TB - Crab Report, Cleaning, Cooking, and Buoy Tie Demonstration

My wife and I plan to arrive around 8:00 AM and launch by 9:00 AM.  I will be monitoring Ch. 69. 
Driving white Subaru Outback with Hobie Oasis, papya.

Paul

I'm only running 3 cheap flat hoops. Is it worth it to try for halibut while crabbing? Hooking a Thresher amongst the crab ropes would be a mess. Maybe just a little jigging? Or just concentrate on cleaning the hoops of undersized?

The hali's are toward the mouth and the crabbing grounds seem south of hog.  It's tough to dodge the pots while fishing but maybe there are halis lying near the traps due to the yummy aroma.  I brought my jig but didn't have much time to focus on "hmmm....wonder if there's a flatty right here?"  You seem to catch fish wherever you go so pull a JoeDub and make Mabel proud!

If you clean crabs like you are doing in the video, why don’t you just do that on the shore and then toss the remains back and put the remaining crab on ice? Is that legal to do?

If you clean crabs like you are doing in the video, why don’t you just do that on the shore and then toss the remains back and put the remaining crab on ice? Is that legal to do?

Sean da stripah' slayah'!  I rip em heads off at da landing and pop da splits on ice, home to steam...they are dead sooner...I'm guessing it's fun to bring em' home live and they make it to da pot sooner...hmmmm....

80% chance I'll be out there but likely just pre-dawn launch. Will keep a lookout if I do.

Well, I'm out here but just lost my hoop for the first time. I guess set it too deep past hog at faster moving channel and didn't pay attention like a dumbass. Was able to save one hoop as the buoy was starting to go under but by the time I got to other one it was gone. I guess small chance it might resurface during next slack tide but I'm doubtful.

Bummer about your hoop. I did something similar that was pretty funny. I set my hoop just south of hog in fairly shallow water and went about a mile south where it is deeper to try and catch a halibut. After a while I look over and in the distance I see a float that looks like my distinctively pained float. Since I'm about a mile south of where I set my gear, I figure it must be someone else's. But just in case I pedaled over to take a look. Sure enough, my hoop floated about a mile from where I set it and I felt very lucky to get it. Now I always set out a lot of line, sinking of course, and I weighted my hoops so they don't float as easily.

If you clean crabs like you are doing in the video, why don’t you just do that on the shore and then toss the remains back and put the remaining crab on ice? Is that legal to do?

Technically you're supposed to keep the carapace with you to validate size requirements.

and didn't pay attention like a dumbass.

been there  the wwaters will make or break it..

Somehow still ended the day with 7 crab again despite only having two hoops left... could have been easy limits I think otherwise. At least they were much nicer grade crabs that last trip, so that was cool. All over 6" and a couple gauge busters in the mix.

The slack tide did not help me in finding my lost hoop....  not too surprising as I was near the deep trench on the far side of hog, I have to assume the current pulled it down to the deepest part (only had 50" of rope on this particular hoop).

Maybe someday it will get swept back out and someone else can put it to good use heh. 

@123engineering - I think I heard you through radio at ~9am and I tried to respond but it was super static-y. Was going to try to head over to say hello but I didn't leave til a bit past noon and couldn't see you around anymore. Will try to catch you next time.

Many of us almost lost hoops at TB due to the current.  I found one 1/2 mile from where I dropped off.
Today was not as good as last Monday.  I used 5 hoops with my wife and got 13 crabs, including one jumbo.  We launched at 9 AM and landed at 1 PM.  I spoke with Joe several times, and he reached his limit at the end.

Paul

Many of us almost lost hoops at TB due to the current.  I found one 1/2 mile from where I dropped off.
Today was not as good as last Monday.  I used 5 hoops with my wife and got 13 crabs, including one jumbo.  We launched at 9 AM and landed at 1 PM.  I spoke with Joe several times, and he reached his limit at the end.

Paul

People like you and JP talking about hoops travelling a half mile or mile in TB is wild, I'm guessing mine probably took a trip like that as well.

What puzzles me is how that happens when I've been crabbing those waters for maybe, 4 years now.... and it never happened before. Sure, I usually avoid dropping in fast current.... but the specific spot I dropped today really didn't look to be a fast current spot (obviously I was mistaken).

I do remember someone saying that there's just a ton of lost gear rolling around down there and sometimes your hoop just gets caught by the massive ball and dragged along for the ride lol

Many of us almost lost hoops at TB due to the current.  I found one 1/2 mile from where I dropped off.
Today was not as good as last Monday.  I used 5 hoops with my wife and got 13 crabs, including one jumbo.  We launched at 9 AM and landed at 1 PM.  I spoke with Joe several times, and he reached his limit at the end.

Paul

  It was nice meeting and chatting with you yesterday, Paul. This is Steven. I also had the chance to meet, Joe. I hope to see y’all out there in the future. Weather was perfect yesterday.

It was a grind for me at first with only 2 crabs in the first hour as Snarcbite was finished with a limit. After 2 hrs I only had 3 keepers despite the heavy hoops of little crabs I was dumping. I decided I hate crabbing. After 3 hours and hitting the slack tide I had 5 keepers which is respectable for me, but still frustrating to be pulling so many zeroes at snack tide. Then I got 4 keepers in one pot and one in the next for a limit at 4 hours in. Crabs were in the just legal to 6.5” range. I think I had one past the gauge marks.
I jigged a bit for halibut with no bites. I can’t imagine they’d want to be around all that bottom activity.