Winter Crabbing

[mainer78]

Has anyone been out.. Is it better than summer?

[idahohuntr]

I was wondering the same thing...never been out in the winter.

[MIKEXRAY]

Never been either, interested in the answers.  I always assumed it would be mostly slow after everyone fishing all summer, might be wrong thinking.

[Buckmark]

Been doing ok so far this year, i crab both when out fishing and ofter work off a dock till daylight savings time.
We drop pots when out fishing and pulled 7 keepers out of 4 pots on a 5hour soak last sunday, had 2 others but they were soft so tossed back. Had 2 keepers the weekend before in a new spot, but the pots were full of females and undersized.
Off the dock i actually do ok, i use some old lightweight pots and toss them out and let soak till im ready to go home (like an hour usually), never get limits but i do get atleast one on average, my best night was 3 in an hour.
I am heading out tonite after work to drop pots off the boat, will hang and check them after an hour, then reset them to soak over night, pull and rebait tommorow and let soak till sunday when i head out to fish...

[Buckmark]

Tonites dinner...had 4 legal size but 2 were soft so went back...

[JohnVH]

commercials have ruined it up north, pretty slow

[Buckmark]

How far north? b-ham area?

[JohnVH]

How far north? b-ham area?

birch bay

[lokidog]

commercials have ruined it up north, pretty slow

They haven't "ruined it" out here, but certainly has slowed it down.  I've seen three, four, and four legal ones in pots in the last few days but also some empty pots as well.  We are starting to get more soft ones though.

[Buckmark]

Is slower than summer but still worth it i think, we have commercial guys around here also infact im set up pretty close to some commercial bouys (they are deeper though, 150-200ft) and still getting some, figure they know were the crab are.

[Buckmark]

Yesterdays catch, between 2 of us and 2 pulls we had 17 legal size with 8 being soft and so went back.
5 for me and 4 for my partner (he got the one fish we caught yesterday).

[SeaRun1]

We have been freediving for Dungies in the second season.  While the numbers are down from this summer we have been limiting.  It's worth a try if the weather cooperates.

SR

[Bronson]

I put pots out in the southern hood canal last weekend for a couple hours.  Very few crab in the pots and one keeper.  I just put the pots out in front of our place out there, didnt drop them in the spot I would have liked to  have.  Still got some dinner though.

[jeepster]

Use cockles and squid

[pjb3]

I'm gonna try it this weekend, ITS MY B-DAY!!!

[jbeaumont21]

All the months that end in "er" are the best for crabbing.  I have had some of my best days in November. As long as you can stand the cold its great.

[jackmaster]

has anyone here crabbed out at sequim during the winter? we have always done really good in the summer, after my boat got stolen i have been out. so its been a few years, i know right around the marina (john wayne) and the oyster house and the light house get pounded pretty hard.

[LndShrk]

Crabs Migrate in the winter months.

Not real far but they do move.
As mentioned the males will move off of the Females and be bunched up. Find them and you will have the best crabbing you have ever seen. 

There are more hours of darkness as well so lights / glowsticks etc can be your friend.

[jackmaster]

here is a little story for you, we know this guy that was a comercial geoy ducker, he would walk around on the bottom of the ocean, mostly out in the dungeness part, he had a line for air and a line for an air gun that he would use to dig the geoy ducks, well he noticed a orange glow off in the didtance while he was on the sea floor, he walks over and he comes over a rise, there was a huge underwater bowl like a bomb crater, the glow was coming from what he said was what seemed like millions of dungeness crab, he scampered out there got hoisted to the boat and never went in the water ever again, he said it flat scared the crap right out of him. he hasnt went diving since.... would be a great place to land a few pots if you ask me....

[lokidog]

Got four today, but the pots were in since Monday.  Lots of them 1/8 inch short and a few really big, but soft ones.

[LndShrk]

Got four today, but the pots were in since Monday.  Lots of them 1/8 inch short and a few really big, but soft ones.

The soft shells really have me baffled this year. They are all over the place. We always get a few but they are more the norm and have been since July.

[lokidog]

Got four today, but the pots were in since Monday.  Lots of them 1/8 inch short and a few really big, but soft ones.

The soft shells really have me baffled this year. They are all over the place. We always get a few but they are more the norm and have been since July.

It's a good sign, means they're out there growing.     The bay near our dock is known for having lots of softies in Nov. and, especially, December.  Last year, three out of four legal sized ones were soft in December.  Not quite as bad this year, though last week i had two that were over 7 inchea and both were really soft.

[Bronson]

I decided to out the pots out again today in south hood canal and got blanked! Tried deep, tried shallow.  Couldn't find them.