Gopro in a crab pot

[h20hunter]

Some good points. I'm going to revist the whole crab and the other options this summer

[sirmissalot]

Whole crab does add more flavor especially to the less flavorful body meat, but I still usually prefer cleaning them first. Just makes things easier when I get home. And I do not eat Da Butter... not that hardcore I guess

[bearpaw]

Great video, after watching, I'm wondering if you closed off that bottom door and cut one door hole on each side of the trap big enough for your crabs to crawl in near the top on each side, don't put any doors, leave the holes open. As long as you pulled them before they eat all the bait wouldn't that work better?

[h20hunter]

I think they would pile up and crawl right back out.

[bearpaw]

I think they would pile up and crawl right back out.

I've only been crabbing once or twice so I don't know much about crabs. But I worked a lot of years at troubleshooting mechanical problems and found this very interesting. It appears to me that as long as the bait doesn't run out before you pull the pot that the crabs want in and not out. So let them get in easily and pull the pots often. As long as you are pulling them up quickly I doubt you'd lose that many unless you were in deep water and taking to long to get them up. 

[lostbackpacker]

i dont have an issue with the square pots with one opening on each side.  catch plenty of crab every time.

[NRA4LIFE]

My well seasoned Danielsons catch all the crab you can want.  I bought a couple new ones last year and they took a couple soakings to get the new trap funk out of them I guess.  The old ones always work better.

Anybody else ever try Chili Crab?  It is unbelievable if you're getting sick of just cooking them and eating them plain or with butter.

3 weeks and we'll be feasting.  Can't wait.

[WAcoueshunter]

I think they would pile up and crawl right back out.

I've only been crabbing once or twice so I don't know much about crabs. But I worked a lot of years at troubleshooting mechanical problems and found this very interesting. It appears to me that as long as the bait doesn't run out before you pull the pot that the crabs want in and not out. So let them get in easily and pull the pots often. As long as you are pulling them up quickly I doubt you'd lose that many unless you were in deep water and taking to long to get them up. 

I think you're spot on, and I do a fair amount of crabbing.  If you've got the time to sit over your pots and pull every 15- 20 minutes, the ring traps are the way to go.  A ring trap would have caught all of those crab in the video in less than 15 minutes.  If you want them to sit a bit longer or you only have cage traps, consider fixing the doors open.  Make it easy to get in, they're not going to leave as long as there is good bait still available. 

Of course, it's a different story if you're going to let it soak for awhile and you might run out of bait.

[C-Money]

C-Money....here is last years crab thread. Maybe some good info for you in there........

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,100503.0.html

 

[L-ofalab]

Sorry if it has been said already but the bait cage is supposed to be put on the bottom not suspended from the top. When it is lower they go straight in. I have 8 of the same pots and we are very successful. 2 hour soak and they are full. I see you are using my favorite bait, chicken works better than any fish or fish parts.

[sirmissalot]

I'm gonna have to disagree with the chicken bait. Tuna parts plug my pots so much I can barely lift them over the gunnel. And that's in the cheap pots, imagine using krackers 360 magic pots!

[pjb3]

Sorry if it has been said already but the bait cage is supposed to be put on the bottom not suspended from the top. When it is lower they go straight in. I have 8 of the same pots and we are very successful. 2 hour soak and they are full. I see you are using my favorite bait, chicken works better than any fish or fish parts.

Agree 100% on all aspects here, thats how I do it

[L-ofalab]

After I watched most of the video I fast forwarded to the end and there were more videos on you tube and they were using the same pots with the bait on the bottom and the crabs went in much faster.

[CP]

I think they would pile up and crawl right back out.

I've only been crabbing once or twice so I don't know much about crabs. But I worked a lot of years at troubleshooting mechanical problems and found this very interesting. It appears to me that as long as the bait doesn't run out before you pull the pot that the crabs want in and not out. So let them get in easily and pull the pots often. As long as you are pulling them up quickly I doubt you'd lose that many unless you were in deep water and taking to long to get them up. 

Crabs will stay on the bait until it runs out or until a starfish or other predator shows up.  If you pull every 20 to 30 minutes rings work better than pots, but pots can be left for hours or even days.

[lokidog]

My well seasoned Danielsons catch all the crab you can want.  I bought a couple new ones last year and they took a couple soakings to get the new trap funk out of them I guess.  The old ones always work better.

Anybody else ever try Chili Crab?  It is unbelievable if you're getting sick of just cooking them and eating them plain or with butter.

3 weeks and we'll be feasting.  Can't wait.

We also do crab hash which is pretty tasty.

After I watched most of the video I fast forwarded to the end and there were more videos on you tube and they were using the same pots with the bait on the bottom and the crabs went in much faster.

Probably true for the  day fishers, but overnight sets, the scuds will clean your bait out quickly, especially fish baits, if they are on the bottom.