Where do you place crab pots in Newport Bay?

J

johnf

Member
Headed down to Newport on Saturday for Halibut (weather not looking too good though)...wanted to know if anyone could share ideas on where to place crab pots (assuming open, will research). Have a friend coming along that will bring pots.

New to doing crabbing from the C-Dory 22 so will take any advice, ideas or suggestions please.

Thanks,

John
 
...wanted to know if anyone could share ideas on where to place crab pots...
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John - Any of my crab catching has been mostly luck and I am far from an expert, but knowing that the crabs down there are the same creatures we get up here, I would think your best bet would be to put the pots in the water. Mine have been sitting on the concrete slab in back of the house for quite some time and they have produced nothing.

Acting on a tip from someone I cannot name who used to have a leaky boat but now has a replacement, I use turkey legs exclusively for bait. The sea lions don't bother them and the crabs seem to love them - especially in late November. Hey - maybe if I put some in the pots out back of the house they would catch something...
 
Thanks Mike...had me laughing with "in the water" comment. Have no clue on these critters. What depth, when during year is best, all kinds of questions...

I'll think we'll just try the water idea somewhere in the bay and see what we get.

Good luck crabbing on concrete!

John
 
John, somehow you just can't get a straight answer around here, can you! Maybe the king crabber/shrimper, Roger of Sensei, will chime in here with some wisdom...No idea about Newport Bay, maybe somebody will give you some tips. "In the water" is not actually bad advice though...we have had equally good - or bad - luck year to year in all kinds of different spots here. And the damn WDFW has made it just about impossible for us. What we BELIEVE is important, because we hear it a lot from successful crabbers, is the WHEN - bracket an incoming tide. We of course crab when we are able to, which might not relate to the tides at all. People catch crabs at all depths - our neighbor at Birch Bay swears 20 -30 feet in the middle of the bay is great, and my cousin swears you have to be at 80 - 100 feet on a certain ledge. They both do better than we do these days, because their pots are in the water.
 
Hey John,

What a hoot -- in the water is a GREAT idea -- preferably in water crabs inhabit too -- bathtubs not advised.

Turkey or chicken keeps sea lions away, but the pesky pests may all be back in California by now -- we haven't been over in a few months. If they're NOT in the area, salmon carcases (sp) are dining delights for the crab.

Placement favorites for us are at the edge of the turning basin, there are 3 markers and we usually place ours in a line between a couple of them (heading upriver to fish for salmon) -- OR, my son and I have done well along the green wall that shelters the docks on the other side from Southbeach.

Generally, months that contain an R are best, as the crabs molt and are soft and not very meaty in the other months (May through August).

I don't think we're going out Saturday, as the wind and waves look pretty snotty -- maybe some sturgeon fishing back at St. Johns. If the guy with the advice to put your pots in the water would ever organize a Bratty sturgeon fest in Astoria, we'd think about towing all the way over there and spending a weekend! :xtongue
 
Thanks gang...any knowledge is knowledge. Learnin' as I go...

Watching the weather all week for Newport. Looking worse by the day. May be bailing as well (not literally :-)

Hope everyone has a fun weekend boating!

John
 
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