Red rock crabs

River Ranger · 12-29-2003, 07:24 AM

I know there are lots of Red rocks in yaquina bay,Are they as good as Dungeness?Are there Reds in any of the other bays?Thanks for the info.
R.R.

Snapset · 12-29-2003, 07:51 AM

They are not as good as Dungies, in my opinion. There is not much meat in the bodies or in any of the legs other than the claws. The meat actualy is a little sweeter than dungeness meat, but there just isn't a whole lot there.

On the other hand, you can keep 25 any size, so it is not a bad thing to keep some if the keeper Dungeness aren't cooperating. I have found that the more rocks there are in a bay, and the closer I crab to those rocks, the more rock crabs I catch. I would guess there are some in every bay in Oregon.

Day Late · 12-29-2003, 07:55 AM

I personally don't care for red rock for the same reasons Snapset mentioned. Will only keep large ones if dungeness catch is lacking. Too hard to deal with for the amount of meat availabe.

Day Late

Bait O' Eggs · 12-29-2003, 07:59 AM

I have caught them in Netarts and Tillamook bay.

Cosmic Lazy Susan · 12-29-2003, 08:14 AM

Not quite as good as Dungeness. I would agree that the meat is sweeter and not as much of it. That said I still enjoy eating them if it is all I can get.

The biggest thing to me though is their shells are tougher so it is a lot more work to crack and get the meat out.

Dale

goodkarma · 12-29-2003, 08:15 AM

it's my understanding that the red rock crabs cause problems for the Dungenous which is why the limit is so high. ODFW would like them gone, they are a non-native species. I usually keep them, the claws are good but nothing in the body.

River Ranger · 12-29-2003, 08:41 AM

Sweet!Thanks for all the info guys.
R.R.

o-mykiss · 12-29-2003, 12:00 PM

Definetely not as good as Dungeness. Taste like nothing with a hint of dish soap. At least the batch I had did.

Phil Layer · 12-29-2003, 12:26 PM

I don't care for red rocks either. And, I've heard the story that they infringe on the dungeness too. A friend of mine says to kill them.

I don't because ODFW don't suggest this. If they were endangering the dungeness, you'd think ODFW would tell us to do more than limit our catch of them to 25. Maybe we can get a ODFW person to chime in on this one?

BTW, I crabbed Yaquina bay two weekends ago and never got a single red rock.

Salmonator · 12-29-2003, 12:29 PM

I actually like the flavor of the red rocks better than the Dungies but like everyone else said there's not much to them outside the claws and some legs and they usually require pliers to crack. BEWARE THE CLAW! They can split a thumbnail in two, trust me I know... :depressed:

[ 12-29-2003, 01:30 PM: Message edited by: Salmonator ]

fortywinks · 12-29-2003, 05:53 PM

Ditto what Salmonater said. They are very quick and generally more aggresive than the Dungies, and with the small body size, they can easily reach your fingers when you pick them up, so beware! :shocked: They remind me of Scorpions, the way they can posture when trapped.

AuntyM · 12-29-2003, 07:32 PM

I asked a shellfish bio friend to read this thread, as I was pretty sure there was some misinformation regarding red rock crabs. Here is his response.

1. Red Rock crab i.e Cancer productus are very much a native species of Washington and Oregon.

2. They are primarily of importance to the recreationalist but in the past at least in Washington there has been some commercial interest.

3. Given #1 and #2 both ODFW and WDFW have a mandate to conserve the species and manage it for a sustainable harvest.

4. Notice the use of the term "Rock" in the name? Guess what the preferred habitat is? This species is designed to feed mainly on invertebrate species that occur above and upon the surface of rocky and gravelly habitats. Whereas Dungeness i.e, Cancer magister is designed to pursue prey located burrowed or buried within soft substrates such as sand and muds. They quite literally dig feeding pits in pursuit of prey.

5. While both species spatially overlap in occurence they are generally seperated by their preference of habitat based on their design. Hmmmm and they wonder why some areas produce mainly only one or the other and some spots produce a mixture?

6. Limits are liberal for the Reds because one there is no current commercial fishery. If there was then there would be a concurrent reduction in the sport limit. Additionally the limits may be liberal due to the fact that they are not a primary target of the recreationalist. If that choice in target were to change there would certainly be a shift downward in limit size.

