General Crabbing Tips

There are a bunch of softies out there - even deep.  If you're fortunate enough to be able to cull, pinch their thigh and throw it back if it gives even a little.

I once found a couple sand dabs in my trap...I put them into the bait sack and down they went. Landed 3 legals in a couple hours. I can't imagine being eaten alive in those traps. oh the my karma keeps building...

Anyone else experiencing this?  Most of the crabs I've caught are "skinny" where the meat is significantly smaller than the shell.  How about you guys that go into deeper water (150' +)? 

Nate

Strings in 150 and 200, didn't check all the crabs but 2 out of my limit were soft.  None of them were light though, legs, claws and bodies were all thick and sweet. 

I found this interesting article:retweetEmailPrintBy San Jose Mercury News san Jose Mercury News – Mon Nov 15, 1:34 pm ET


Julia Scott, [email protected]

PRINCETON-BY-THE-SEA -- The sun rose over Pillar Point Harbor this morning, the official start of Dungeness crab season, but no one went fishing.

Word that the crab just offshore were still "soft" tripped up the market and may lead to days or weeks of delay, said local fisherman Duncan Maclean.

"There's less meat, it's more chalky. There's no butter in them and the butter is what people are crazy about," he said.



The good news is that crab are plentiful this year and just need more time to mature.

Recreational fishermen, whose Dungeness fishing season started weeks ago, say the ocean floor is choked with adult male crab. Fishing boats have come from as far away as Alaska to take advantage of it.

But out-of-town fishermen, as well as those in Half Moon Bay, San Francisco and Bodega Bay, kept their boats tied up while they sent a small number of crab to be tested by a processor this morning.

Ideally, a crab has 25 percent of its body weight composed of meat. That's not happening so far, said Tom Mattusch, captain of the Huli Cat, a sport boat docked in Half Moon Bay.

"We cooked some up the other day. The legs were fine, but the body almost collapsed on itself," said Mattusch.

Fishermen are eager to satisfy the crab cravings of the Thanksgiving market. But they don't want to undercut their own price advantage with inferior crab. Nor do they want to disappoint crab lovers.

"We're doing our best to make sure the public gets the best quality of crab they can," said Maclean.

Dungeness crab take two to three years to grow into adulthood. They molt late in the spring and are generally mature by now. Fishermen theorize that some crab have had trouble maturing this year because they are so numerous and have to compete for a limited amount of food out in the ocean.

Crabbers will have the test results by noon today and could decide to go fishing by the afternoon, said Maclean. They are more likely to wait a few days until the Bay Area's choice crustaceans are good enough to eat.

Contact Julia Scott at 650-348-4340

Photo caption: File: Crab fishermen load crab traps onto their boat at Fisherman's Wharf November 15, 2007 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

And the price the poor suckers are gonna be paying for crab keeps on climbing......

The crabs i caught at bodega were plenty meaty and delicious.

The crabs i caught at bodega were plenty meaty and delicious.

+1

The crabs i caught at bodega were plenty meaty and delicious.

+1

+ 2   I was there Sunday.


Kiel

  Clams work well. PP harbor has a lot. People are always digging for them there. I wouldn't eat them, but the crab don't mind.

I did, however, dump the heads at the beach! The crabs should be thanking me.

Hope you got the ivory out before returning them to the system.

Hey all, will be in the bay area Thur.-Sat.,just wanted to know a spot to try for crab using a surf rod/snare.
Is it worth my while ?.What is the best tide to try ?.Thanks for any info. in advance.11/18-11-20
P.S.-If I get lucky enough to catch a couple is there anyone out there that will cook them for me ?.
Thanks,Tim

My number 1 choice would be the Pacifica Pier at sharp park. In Half Moon bay would be the jetty south side of the Harbor all the way down near the entrance. Be sure to have a gauge DFG may check.
And you can bring them by my house. I'll cook them for you

Rob

My number 1 choice would be the Pacifica Pier at sharp park

ditto

I tried my magic abalone guts in my bait jars. It didn't work out to well. I guess abalone are not on their menu. I was thinking, maybee abalone smell like an octopus to dungies

Hey man ab guts work great