2017 Winter Crab 🦀

[Fishstiq]

Got a 2 person limit in Friday Harbor on an overnight soak over the weekend 

We use hearts and livers as bait.  This time it was lamb hearts and livers.  Works well.

That's a new one, never heard of using hearts and livers before!  I usually use salmon bellies/heads/carcasses but didn't have any on hand last weekend.  I'll have some for this weekend though, and hopefully I can restock my freezer during winter blackmouth season 

[luvmystang67]

Got a 2 person limit in Friday Harbor on an overnight soak over the weekend 

We use hearts and livers as bait.  This time it was lamb hearts and livers.  Works well.

That's a new one, never heard of using hearts and livers before!  I usually use salmon bellies/heads/carcasses but didn't have any on hand last weekend.  I'll have some for this weekend though, and hopefully I can restock my freezer during winter blackmouth season 

Honestly, we've used all kinds of things.  I've been cussed out on here before (not really, but accused of being stupid) for not using oily baits.  We use all kinds of crap and have pretty good luck.  We've used rabbits halved.  We've used hearts, livers (fresh and frozen), old freezer burned hamburger, old freezer burned stew meat, along with fish pieces (heads and tails).  They've worked just as well for us as salmon parts when side by side.  Now we throw the kitchen sink down there.

One thing they dont like... old freezer burned trout.  Nothing touched those.   

[NRA4LIFE]

We ran out of bait one day and threw some baloney in the bait boxes.  The crab did not care for that.  Rabbit carcasses work great, I save them all now because I can't stand eating them anymore.  I know this is going to sound sacrilegious, but I unearthed some 4 year old razor clam meat in the freezer this past summer and gave it a try.  That was like magic crab candy.

[lokidog]

They love duck carcasses and I've done well using the trimmings from past deer. I've not done well with stuff that was massively freezer burnt, a little bit is no problem.

[SeatoSummit88]

As a past commercial fisherman, I can suggest what we used, which seemed to produce high volumes. We broke a razor clam in half and put that in a clam jar. Then in the beginning of the season to get extra scent we would use a chewy sack and stuff it with sardines/mackerel.  And then we would always have a scotty about half full of illex squid.

Good Luck!

[Fishstiq]

Headed out tomorrow morning for the secret spot, with secret bait and secret pots.  Hopefully better than last weekend was.

[Stein]

Mukilteo, turkey legs, Danielson pots?

[Fishstiq]

Mukilteo, turkey legs, Danielson pots?

Ssshhhhhh, keep it to yourself!  Everyone else will know the secrets too!

[Fishstiq]

Decent day today.  We took home 9 dungies and a cabezon!  The cabbie was in one of our pots we pulled up, I guess there was something in there it wanted.  22 inches!  Fillets should go well with crab 

[lokidog]

Decent day today.  We took home 9 dungies and a cabezon!  The cabbie was in one of our pots we pulled up, I guess there was something in there it wanted.  22 inches!  Fillets should go well with crab 

 

[Fishstiq]

Went again yesterday, 4 pots on a 4 hour soak just out of Everett.  Salmon heads and chicken and tuna in oil.  Left the pots while we were out chasing blackmouth. 

Zero, zip, not a dang thing in any of the pots.  I've never had a year this bad for crab.

[Stein]

Wow, I didn't know that was possible around there.  I thought you could throw an empty pot in and at least get a couple small ones.

I'm waiting for a bluebird day, the thought of washing the boat afterward in 36 degree rain makes me think the clams in the freezer sound better than fresh crab.

[lokidog]

When I get 0 crabs, I'm pretty sure someone has picked the pot.

I got three keepers, more softshell, last week for two pots on an overnight soak.  Pulled the pots yesterday and got three keepers as well, one pot had all of them as well as four legal size, but soft ones.  Te other pot, a hu dred or so yards away, had no keeper size ones, very strange.