"Give us this day our daily bread" Trinidad Crab limits

I'll be the first to harp on safety if ever there is a need, but I often find myself doing things alone in conditions I warn others against. So this story starts there; I didn't want to lose my crab pots to the weather.

It hasn't been the most stellar beginning to this years Dungeness crab season. After a decent opening day I went cold, catching only females and rock crab. I knew the weather was going to deteriorate but there was a likely window between storms in the morning to get out. After re-baiting with a hodge podge of squid, anchovies, and canned clams I paddled my two pots way out beyond the the others. I had ten feet of slack on a 100 ft rope at hight tide. The swell would push to 12 ft so If I didn't get back out before the big storm hit, my pots would be dragged to the crab pot graveyard over the camel rock reefs. Crabbers back at the launch chided me for not bringing my gear in crab or no! They warned me that the sea was going to go sour, like I had no idea. As I went to bed that night I could hear the wind starting to whistle through the redwoods and rain soon followed. I had the sinking feeling I'd made a mistake.

Woke up to frost and wind, walked my daughter to the bus convincing myself on the way back it would be madness to go out today. The weather radio reported 20-25 kts winds gusting to 35kts in the afternoon. 20 minutes later I'm driving down 101 towards the launch at Indian beach. I could see the charging buffalos as I came over the hill but the near shore was looking doable, I was in the window!

The parking lot which for days had been jam packed with every Humboldt Hooligan and there waterborne jalopies was now vacant cept for some wharf kitties. The  beach was washed out by the rising tide, so I launched from the blacktop under the protection of the Trinidad headland. As soon as I got out to open water I felt the wind machine turn on. All of the boats were moored and absent of skippers. It was dead quiet on the water, not a soul in sight. You couldn't see in a straight line due to the swell so I followed a compass bearing of 175 degrees SSE. The further out I got the choppier and windier it got. I could see my buoy way the hell out there and was cursing myself for doing that. I stopped to assess the situation and determine if it's worth it. I was suddenly aware of how alone I was. The matrix of crab pot buoys were gone, not a one in sight. Pulled the day before for fear of losing them. In the water below me something large catches my eye. I feel a cold sweat on my brow and strain to look at it. Frickin Kelp fronds swaying with the current.

Shaking off the heebee jeebees I continue on my bearing to pot number 1. The sea is showing more white-capping and the wind is blowing 20kts at my beam. I install the scotty pot puller and start dragging my line over the pulley. At first my pot wouldn't budge. I was right on top of it pulling hard when a big swell came and nearly ripped me out of the boat. I let the line go slack in the nick of time. The pot was now free and on it's way up but it felt heavy as a SOB. When it finally started showing color I gasped at the load it was hauling. There were over 20+ crab in there all Dungeness, 15 of them were keepers. I thought to myself damn Hawk you hit the motherlode but what do I do with all the extra crab, I haven't even checked trap #2 yet. The excitement of the catch was dulled by the realization that there was no way I could deal with this in these conditions alone. I put the loaded pot on the back of my X-factor and coiled the rope. This actually made for a nice stable ride as I surfed the big swells towards pot #2.

I Pulled it up and wop bobba looba HUUuuge Keepers. WTF am I gonna do with all this crab and where have you been for the last three days. This pot goes on the bow, I coil the rope and am off to the shelter of prisoner rock to vet each steamer pot candidate. With 20 keepers and a daily limit of 10 it was a case of size matters. I started shoving them into my center hatch one at a time, while tossing back the ones that got pardoned. These billies were not going quietly into that dark hatch. They were reaching for my nads and causing general mayhem. I finally got the cover back on and decided to drop that pot right back there in the hopes of catching the very crab I just released. It occured to me at about 30 ft that I could have just left the other keepers in the pot and come back after the storm for them. Prisoner rock would shelter my pot from the swell but ce la vie.

I was stoked with my haul but no around to witness it. I was able to snap off a few pics on the water. back at the launch a few people had gathered to see what that crazy Humboats dude is up too. In true fashion I surfed a wave cleanly to shore for a picture perfect step out landing and presented my catch like a proud poppa for public viewing. I got them all out and into my pot for a photo op. It seems within minutes of getting off the water the sea unleashed her full fury. White caps were everywhere and spindrift was apparent along the surfzone. Mother ocean had granted me a reprieve as well as a bounty, I'm grateful!
-HAWK

Great read. Thanks.

I am glad you got to retreve your pots and get a nice haul of crabs as well. What time is dinner?

Great read and congrats on the bounty!

Thats some goooood eatin'!

Congats on the success and adventure

Awesome report, Hawk! 

Yours too, Matt.   

Eric

DUDE! Hawk, that was an awesome read bro!
Thank you for sharing.

PK

What's  "wharf kitties?"

I guess it could refer to a variety of things but in this case there of a feline nature hunting around for fish scraps and mice.

Nice read Hawk, thanks for the monentary escape from work...

Nice crab haul.  I need to go get some!