Crab snaring beaches

Tough weekend for snaring at Baker. Me and the others around me got nothing.

I want to try OB but it's a large beach. Where do the anglers go to avoid the masses?

Any other good snaring beaches you would recommend?

Curious as well!  YouTube makes it look like OB is *THE* place    But there must be others.  I was going to try sometime the beaches south of HMB and see if they can be snared there, which seems likely since its close to where I crab on the water.

Most snaring happens on the south side of OB near Sloat Ave.

def south side of OB...you also don't always need snares to get crabs there 

def south side of OB...you also don't always need snares to get crabs there 

This is a great point.  I used to surfcast at night and just before dawn, I could hand harvest dungies on my walk back to the car.

Google Maps makes it easier.  Look at the topography of the water near the beach.  Look for long, sloping beaches (indicated by greater space between the elevation lines).  Avoid areas with underwater structure and canyons.  Most sandy beaches will produce along the SMC.  Shoot for High Tide as well.  OB is popular because of access/convenience.   

The real secret is... the harder the spot is to get to, the more private it will be, and likely, the better it'll produce.

def south side of OB...you also don't always need snares to get crabs there 

This is a great point.  I used to surfcast at night and just before dawn, I could hand harvest dungies on my walk back to the car.

The sewage plant proximity always made me "pass" on the crab found along the beach near there.  It always made me wonder why keeper sized crab were on the beach... We used to call them condom crabs or "stoner" crabs.  I'm sure they were fine though. 

While most go towards the south end of OB, it’s also way more crowded. 
I’ve done well on all parts of OB.  Stand on the tall sand hill and look for troughs and deep water close to shore.  Just like looking for perch and striper holes. 

Are the beaches north of Bodega, such as Salmon Creek beach, any good for crab snaring ??

Are the beaches north of Bodega, such as Salmon Creek beach, any good for crab snaring ??

While perching a few years ago, I saw a guy snare a half limit in a few hours time. He said the days were few and far between that the waves were mild enough to snare there.

OB is 4+ miles long - there are plenty of places to throw a snare that will be productive. I've limited all along the stretch from Kelly's cove down to my home base at Sloat. Just depends on the day, but this year seems slow. I haven't tried snares yet this year, but when I've looked going out surfing I've only found females. Good luck!

Cheers,
Brad