How's the crabbing?

love2fish · 12-22-2003, 05:52 AM

Just wondering if anyone got out to do some crabbing this weekend? I'm going to give it a try next weekend. Not sure where to go yet. Anyone know if there are any crab left at Hammond?

Thanks,
love2fish

Phil Layer · 12-22-2003, 07:31 AM

I crabbed on Friday, the 19th in Yaquina. Unfortunately, I could only fish the outgoing and got lots and lots of undersized. I never saw a female. As we approached slack tide, we started getting bigger ones but I had to run.

If we don't get any more rain, I'm guessing the crabbing will be awesome.

Good luck!

grumman16 · 12-22-2003, 08:01 AM

Crabbed Netarts on Sunday, managed 9 keepers while running 3 pots. Had to work for them though - none of my usual spots were producing so we kept trying new spots.

Met another ifish'er (Smokey) on the water, he seemed to be doing a little better than us. He was nice enough of to share some of his lucky bait with us (Thanks Smokey!). Unfortunately it didn't change our luck to much.

Weather was gorgeous the whole time we were there. Not bad considering it was raining most of the morning back in Portland.

-Grumman16

rustyl · 12-22-2003, 08:26 AM

Yea, the weather was fantastic on Sunday at Netarts. (It was a very nice summer day in December.

) We managed to get 13 keepers running six rings. Almost all of the keepers were right at slack tide (when we first got there.)

It seemed like all at once everything stopped, and we were hardly pulling anything in (not even little guys.)

I was going to try Tillamook, but I didn't really want to crab in the outgoing tide, and didn't feeling like getting up too early.

Oh yea... the crabs in Netarts seem plenty happy to munch on cheap chicken quarters from Winco. We concentrated on the channel along the rocks moving inland from the dock. (I attempted the channel closer to the bar when the tide was running out, but was getting a little freaked with the thought of my engine failing... the bar was VERY intense looking.)

grumman16 · 12-22-2003, 09:53 AM

Hey Rustyl,

I may have seen ya out there - you have an arima right? (at least looks that way in your avatar) I wasn't keeping an eye out for ifish stickers, too busy trying to not run over ropes and floats - man there was alot of them out there yesterday!

Hey I was wondering how you rigged up your rings for when you crab netarts? I have two old rings that were handed down to me, but I've never had much luck with them at least compared to the traps. I'm curious how much rope you use and what depth water you target at netarts? Also do you use bait cages or just tie the bait to the ring?

If you see a 20ft blue and silver Willie's Asaltor out there say high. When I can get away, I'm usually either crabbing at Netarts or sturgeon fishing at KP.

-G16

rustyl · 12-22-2003, 10:51 AM

grumman16,

yeap, I drive a 15' Arima Sea Hunter. I think I might have seen your boat... I usually notice the Willie's, nice looking boats.

I use bait cages, and keep pulling them about every 15 minutes. With six traps my wife and I just keep doing an endless loop of checking our traps. 20' of water with 50' of rope seems to work for me.

The big crabs will swim out if you don't pick up the traps real fast, so I try to sneak up on them by picking up the rope and motoring up stream till I am right on top of the trap, and then my wife does a quick jolt of the engine in reverse as I pull the rings to keep the rings from tilting sideways.

I just knocked off a high priority honey-do item, so I might be at KP after lunch. (I have the next couple of weeks off... oh yea!)

grumman16 · 12-22-2003, 11:43 PM

rustyl,

Thanks for the tips. I'll have to try it next time out (maybe this friday). Good luck with the gators - sounds like fishing has been good lately.

-G16