardless of tides. Think about the downstream edge of a sand bar with the tide flooding across the shallow bar. Below that is often a deeper hole where the current will reduce behind the bar, collecting whatever food stuff may have washed off the bar in the relatively low flow eddy.

In another post someone talked about losing their buoys on a strong tide. In 20+ years of crabbing I have only had my buoy submerge once, but got it back on the tide change. (I'd dropped a trap with a 25 foot line in a 22 foot hole on a strong tide.) If you're using pots or rings, I wouldn't expect them to move. If you're using Danielson's or cages which are much lighter you could see the current pushing them around.

[This message has been edited by Pete (edited 11-09-2000).]

[Bait O' Eggs]

I usually do better on a small tide change. I always look for the deepest part of the channel to crab.

Over the 4th of July our family camped at Bayocean for 4 days. We never took the pots out of the bay day or night except to remove crabs. I lost 3 danielson traps and my dad lost 2 of the smaller round commercial type pots with the blue rubber on them. I do not remember the tide change but there was some minus tides that week which usually lend to big tide changes. I had several of the large commercial type pots that I found 1/4 mile from where I put them the night before. When leaving the pots in overnight the ropes/float tend to seaweed up creating more pull on the pot compounding the drifting problem. Once they drift into deep water they are gone.

I have 35 feet of rope on my pots. I usually never drop them in more than 28 feet of water. That is about as deep as Crab harber gets at high tide if you stay in the harbor. It gets deeper towards the point towards the ocean. The water also runs faster the closer you get towards the point.

A real annoyance of mine is people who use 60 or so feet of floating rope in 15 or 20 feet of water. I have had boats cut my 35 feet of rope when they get there prop in my rope at low tide. 60 feet of rope would just ask some doughball to run over the rope and cut it. The way to keep any extra rope below the surface is to place a few pieces of pencil lead in the rope below the float so the extra rope sinks and is not on top getting in props. With my pump it is just an annoyance to get free.

I have experimented with weighting the pots down with lots to rebar. they sink in the sand over night and I have broke 1/2 inch rope pulling with the boat trying to get the pot loose. When the pot is to light they drift out to sea. One time I pulled a Danileson trap right in half trying to get it loose from the sand pulling with the boat. Only a problem when you leave the pot for 24 hours between pulls.

The other problem with pulling the pots once a day is everybody else emptying the pots when you are not around. And it happens a lot. I fugure my pots look like yoyo's when I am not tending them. example: Fresh bait 24 hours in the bay no crabs, rebait wait 30 minutes and several crabs. Only one conclusion makes sense. Zip tieing the door shut seems to helps a little. They can still get the crab out the crab doors if they work at it. Writing "property of Oregon State Police" on your float also helps a little.

[Mr. Fisherman]

Thanks for the info folks,

I'll b eout with the boys tomarrow cause they have been buggin me to go.

I'll post a report when I return .

Thanks again,

Mr. F

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Live to Fish
Fish to Live

[Phish_on]

My floats now say "crab pot thieves boil in hell forever" ! Just a little curse, I tend to keep them in sight as much as possible ... and the robbers have no conscience anyway, but just for laughs - -

I'd vote for less extreme tides, also - the crabbies just bury themselves if the current is too strong - I would guess the wimpy tide swings would improve your success before and after the "slack" time.

[Mr. Fisherman]

Well as promissed here's an update.

Pulled pots all day from 2 hours before high tide till two hours after slack tide. Only two keepers. Lots and lots of small crabbies.

We tried crab harbor, the crapper, no luck.

Guess we might have done better if my deck slime buddy had released the rubber bands on the doors of the trap the first few pulls .

Anyway, I would say that the crabbing has been better when there was not as much difference (8.5 feet) between high and low tide.

We also tried mooching for Salmon in the jetty, nothing but slack lines .

Tried fishing for ol' diamondback in the west channel and the dolphin hole. No luck, not one take down.

Tried mooching at Bay City, caught two sea trout. That was it. We were the last boat in before dark. Can't blame us for trying.

Beautiful day though .

Talked to a few others. One crew got 18 crabs using 8 commercial sized traps for 4 fishermen. Long day.

Hop you all had better luck,

Mr. F.

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Live to Fish
Fish to Live