7. Predation of Reds upon Dungies? Well it has been documented scientifically that Dungie megalops larvae can detect the presence of dense Red numbers thru chemical cues and avoid settlement within those areas where they are likely to be preyed upon. Crab have the chemical sensory ability that is capable of detecting chemicals in the water column at levels far below that which human technology is able i.e. from a presentation by a Batelle Corporation PHD.
During the soft shell molt period Dungies may be preyed upon by Reds occasionally but it is generally known that Dungie seek extreme soft substrates in which to burrow during this vulnerable period and Reds are rarely found within these areas.

Thanks Gooose!

glassblower · 12-29-2003, 07:41 PM

Ya know all them people that say(oh your going crabbing? bring me a bunch will ya?) I save the redrocks for them & I keep the Dungeness for my family. I dont like em and would prefer that they were gone so I boil them up after the dungeness and give em away. I do not think they have much flaver and they certainly do not compare with dungeness, and they are rough on the fingers getting the meat (what there is of it) out of them. Big plus is most people quit bugging you for crab :-) I do not plan on spending my hard earned cash to get dungeness for someone else.

MarlinMark · 12-29-2003, 07:55 PM

I like to crack and eat the Dungies. I think if I kept 25 red rocks I would put them on my work bench in a towel and strike repeatedly with my mallet. Then I would take all of the meat out and make soem cakes, chowder, add to boulabois (sp), or something. Just a thought.

Mark :grin:

fisheromen · 12-29-2003, 08:10 PM

I like 'em because I can go out the family cabin door, walk down to the tide pools 1/2 mile away, dig around with the kids and get a bucket full of 4" ers and have enough claw meat for a nice salad. No bait, no boat, no fuss. Just a purple fingernail if I'm unlucky and a couple hours work cleaning the %^#&*@& things!

drhall99 · 12-29-2003, 09:05 PM

So if red rocks are mainly only good for the claws, why not just take the claw and put the crab back to grow new ones?

[ 12-29-2003, 10:12 PM: Message edited by: drhall99 ]

Salmonator · 12-29-2003, 09:10 PM

because it would not only be cruel but they use their claws to feed, oh yea it's also illegal.

12-29-2003, 09:16 PM

Which would you prefer? Having your arms ripped off and tossed back or be boiled alive?
There is a commercial claw fishery in Florida but I don't think I would want to tear their claws off and toss them back. It just seems wrong to me.

I like eating red rock crab but if I have dungies the rocks go back into the water.

[ 12-29-2003, 10:17 PM: Message edited by: Keta ]

Salmonator · 12-29-2003, 09:18 PM

boiled alive! How can I open a beer with no arms? [img]graemlins/eek13.gif[/img]

12-29-2003, 09:19 PM

Good Point

drhall99 · 12-29-2003, 10:31 PM

OK, what if you only pulled the big one off? And is it seriously illegal? Why would ODFW care if I tossed back a live crab. The Florida program is where I got the idea.

D.

Phil Layer · 12-30-2003, 07:17 AM

Aunty M.

Thanks for the great info!

AuntyM · 12-30-2003, 10:26 AM

Phil,

I gotta say, I listen to every word my shellfish bio friend writes.

The guy has made me a master shrimper by filling in the blanks of my knowledge base.

The Overfishin Condition · 12-30-2003, 03:03 PM

A couple weeks ago I spent a few hours snaring in Tillamook bay, and although we caught several small dungees and redrocks. The only thing that was legal and worth keeping was one large red rock. Not crabbing much, and in turn not eating much crab, we kept it and ate it. I thought it tasted pretty good all in all! Of course, I don't have too much, as far as fresh crab to compare it to. They are pretty scary, since they can stand up almost on end and seem to have proportionally larger claws, oh well... we survived and he can't say as much. TOC.

h20dog · 12-30-2003, 03:50 PM

I was told once to take just one claw and toss the rest back. So we were having a slow day so I did it to 2 red rocks we caught and threw them in the cooler with the dungies. At the end of the day we cooked all our crab and the 2 claws. When we were done cleaning we ceremoniously taste tested the red rock claws. Worst tasting thing I have ever put in my mouth. [img]graemlins/1zhelp.gif[/img] :shocked: We figured the meat probably turned rancid when removed from the crab..

Salmonator · 12-30-2003, 04:50 PM

I wonder if a few here are eating a crab that kind looks like a redrock but really isn't (more of a light purple color with huge rounded claws). All the red rocks I've ever eaten have been as good or better than dungies, the meat is usually a little sweeter. I have also eaten the imposter I mentioned and can remember never wanting to try one again. As far as the claws turning rancid, many times the dungies will removes their buddies claws in the livewell. Always cooked up fine at home.