Just another Monterey Crabbing Thread

So I searched the forum and saw that Dungies and Rock crab have been found but didn't find details on where to look.

I've been prospecting pots off the sailboat in <50 feet of water and inside of yak range. The sailboat is inaccessible during crabbing season so I have to make sure my target area is in yak range of MBK.

 I have been producing undersized dungies and big rock crab consistently. I'm hoping the crab stay around long enough when season opens back up but was looking to see if anyone who has attempted this in previous years has any advice.

I will say the Rock Crab @ MB taste nothing like the Rock Crab @ HMB. These critters have are coming up sweet and delicious with no metallic taste.

Replies and PMs with info are appreciated.

There out there but a lot deeper here in Monterey then 50'

So not a great location to target from yak

Yeah I saw a few pot makers in June/July between Sand City and Marina but when I pulled up Dungie and Rock crab while fishing for Hali it really made me interested. I realize things will probably change with the weather but here's to hoping they stay around long enough for Thanksgiving and come back in for crab boils next summer =D

 I'm going to continue prospecting (Yak-able spots) through the end of next crab season and post my results. Worse case I'm sure I'll pick up rock crabs =D.

There are a few threads about this with the most recent one started by Adam from MBK.

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=91051.msg1034895#msg1034895

As Beerhunter mentioned, The consensus is that dungies are too deep and far to be easily reached by kayak but rock crabs are around. I have taken my pots out in front of MBK a few times this spring-summer (maybe you saw my pots I never saw any other pots) and I only caught rock crabs and a few small dungies. The rock crabs were pretty spotty with some traps having 4 or 5 good ones but others with none. Surprisingly, going back to previously good spots was not more productive. I would say it is a fair spot for rock crabs at best. Some of the crabs were indeed big and I caught the biggest pacific rock crab I have ever seen here.

A bonus is that I managed to catch 3 sheep crabs (over 4 trips). Ugly as heck but very tasty if a bit messy and hard to eat. I switched to Promar conical traps to increase my chances with these since big ones wont fit into the opening of a Danielson trap.

I also tried out from Lovers point past the MPA in water close to 100' with the idea that deeper water would be better for dungies. Big mistake. Out of 4 pots I got exactly 0 crabs.

I've caught a sheep crab on the Santa Cruz side of the bay it just held on to the outside of the danielson box my buddy said he didn't like it, but he has a tendancy to overcook everything haha.

I'm curious now.

I'm curious now.

Me too. I'm going to have to start putting out a crab trap to see if I can get one of them. Btw, is that the same as a spider crab?

Yup, just a really big spider crab. According to Wikipedia it's the largest crag in CA.

I was diving off del monte Beach last weekend with my son and dug a legal male Dungeness out of the sand in 10 feet of water. I've been diving there since 1980 and that's the first legal one I've seen. 

These guys after a 12 hour soak. All over 6.5". Yesterday pulled 2x ~ 6"

Left of Tides in 50 FT of water.

I picked up multiple legal sheep head crab (https://caseagrant.ucsd.edu/seafood-profiles/sheep-crab) off of the MRY old warf pier using the big drop hoop nets (was just curious what was down there).

Wife wont let me keep and cook them because "they look like aliens and I'm scared of them" + all I caught were females.

I'm curious as well. Let me know if they're any good and I'll just catch & cook it beach bon fire style.

Wife wont let me keep and cook them because "they look like aliens and I'm scared of them" + all I caught were females.

They look considerably better when cleaned and cooked

Cool to see the Sheep Crab, hadn't heard of it before!

I couldn't agree more. I think I'll have to trick her with crab bait and switch.