Crabbing

[Mech]

Hey so how has you guys been doing on crab ?
We have been nailing them with limits of big ones.

Yesterday I also found a honey  spot for jumbo sized mussels.
They just peel off of a vertical wall in large sections by hand.

Not sure how I will prepare them.
Kinda wanna go with an hors d’oeuvres presentation thing.

There will be a dozen of us.
I am trying to figure out the menu.

So far tri tip bbq with hot dogs.
Lots of iced crab.
Salads.
Mussels (some way).

We are also a child friendly group so I have to make sure the kids are gonna have fun so I’m thinking the fire pit and some schmoors and maybe a table just for them to play chinga on or something like that.

So back to the original topic...
Crabs.
What is your best bait?
I use a combo.
Big mackerel, salmon fillets, chicken and a punctured can of oily tuna.
Probably costs near $7 to bait two pots but them pots are good.

That’s all I got.
Andy.

[Stein]

I clean out the freezer, we save stuff all year and thus our bait cost is about zero.  If we run low, the kids will load up on sand dabs and we're back in business.  In an emergency, I would use the cheapest chicken parts I can find.

[Twispriver]

I raise laying hens and usually I get a few roosters in the mix when I buy my chicks. As soon as I can tell for sure I cull them from the flock and if crabbing is open, use them fresh from the coop. Otherwise I'll freeze them whole and thaw them when I need them. A whole, fresh chicken hung by the leg from the top of the trap, guts, feathers, feet and all, is the best bait I've used.
I've also had really good luck stuffing the bait box with horse clams that I save from clam digging, freeze whole and bust with a hammer.

[The scout]

Usually save some salmon carcasses, and trim all the blood line out of the tuna we catch and use that. Grind it up and put it in containers and use it for shrimp and crab bait.

[KP-Skagit]

I will second the horse clams. Or big butters that get broken when digging. I will supplement with chicken quarters. 

[blackpowderhunter]

i saved my spot prawn heads this year and tried them out in some pots, seemed to work well

[Skyvalhunter]

That's more than I got

[knighttime25]

Salmon guts/trimmings and clams for the most part. Best bait we've ever used was tuna loins that thawed out when my parents freezer quit on them and meat went bad. Never seen so many crab stuffed into a pot then with tuna 

[salt n sage90]

 Recreational crabbing and commercial crabbing vary a bit in baits they use. Another large factor is the other baits around. If you are the only one out crabbing you are gonna do just fine with basically anything. But if you are in a high pressure area with pots all over the quality of your bait and pot will make the difference.

Recreation
#1 Bait : Clams
#2 Bait : Chicken/Turkey
#3 Bait : Salmon carcasses
#4 Bait : All other fish or meats ( not bear, tried having the crab clean my bear skull and they were not having it)

Commercial
#1 Bait : Clams (razors usually)
#2 Bait : Mink ( in oregon they get the carcasses from the fur farms, really oily)
#3 Bait : Squid
#4 Bait : Salmon

this also depends on how long you are fishing and how long the bait needs to work. I know Clams and squid when in a bait jar so that the crab cant get at it will work for a week, so If you plan on soaking pots for more than a day this would be the choice. These two baits work great fresh, but also kick into another gear when they start breaking down a little. Though if you are in an area where sand fleas are prevalent make sure the holes in the jar are no larger than a toothpick. Sand fleas can make quick work of your bait.

 Chicken and Salmon as hanging bait would be my go to if I was only soaking for a few hours, ring potting for instance because it sends off a large scent trail and when they get into it they increase the trail ripping it up. But I have found that chicken and salmon tends to lose its effectiveness after a day or two, loses its scent or the crab finish it off.  Turkey legs work well too .. and can fish a bit longer if you put them in some kind of steel/plastic mesh bait box.

I have also had problems with using a fishy type bait, herring especially and ending up with some other fish like a shark or halibut in the pot. Once they are in the pot the crab aren't too keen on going in there until the fish dies, then it gets wild.

Also never pack your bait jars too tight, if you pack it in there to the brim there isnt enough room for the bait to work and get scent out.

Just my experience. They're just big bugs, not too picky.


 

[Stein]

That's a pretty good list, one of my three favorite baits is on there.  The other one I haven't seen anyone use although there has to be a few guys doing it and I'm sure I have something unique for the third but it's expensive so I save it for late season.

That said, I bagged keepers last weekend with chicken leg bones I cut the meat off and grilled and I was in the middle of 500 pots.