Winter crabbing

[Take it EC]

I was wondering if anyone would offer tips on winter crabbing, I've only gone in the summer but I'm hoping the winter season opens in puget sound. Are crabs in the same hotspots that are bountifull in the summer or do they move to deeper or shallower waters? Any tips would be appreciated.
Thanks

[johnr]

Good question, I'd be interested in hearing what others do. Up here in Area 7, I crab the same spots and depths as I do in the summer. In the winter, because of the lack of daylight hours, I almost always leave my traps in overnight, which I don't do as often in the summer. If pressed, I would say that I don't do as well in the winter as I do in the summer, but almost always come home with enough to feed the family.

[PaulNBriannaLynn]

We really enjoy winter crabbing. In the summer its the big popular activity where we live, so winter time is much more relaxing at the launch

I think you can be more flexible where you place your pots in winter because there is so much more pressure on crab in summer.

For example, we live next to a boat launch, and people tend to place their pots close to the launch and in front of our place because its conveniant. If I were to go crabbing right now, I would not do very well right in front of our house because its been overfished since early July. I would go down the island to an area that isn't getting the same pressure. In the winter, I place those pots right out in front of the house because there's not many people crabbing and limited pressure.

So that's my not very scientific opinion!

[Take it EC]

I've been banking on the fact that boat traffic will be down and I guess the paranoia of crab pot thieves will go down too

[starcrafttom]

My only tip is to be aware of where the commercial ( tribal or non tribal,like there is a difference) are setting their pots. Do not leave you pots over night close to where they are setting. Your pots will be gone or just empty if your lucky. I sit on my pots any more. Just never have crab if I leave them.

Remember that this summer the tulilip fish and game enforcement officer was arrested for????? pouching crab and shrimp out of season, over limits ( by several thousand pounds) and selling with out a licences. This is the guy that is suppose to be keeping a eye on the rest of the tribe????????? sit on your pots .

[Take it EC]

Thanks for the advice, I think fishing for bottom fish like flounder could pass the time while staying close. So it's good fish away from the pack so others might miss them? I always thought if you were fishing in the pack of crab pots there would be too much traffic and pots to empty them all. I heard video taping some one emptying your pot is the best proof if you catch them.

[johnr]

My trick for overnight crabbing is to drop my pots around moored boats. Near where I live there is a good crabbing area where boats are moored almost all year long, with people coming, going and overnighting on their boat. My thinking is that, unless the thief sees you drop the pot and leave (certainly possible), he will think that it's possible that the trap belongs to someone in one of the nearby boats and is watching the pot and so won't mess with it. At least that's what I tell myself. I also use cheap, collapsable traps so that if they do get stolen, it's less of a hit.

As an aside and with regards to traps being picked or poached, but not stolen... From time to time I pull up a pot that is cleaned out. No, crab, no bait left except for a few bones, nothing. And this in usually productive grounds. Did someone poach my crabs? So, now I shut my pot in a very, very particular way, so I KNOW if someone else opened it. The result? Whenever I've pulled up an empty pot, there has never been an any evidence that anybody tampered with the pot in any way. Not once. Interesting. Except for the time when my friends played a joke on me, took my crabs and left a bottle of tequila in the trap!

[Take it EC]

I always figured putting my pots in a protected cove, a dream spot would be shallow and the mouth of a bay so only shallow draft boats can get through. I like the mooring buoy though.

[hardee]

When I was up in the Broughtons, I went through a particularly narrow and shallow passage at nearly the bottom of low tide. Somebody had set crab traps about every 75-100 feet for half a mile. At the center of the passage, where it was the shallowest, with the broadest beach, there was a string of about 8 traps, all high and dry. They were a bit miss shaped, and looked to be in rather sad repair. About a quarter mile down the pass, I caught up with a nice big black bear, out for his morning stroll on the beach. He appeard to be a little crabby, so I left him alone.

Harvey
SleepyC

[tcr_pnw]

i dont change anything up summer vs. winter for crabbing. just usually end up with more hardshell crab due to less pressure on the fishery. also, 7 days a week is nice.

[Take it EC]

I hate to throw back big crab that are soft shelled but I they have very little meat in them anyways. Is the water a lot more rough or does it still depend on weather/wind.

[Larry Patrick]

Look forward to crabbing someday, also clamming ,shrimping,scalloping and of course fishing. Its a shame you always have to worry about theft.

[Take it EC]

Crabbing opens October 1st in all areas but 10. Chinook season opens on October 1st for blackmouth also.

[Salmon Fisher]

Ditto on sitting on pots. Although in fall and winter, I can usually drop away from any population and go fishing and come back and they are as I left them. Nice to crab when the coho are coming in like these next few weeks.

Always use fresh bait, my go to is chicken quarters, think Tom said it already, buy the 10 lb bag for around $7-8 dollars and salmon carcasses.

Love winter crab, yum!