Crab season '09

[Rollin with Rolland]

Was out at cornet bay for opener......man what a zoo!. There were probably 100 boats out (parking lot full), most crabbing right near Cornet Bay, Similk Bay, or Kiket Bay. I dropped in Area 6, bowman bay. Lots of red rock, but no dungies. Was only out for 2 hours, not sure how anyone else did. Anyone with pic's of a pot full of keepers?? Good luck this season....

[Anonymous]

Thanks for getting the yearly thread started.... hopefully tom. night I'll have some pics.

[cobrar543]

Camano ZOO was in full swing too...went down to the state park launch and people were parked at the other end it was so packed..so being the lazy person I am.. I left to the county park on the other side .. 8.2...and there were NOTHING but babies and momma's. 4 hours later I gave in and went home..trying agai n tonight!

[Pradeep]

NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! I wanted to hear that everyone was rockin and took plenty home to enjoy. I'll be out tomorrow to give er a go. Fingers are crossed. Hmm, by the sounds of it, better get out nice n early.

Good lucks guys/gals!!

Pradeep.

[howardi211]

i skunked out. went to edmonds during high tide last night...atleast 30 pots in the water...and i didnt see a single keeper. i was there for a good 4 hours and i only caught 1 undersized redrock and spider crabs (weird creatures). since i dont have a boat, im kind of stuck on piers. people with boats, are you guys doing any better right now?

[Rollin with Rolland]

8-1 this morning. dropped two at 7:15. pulled at 10:15. One pot had chicken and 10 small female dungies. One pot had six male dungie, one red rock. 5 keepers. Guess which one had chicken and guess which one had "natural" bait. they were about 30 yards apart in 50ft. First pull, one limit, two went 7". Good way to start the season..... (my pots were right among the masses, Didn't see anyone keeping any)....

[Dave]

My buddy went out yesterday (7-2-09) and set 6 pots in the area we crabbed and did so well in last summer season ( area 8-2 south east of Hat Island), and in about 6 hours he and his 5 passengers all limited (30 total keepers). He told me they had to work for them and there were lots of other pots in the area. They also saw lots of undersized males and lots of females in each pot. Last summer season in this same spot, our pots were completely full of big males and very few females, in about a 2 hour soak time. He said this area appeared to have been crabbed hard prior to the opener which doesn’t surprise me a bit.

So, this morning my wife and I went out to this same spot, following my buddy who again had 6 total family on board his boat. We set our 4 pots by 7:30 am and pulled our 4 two hours later. In 4 pots we found only 1 just legal sized keeper. The rest were females and undersized males. Tribal crabbing in this area CONFIRMED!

So we re-set our 4 pots a little deeper (80 to 85 feet) and let them soak for 45 minutes before pulling and getting out of there. We managed 6 more keepers for a 7 crab total. None of them were much bigger than legal size. I’m very happy with 7 crab in 3 hours but the numbers were definitely depleted compared to last summer which as I said is a clear indication that this area was already heavily crabbed before the season opened for the rest of us. Thank you Governor.

[tallman8251]

Went out Yesterday 07-02-09 and hit the area 8-1 Between Hope Island and Skagit island. Soaked for 1.5 hrs and only caught 5 total with 4 pots. 1 keeper and 1 red. the rest were female. Very disappointed. Lot of pots out there. Nice day on the water though.

[someguyseattle]

Tribal crabbing in this area CONFIRMED!

I’m very happy with 7 crab in 3 hours but the numbers were definitely depleted compared to last summer which as I said is a clear indication that this area was already heavily crabbed before the season opened for the rest of us. Thank you Governor.

I absolutely do not intend to get on your booty or anything, but I'm really, really split on the tribal crabbing thing. On the one hand, yeah, it ticks me off they get to start crabbing early and often and it very much seems they deplete the hell out of the population before anybody else can get out there. So that's kinda screwed.

On the other hand, well.... There is something to be said for the whole "they were here first and we didn't exactly do them any favors or deal with them straight up when we pushed in" theory. In that regard, I don't begrudge them anything they get as the BIA has consistently been the most corrupt and ineffective agency in the US since it's inception and the tribes have had to deal with all kinds of poverty, disease, genetic predisposition to alcoholism, etc, etc, etc.

So, I'm of two minds. I want my freakin' crab, but there is a moral question here from my perspective. I think it boils down to a responsibility on the part of the tribes not to abuse the privilege. Fishing for what your family is gonna eat is one thing. Fishing the bajeezus out of something just because you can is another.

[fishaholictaz]

Before we got here the tribes were a lot nicer to the land then I see now and we will leave it at that......

[Dave]

I absolutely agree that the tribes deserve their fair share of the crab, no question! I support the tribe and have no personal issues with them at all what so ever.

