Midnight crabbing @ the mouth of the Eel - 11/24

There's something special about a solo mission, especially at midnight!    

Late afternoon yesterday I took the kids down to Crab Park for a recon mission at the minus tide.  The slough side of the mouth has changed alot since last year, and there was no channel - just a wide area of 3-6' of water, so it'd be 10-13' once the tide came in that evening.  I wondered how early you can drop gear before it opens, and my question was answered when I spotted a line of pots down near the mouth and other boats setting gear as we hung out.  The kids and I had fun and enjoyed the sunset.  4 people on the tandem isn't bad at all when the other 3 only out-weigh me by a few pounds combined!

I came back down to the mouth with my gear all baited around 9:30.  I set my pots around 10 as the tide was almost finished flooding in.  There were several bon fires surrounded by beer drinking crabbers over about a mile of shoreline - I built a little fire over on the sand spit side and hung out letting my pots soak.  I waited to put my two rings out until about 11:30 - slack tide.  By right before midnight there were a few trucks leaving, boats in tow and pots in the back of trucks - WTF?  These "veterans" obviously spent the evening NOT waiting for the opener, and they either had their crab, or, more likely, they'd learned much earlier in the evening that the "bite" was off for jumbos at Crab Park!  I managed a few dozen little guys and a couple almost legal - no crab bonanza for me this year, but I had a blast.   

There was a crew of what seemed like teenagers but were probably 20-somethings hanging out around the bonfire at the parking lot.  They bailed around 11:30.  I was watching them pull off in one of their 4x4's when a youg lady rolled her window down and told me, "you're way too hardcore!"     The cuteness wore off when I peered in their firepit and saw several dozen cans and bottles in the coals...     I dug them out with a stick and broke their fire down.  The east wind had the smoke from that fire bathing me in aluminum can smoke - not quite the pristine wilderness experience I'm after!   

It was such a bright night with that full moon that I never even turned on my flashlight until I had packed the truck at 1:30 and I checked around the parking lot for anything I was leaving behind.  What an awesome night.   

Nice outing there Abking...I agree you are too hardcore. 

After you took the kids home did you load the yak up and then unload it again later when you came back with the baited pots? Or did you just leave the yak there?  If you loaded and then unloaded I think that's just a bit more proof of how much more hard core you are than some of us...especailly me.  Once my yak gets loaded after being in the water there isn't very much that's going to convince me to unload it and get it back in the water again that same day.

Sounds like you had an awesome trip even if the crabbing wasn't spectacular.

Load and load again, Angel.  I use two straps through scuppers - it's quick.  A bit more of a pain with the X-Factor, and no pain at all with the smaller (9') boats.  Some day I'll get a real rack and it'll take away some of my easy throw-it-in-the-truck M.O.   

Looks super fun, nice go!

Too hardcore???? I think not. You are not lazy and just willing to do what it takes to have a good time.
That chick was too lazy to pick up her own trash. Lazy = boring and boring = no fun. GREAT job on having fun.

Thanks for the report Eric. I was due to do the same thing but ended up chasing salmon instead. As I drove north on tuesday I noticed, below the forks, that the Eel was mud. Further down it appeared better. Was there some kind of slide?
I bought two new rings today that I'm itching to try out.
Anyone do the Big River for crabs today?

I came north from the Bay Area Tuesday too, Juan, and I saw that the river looked muddy near the forks.  Sometimes down lower, like around Stafford, the angle that you see the water prevents you from seeing the true clarity...  In any case, I was surprised at the color that was produced from about an inch of rain Sunday and into Monday...  The river's been open since and looking nice now.  I've not heard any word on the bite.

Find any salmon?

Eric your campfire looks so warm compared to how cold it was on the water this morning. I'm with ya on the next Eel outing that looks like fun. Gonna hit Trinidad till she peters out.

Right on, Hawk.  I'll try to get some intel on whether the jumbos made a showing on the Ferndale side or in the channel on the north side of Cock Robin Island.