How do you catch Octopus

[Trapper John]

Hi Folks,   
I was watching a TV show last night (Life Below Zero next generation) and one of those guys made a home made Octopus trap out of a five gallon bucket.

How do we catch them here in Washington?  I never caught one.  My daughter caught one over at the Edmonds Piers a couple of years back jogging for squid.

So how do we or what is a legal way around here.  Is that home made trap legal here?
Is there a limit on size and how many you can have a day?
JC

[MADMAX]

Found this
Must be caught with hands or instrument which does not penetrate the Octopus, except that octopus taken while angling with a hook and line may be retained"
I don’t have a shellfish rule book though
Shellfish license needed
I think
It’s year round
limit one
Good luck

[Sundance]

Five gallon bucket, drill 15 3/8” holes in the bottom (to lessen drag). Drill two 3/8” holes across from each other in the rim, this is your bridle attachment. Tie your bridle long enough so when the bucket lays on its side the bridle is laying on the ground not interfering with the opening of the bucket. Put 5’ of 3/8” chain on the bridle end then attached your main line to the other end of the chain. Put a buoy on and good to go. Use sinking line, best when run on a long line set up and hauled with an electric or hydraulic block. I like to fish around sand flats with structure nearby. No bait, it’s just a cave they hide out in.

[wadu1]

Five-gallon bucket with holes drilled into it and a conibear in the bottom? 

[Alchase]

A coffee can will work. A very large octopus can fit in a small coffee can. Space coffee cans about 10 feet apart on a weighted line. Set it on the bottom over night. Our neighbor on Hood Cannel use to catch octopus like this back in the early 70s. He would lay 5 or 6 strings, each with between 15-25 cans each. On a good day every can would have an octopus in it.

[metlhead]

Go to Pillar Point and mooch for blackmouth. They will find you.

[Jpmiller]

Tagging

[Bareback]

Go halibut fishing. Have caught 6" to 6’. A 6’ octopus is a bad@ss……. The grip of death…..l

[fishngamereaper]

There are several protection zones in the PS so just be aware of your location.

[NRA4LIFE]

This is on my "bucket" list. Sorry. How deep and what kind of bottom?  We brought one up in a crab pot once but it slithered through before we got the pot in the boat.

[branches]

Of all the things to catch in our waters I would put Octopus at the bottom of my list. Just my 

[rainshadow1]

They use it for a shelter, so long soaks are the thing.

I don't even know if there's such a thing as sport pot fishing. I used to make them for my Dad, out of cedar fence boards (We'd load some rocks into them) or old tires (we'd load a few rocks in them too, just as toys). You're basically making a tiny cave. We'd soak for weeks and months at a time, but I do remember deciding to move gear and having octopus within a day or two, it was just pretty rare to work that quickly.

I can't guarantee it's legal - I think it is - but if you know of an area where lots of big rocks show up at big minus tides, you can fill a spray/squirt bottle up with super saturated salt water and squirt it into cubby holes under the rocks... if there's one in there, they evacuate post haste! That method is lots of fun!
     (The rule about 'nothing that penetrates' was written about that fishing style, only using gaff hooks and stuff. Sometimes they grip harder than the gaff can hang on, and they end up left in there all torn up. Unfortunate business.)

[Mech]

The ancient Greeks or whoever they were used ceramic vases.
Just a rope around the neck of the vase.
When pulled the octopus would just stay in there.
No bait need.


I like eating octopus and will that method this year.
They like crab so good crab grounds will produce.

I have seen monster sized ones on Vancouver Island while diving.
Ones head was the size of my torso w/about. 12’ span.

[Jpmiller]

Going to make me a couple PVC ones to try out in sequim bay, how deep are you guys setting them? Maybe I missed that

[h20hunter]

From a divers perspective depth is almost irrelevant.  You are looking for rocky areas that also are known for clams on the beaches and crabby. Troughs are good, edges of rocky areas etc.  I've seen them of all sizes from 20 feet of water down to 130 140....never dove deeper personal.