[King Krusher]

I am thinking about heading to Newport this next Tuesday and take the wife crabbing. I am hearing the crabbing has picked up down there and thought we would give it a try. I have crabbed Tillamook Bay quite a bit and further north, but never at Newport. I was told to cross the bridge, put my boat in and turn right and crab around the corner. Anyone have any more specific details or any landmarks I should crab near? Any hazards in the area we should watch for? Any help would greatly be appreciated. Also, how do the tides play into the crabbing in Newport, I heard there is going to possibly be some minus tides next week. I have always been told to not crab when there is a large variance in tide changes. Any suggestions there would also be greatly appreciated.

 

[jimsbuddy]

Crabbing Newport... yes cross the bridge and hook a right, the launch is down by the Brew house... crabbing locations, well we head out of the harbor and hook a right and drop in the thick of the bay... crabbing on big minus tide... well little story, 3 years ago, I had all of tillamook bay to myself... couldn't figure out why... dropped 3 nice new crab pots with all the goodies from Fishermans ( big sale total with buoy, line, and meat cage, just at $125) also dropped some old slip style crap bots. Came back about 4 hours later and nothing was around. I had dropped my pots in the thick of the bay just before it narrows to the jettys... after driving around for almost 1hour I found one buoy about 3ft under water. Of course it was one of the cheap slip ring pots... I assume the neg tide either pulled my gear out into the channel, so it was too deep to see the buoy, or plum sucked it out in the ocean. Either way its gone... $400 given back to the mermaids of the sea :frown:

 

[King Krusher]

I did the same thing in crab harbor in Garibaldi, except there were 6 of us out there and I lost 5 pots with the nice raised flagged buoys I had just spent hours building. We thought we were going to be out before the tide change, and it was ealrier than the tide book stated and it was a big rip tide. There were a lot of pots lost by everyone that day, luckily mine were just the cheap danielsons, but I still probably lost $150 in gear and bait. Thanks for the reply.

 

[blacktailaddict]

I agree avoid the big tides. The best bay crabbing is a small tidal change and crab during the slack tide.

 

[Dave G]

I love dungies, this weekend the state fair, next weekend visit the in-laws the weekend after, jet boat ride to Astoria and after that the boat cover comes off and it is time to :smash::smash::smash::smash::smash::smash::smash::smash::smash::smash:

 

[Spoiled Daddy]

Crabbing has started picking up in the bay. Last Tuesday I took the girls and wife out. We got 15 hard keepers and threw 8-9 back that were soft in about 1.5 hours. I crabbed the high slack tide. We used sea bass carks and tuna bellies in wire cages. If you use slip ring pots or regular circular crab pots with fish for bait, you will most likely loose your bait to the sea lions.

Just remember that the channel drops off quick in different places, so know your rope lengths and tides or you will loose gear too. I have all my ropes weighted, which helps keep tangles down in the props to a minimum. I recommend keeping your gear out of the shipping channels, as there is lots of big boat traffic and you will loose it occasionally to the larger fishing vessels and/or you can endanger them by getting your ropes around their props/shafts.

the Spoiled Daddy

 

[Don't fish e nuff]

One more tip. Newport sea lions are bad. fish bait attracts them and they can rip up your rings trying to get to it. Poultry doesn't catch as many crab, but no worries about sea-lions. Mink also works and lasts a long time.

 

[Old Coot]

Check your messages.

 

[steel_beaver]

don't forget your fishing poles....
went crabing today and didn't do very well ( I went late - 30 min after high slack) but as I was leaving a saw a 40 lb nook being photographed at the cleaning station:applause:. Biggest fish I've ever seen. cut plug below the bridge. the guys said they did no good for crabs (they killed them the day before) but they weren't complaningp

S_B

 

[garv76]

Crabbing Newport... yes cross the bridge and hook a right, the launch is down by the Brew house... crabbing locations, well we head out of the harbor and hook a right and drop in the thick of the bay... crabbing on big minus tide... well little story, 3 years ago, I had all of tillamook bay to myself... couldn't figure out why... dropped 3 nice new crab pots with all the goodies from Fishermans ( big sale total with buoy, line, and meat cage, just at $125) also dropped some old slip style crap bots. Came back about 4 hours later and nothing was around. I had dropped my pots in the thick of the bay just before it narrows to the jettys... after driving around for almost 1hour I found one buoy about 3ft under water. Of course it was one of the cheap slip ring pots... I assume the neg tide either pulled my gear out into the channel, so it was too deep to see the buoy, or plum sucked it out in the ocean. Either way its gone... $400 given back to the mermaids of the sea :frown:

I've done that, happens to the best of us, let me ask one real quick question, on your guys pots with the red and white bouy, do you have the red part of the buoy facing up or down, the red part is the narrow part. After loosing 4 pots I'm nervous.

 

[jimsbuddy]

One more tip. Newport sea lions are bad. fish bait attracts them and they can rip up your rings trying to get to it. Poultry doesn't catch as many crab, but no worries about sea-lions. Mink also works and lasts a long time.

The wife learned this years ago, and this is my bait of choice. Lions have never ripped or even looked at our rings when we used them,they still leave our pots alone. We have seens some torn up rings and pots via the lions.

I've done that, happens to the best of us, let me ask one real quick question, on your guys pots with the red and white bouy, do you have the red part of the buoy facing up or down, the red part is the narrow part. After loosing 4 pots I'm nervous.

We painted ours up with flourescent orange paint this year. painted the letters on with black and green paint. Worked real well, last few trips out.

 

[MBURKE]

went crabbing about a month ago and did real well, one weekend went 42 for 4 pots and one weekend went 28 for 4 pots. they were little soft but still good eating. cracked them all and came up with 7lb of nothin but meat, gooood eats.
good place is out by the greenish blue can stay in about 15 to 20 feet of water chicken. is my bait of choice ussaully check pots every 15 to 20 mins
should be getting real good now gotta be a lot fuller and bigger.
u can use your boat to tell where the channel is, just put in nutreal and float. it will pull you right in then crab along edge of channel
always remember that crabs move in the channel with the current and feed on the outside of the current.. high or low tide but best at slack
good luck and good eats.......