HMB Crabbing Question

Crabbing at HMB for first time tomorrow.  I understand that I need a sandy bottom for Dungies.  How deep do I need to set my pots? A friend of mine is saying 100 ft.  Seems a little deep to me. 

Please help with any advice.  Thanks!

Don't set in boat traffic lanes/ and or around the harbor entrance. Most the area is sandy but the further away from the jetty the more likely you will find Dungeness instead of Rocks. 30-40 fow is mainly what you'll be paddling in and seems to be producing all right for me and others while slowly getting better. If you have 100 ft of rope I would recommend cutting to reduce a tangling hazard while on board. Carry extra but no need for that much at once.

Also sounds like a few people are heading out tomorrow. I unfortunately have work but tune in to channel 69, be safe and good luck!

Thx.  That makes more sense.  We have 50 ft on our traps and extra shot of 20.  I appreciate the help.

Just pay attention to the weather forecast.  The wind is gonna get ugly for kayakers around 10am.   It's not gonna be pleasant paddling against a 9mph wind trying to get back into the harbor.  And. It's supposed to steadily increase after that. 

Even more miserable if you launch at the old pier.   Getting into the harbor is only half the battle.

Here's the forecast.  Good luck!

https://www.windfinder.com/forecast/pillar_point_harbor

Hmm. I've heard others say HMB is supposed to be great tomorrow... I'm a newbie as well and I'm not very educated on reading conditions - can anyone else chime in on this?

I was planning on heading out tomorrow, but I won't if it's going to be a headache.

Weather channel app says NW winds calm until noon when it will be 7mph.

NOAA said:


Sunday
Variable winds less than 5 kt becoming NW 7 to 12 kt in the morning. Mostly sunny. Mixed swell...NW 9 ft at 16 seconds and SW 2 ft at 15 seconds. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft.

Thanks guys. Is there a good resource for newbies that might help me distill these things into 'good/bad'?

For me, wind up to 12-15 knots are OK, but that's because I have a solid pedal kayak with rudder (Santa Cruz Raptor G2).  However, I've heard that anything above 10 knots are a big No for paddle kayak, 5-10 are tough.

As far as the swell, look at the forecast, then sit on the floor.  If you are OK with a wave of XXXX feet high coming your way, that's one way.  For me, that's 6-8 feet, depending on other factors.  I consider myself not a beginner (but not advance), pretty fit, and well equipped.  Then again, I've gone out when there is a small craft advisory, which is a big no for some people.  My limits might not be a good measurement point for a beginner.

There are also other guidelines that's been given.  I think one of the post that LizN generated have those advice.  Do a search on those.

Thanks guys. Is there a good resource for newbies that might help me distill these things into 'good/bad'?

Everyone has their own personal limits.  They usually come from exceeding them once and swearing that you never want to do that again.  For me, head winds are more of a deal killer than wave size.  I used to have a Jackson Big Tuna.  One reason I started paying attention to the winds was one day, I stayed out too long trying to limit on dungies.   

It took me about 30 minutes to paddle out and 3 hours to paddle back.  That's three hours of HARD paddling where I immediately started going backward every time I stopped paddling. 

One guy on a canoe launched from the old pier while I was packing up today.  He ignored my warnings on the strong winds that would make it nearly impossible to get back to the old pier.   As I was driving away, I saw him trying unsuccessfully to get to shore past some breaking waves outside the harbor.   Last I saw, a wave broke over his canoe and sank him.  He was wearing just jeans and a t-shirt.  I hope the surfers helped him out. 

Today's winds were only around 7mph.  And, I had trouble getting back to the old pier pedaling my tandem island.   There's no way I would have made it back on my Big Tuna. 

Hmm. I've heard others say HMB is supposed to be great tomorrow... I'm a newbie as well and I'm not very educated on reading conditions - can anyone else chime in on this?

I was planning on heading out tomorrow, but I won't if it's going to be a headache.

Stay home tomorrow if you are newbie to ocean.
Sorry I had to say that.

Hmm. I've heard others say HMB is supposed to be great tomorrow... I'm a newbie as well and I'm not very educated on reading conditions - can anyone else chime in on this?

I was planning on heading out tomorrow, but I won't if it's going to be a headache.

Stay home tomorrow if you are newbie to ocean.
Sorry I had to say that.

+1  (probably should've said this upfront, but wanted to give some reference point).

On top of what's already been laid out, there is also the factor of the current, whether that be the tide in inshore conditions or the Longshore Current when off the coast. The combination of wind & current can be very helpful, neutral, or a disaster depending on what you're trying to do or where you're trying go.

Current at 4kts from NW+ winds at 9kts from NW = 13kts that you will be battling. (FYI, under the best of circumstances, your kayak will only go 6mph without a motor,  because 6mph is the "hull speed" for kayaks — this is a physical limitation of naval architecture, sorry).  You might be able to make temporary progress against this scenario...if you're extremely fit & a technically very good paddler with quality gear. I wouldn't attempt this challenge without a Turbo fin equipped Mirage Drive or a high performance traditional sea kayak.

Since you've got time carved out already, you might want to dip your toes into ocean conditions with a practice run:

1) Location, location, location. Start out in a safe harbor & try to get out into the ocean and back without having a scary face-to-face meeting w/ God along the way.  I would try starting on SF Bay at Crissy Field, because it's big enough that conditions will mount more gradually than at other harbors with openings only 100 yds wide.

HINT:  Duh, look at the tide tables & time this practice run for slack tide, an hour or so before the tide switches from ebb to flood. This will give you a push back INTO the Bay after you've worn yourself out.

2) Focus, focus, focus. Naked boat (Leave ALL fishing gear & nonessential accessories or other distractions in the vehicle). The mission is to survive the practice, save fishing for after you understand your limits. This is no joke; the penalty for any and/OR all of inexperience, poor physical conditioning, poor skills, poor judgement, poor timing, bad conditions, inadequate equipment, bad luck, bad health can be DEATH.

Beware, statistics show that combinations of these factors accelerates trouble by more times than the number of factors. For example, with 2 factors like inadequate equipment + bad conditions, one is more than 3X as likely to end up in a critical situation.

3). Safety. Bring a marine VHF radio and leave a trip plan w/ your S.O., and stick to it. BTW, these 2 items come into play AFTER you're in deep shit.

That said, go have fun in a wise & safe way!



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk