Crabbing Offshore

[Boats]

Is crabbing offshore any more productive than the bay?
Traditionally I aways drop my traps in the bay someplace out of the way...

Just curious about the benefits to dropping them offshore.

Thanks in advance!
Brian

[goodkarma]

one benefit is that you aren't likely to have your traps stolen.

[Undertaker]

It can be better depending on whether or not the females are guarding their little ones. If they are, it is usually a waste of time.
We drop traps on the way out, usually on either side of the jaws out of the nav channel (Newport).
Some days we get full traps of nice, hard crab. When the crab larvae are around, we usually get nothing but females (with larvae covering the bait, then the floor of the boat).