Crab, Fish, Feast!
September is here, a month ending in “ber.” While crabbing has been good throughout much of the Pacific Northwest, it’s the months ending in “ber” that old-timers use as a rule-of-thumb to mark the best crabbing months. September, October, November...you get the idea.
With the ‘ber months come more crabs migrating into bays, and meatier ones, too. Following late spring and summer molts, crabs are getting full of meat, and now is a great time to catch them.
For more than 40 years our family has enjoyed fall fishing in the bays this time of year. One, because chinook and coho are here, but two, because fresh crab can be caught at the same time. Typically, we’ll drop our crab pots in the morning, fish through the prime tides, then collect the pots before heading in.
Fishing for salmon during incoming, outgoing and through slack tides is ideal, and the best crabbing tides are during the slack. This is when crabs crawl out from under the sand and behind rocks and search for food. Dropping pots prior to fishing is easy, just make sure you’re not infringing on fellow crabbers or cutting off main trolling routes of salmon anglers.
When it comes to attracting crabs the objective is much like salmon fishing: lay an appealing scent line that will attract them to the pot. Dropping pots every 15 to 20 yards in a straight line running up/downstream is a good starting point. Of course, the number of fellow crabbers/anglers occupying a bay may dictate just how spread-out your set may be. By dropping pots in a straight line, not only is running the boat easier, but it allows you to focus efforts on a single area while simultaneously establishing a scent line.
If setting pots in a line doesn’t pay off, or you find you’re catching only females or small crabs, pull the pots and change location. Another approach is to initially set a few traps in different locations around the bay, pinpointing where the keeper males are congregating. Once a honey hole is located, move all your traps to that area.
If you find yourself at an unfamiliar bay, prior to launching the boat ask local crabbers or marine shop owners where they suggest you search for crabs. If trying to locate precise areas in which to drop pots, depth finders can be very helpful. Searching for low spots, where crabs often gather, can be the key to success. Running across water, scanning the bottom until you find a deep hole can also save a lot of guess work.
Be sure and mark your pots with high-visibility buoys. Firmly securing two buoys to the end of the rope is a must when crabbing from a boat. Don’t skimp on size when it comes to selecting a float. You want floats with enough buoyancy to stay visible in strong currents and high winds. Clearly labeling the buoy with your name and address is a good idea, and is law in some states. It’s also a good idea to attach an ounce of weight to the buoy line, five to 10 feet beneath the float. This added weight guards against the line floating to the surface and getting caught in propellers; this too, is law in some states. Simply duct-taping a pencil sinker or two to the rope is all that’s needed.