Buoy lines stretching 100 feet in length are ideal for offshore crab pots, though if working close to shore, 75 feet of rope will suffice. It’s better to have too much rope than not enough, keeping the buoys on the surface. Adding up to five pounds of extra weight in your pot is also a good idea. The added weight will keep the pots on the bottom, guarding against longshore currents that may otherwise carry them away. Be sure to check these pots at least once a day, twice being preferred, as you don’t want them becoming sanded-in.
If you don’t have a boat that’s sea-worthy, there are guides up and down the Pacific Coast who offer combination fishing and crabbing trips. For these adventures, it’s a good idea to get as many friends together as possible and fill the boat, for there’s potential to come away with not only limits of salmon, but loads of crabs.
During one offshore crabbing run out of Winchester Bay, Oregon, two buddies and I dropped our pots in the morning, hammered six salmon and pulled three limits of crabs on the way back to port. While launching out of Pacific City with my buddy, Capt’ Bill Hook and his son, we drew blanks on salmon, but caught a few bottom fish and our limits of extra-large crabs.
If heading offshore, be certain your boat is properly equipped and those operating skills and boat knowledge honed. Be aware that ocean conditions can quickly change, and that circumstances in any given body of water may vary from day to day. Respect the ocean, pay close attention to every detail and get those pots ready for some of the best crabbing you’ll ever experience.
Editor’s Note: For signed copies of Scott Haugen’s popular, how-to book Recreational Dungeness Crabbing, send a check for $13.00 (includes S&H) to Haugen Enterprises, P.O. Box 275, Walterville, OR 97489. This and other educational books, including cookbooks, can be ordered online at www.scotthaugen.com.