Netarts is crabbing well

[rustyl]

Well, for everyone but us.

Sunday was a beautiful day, and when we got there a little after low slack there were lots of boats pulling out with their limits of very nice sized crabs. I’m still pretty new at this, and didn’t do so good, but that’s not a very good indication of how the bay is doing. The few keepers that we did get were nice and (no need to measure) big.

Oh yea.. If there are any other Netarts novices reading this (this was our first trip), here is a tip that will save you some anguish:

When you are heading out from the boat ramp on plan all excited and ready to crap, the bird standing up in the middle of the bay is a big clue as to where NOT to go. Dohh!

[grumman16]

I had a good laugh when I read this. I am a veteran Netarts crabber (2 whole trips!). On my first trip out, at high slack, I almost got into trouble twice in shallow water (its amazing how 1.5 feet of water looks no different than 20 feet - no water clarity what so ever). I could only imagine the trouble you could get into at low slack. I've been wanting to do a scouting trip over there during low slack just to get a better feel of where the shallow spots are vs. the channels.

BTW, a week ago we got a limit of 6-7" crabs in ~1.5 hours at high slack. Shad seems to be the key to success.

Good luck!

-G16

[Kentucky Hog Hunter]

Rusty...Nice story.

I have crab'd this bay several times and I always plan my crabbing trip days on the days that have the softest tides (Minimum water swing between high & low).

I hear you on the shallow water stuff...That bay can be some tricky navigation of you are unfamiliar.

It typically is good this time of year as well... Don't be discouraged because each time you go you will learn something new if you allow yourself to.

[Steelhead Hound]

AHAHAHA I DID THE SAME THING THE FIRST TIME I WENT TO NETARTS AHAHAHA

[Sore Back]

We all learn the hard way Rusty. As far as the crabbing performance goes, look into your bait. We live in Netarts and crab very often. Shad is our bait of choice followed by Turkey legs. Be sure to remove the skin from the legs and make several slices to expose more flesh. (They say crab don't like Turkey skin. Guess someone talked to a crab.)

Next, watch the tide. A heavy flood or ebb (run-off) will not produce crab as they bury themselves to avoid the current. Big tides also have a way of sanding in your pots. Those days of 6 ft. and greater tides, we just fish the 30 minutes before through 1 hour after high or low water.

Good luck,

Sore Back