I am not sure where you plan to launch into Willapa but on the end closest to Long Beach there are some deep holes that I have crabbed and WDFW uses as their test fishing locations. Look up a chart of the bay and find Riddle Spit, drop in area to east and south in excess of 50’. Current rips pretty hard so use sinking line with 2 medium float minimum and weight pot to at least 30 lbs. North side of bay can crab just south of Tokeland channel in 25-40 feet, if your get too far west depths increase and majority of flow out of bay requires more rope, weight, and floats. That area I use 40 lbs with two 100 ft shots of line and a third large float for insurance. It sounds like overkill but I have had to help find many pots there at low slack when they pop up, last one drug 1/2 mile and into 30 feet deeper.

 

Weeds at willapa bay are to watch for with jet pump and have some weight too your pots cause the water can move pots good there at least in my experience . I heard Columbia is good but haven’t been out there to try

 

Grass and weeds load up the lines quickly in WB and can pull the buoy underwater or drag the pot entirely. Checking your pots near slack water is recommended.

 

Head to Tokeland and launch at the port and drop your pots just outside the fishing pier. Its a fairly short trip from Ocean Park to Tokeland as I take the grand kids a few times a year up there to crab off the pier. Lots of grass this time of year floating in pods with the tide. Some of those grass clumps can shut down even a prop unit, I know as I've more than once had to lift the engine and get the mess clear. Apparently the stomp grates wouldn't help clear the grass based on one guy I talked with a few years back. He reached into the boat and came up with a potato fork with a 90 degree bent handle that he claims will pull off the worst of the grass mess.