I do however not agree that the tribe or any other group for that matter should be allowed unlimited access to the crab a month before the season opens to the general public. That's my only issue.

The result of this practice is a very limited number of crab left for the majority of the public.

I think you are right Someseattleguy, the tribe definitely fish the bajeezus out of the crab.

[BentRod]

Went to stay with friends for the 4th in 8-1. Lots of pots in the area. Dropped pots Friday morning, 10 pots between two boats, and let them soak all day and again overnight using both chicken and old salmon for bait. Got nothing but Dungeness and limited both days. 50 keepers total with many ~7". Pots were in the water about 24 hours. Even had a couple pots that were empty and the bait all gone, so might have had to throw crab back if they'd stayed in. Nice way to start the season, especially since I don't go crabbing much during the summer. Also, the best producing pots were the ones that were way out away from all the rest of the crowd. Good luck to all.

[G-Man]

I hit up 8-2 just South of Kayak point and did OK. Would have had easy limits were it not for all the soft shell dungies we returned to the ocean floor. I'm lazy so the pots go down in shallow waters and don't get pulled to often especially if the flounder and other bottom fish are active. I give a thank you to Gisteppo for sharing his use for squawfish, they worked well as did the suckerfish I caught in the Cedar River. We had lots of undersized males and females in the traps with only a few red rock scattered in the mix.

[cobrar543]

I have started a new attack plan ...due to the cost of both boating fuel and time, I send my 16 yo son down to the beach for the low tide of the day...make him walk Waaaayyy out to the limit of his endurance and have him SET the trap on the bottom... in about 24 hours I MAKE him..walk waaaaayyyyy back out to get it! So Far....In a whoopen 12 feet of water using what ever is handy....4-5 keepers each time, and just as many mean and angry females going right back into the drink... I figured that the large boats that the ...lets call them "early commercial" Fishermen use...cant get in that shallow! Working for me now! LOL...Kid needs constant Greesing with a $5.00 bill..but cheeper then gas and a launch permit! LOL

[Pradeep]

We went out on Friday (7/03/09) morning and was around the hat island area to start things off just like Dave. There were a lot of people crabbing. We had 4 adults on the boat and by around 10:30 or so we had 4 keepers on board. We drove around hat island and continued to try until about 12:30 or so and only pulled in pots of females. We left the area and tried an old spot that scored us 11 additional keepers. 15 keepers to end the day at 4pm. It was the first time crabbing for my friends so that had a complete blast just being on the water, pulling crab pots and getting to see the seals hanging around. Great day.

[Pradeep]

Here's our pictures of a few of them delicious crab before they made their way onto the dinner table.

[cobrar543]

LOVE THAT look the little one is giving the crab! Like, you expect me to EAT this???

[The Quadfather]

I have started a new attack plan ...due to the cost of both boating fuel and time, I send my 16 yo son down to the beach for the low tide of the day...make him walk Waaaayyy out to the limit of his endurance and have him SET the trap on the bottom... in about 24 hours I MAKE him..walk waaaaayyyyy back out to get it! LOL

Tie a rope around his leg, like Amos Moses. LOL:cheers:

Yeah here comes Amos
Now Amos Moses was a Cajun
He lived by himself in the swamp
He hunted alligator for a living
He'd just knock them in the head with a stump
The Louisiana law gonna get you Amos
It ain't legal hunting alligator down in the swamp boy

Now everyone blamed his old man
For making him mean as a snake
When Amos Moses was a boy
His daddy would use him for alligator bait
Tie a rope around his neck and throw him in the swamp
Alligator man in the Louisiana bayou
About forty-five minutes south of Tippitoe Louisiana
Lived a man called Dr. Mills South and his pretty wife Hannah
They raised up a son who could eat his weight in groceries
Named him after a man of the cloth
Called him Amos Moses

Now the folks around south Louisiana
Said Amos was a hell of a man
He could trap the biggest meanest alligator
And he'd just use one hand
That's all he got left cause an alligator bit it
Left arm gone clear up to the elbow

Well the sheriff caught wind that Amos was up in the swamp
Trading alligator skins
So he snuck in the swamp gonna get the boy
But he never came out
Well I wonder where the Louisiana sheriff went to
Well you can sure get lost in the Louisiana bayou
About forty-five minutes south of Tippitoe Louisiana
Lived a cat named Dr. Mills South and his pretty wife Hannah
They raised up a son who could eat his weight in groceries
Named him after a man of the cloth
Called him Amos Moses

I know son
Make it count son
About forty-five minutes south of Tippitoe Louisiana

[fishing collector]

:chef: We did quite well...When I go with Swede I rarely if ever get skunked! This was a great day! Steve

[Dave]

Crabbed 8-1 this morning after an all night 10 hour soak. 4 pots - 29 keepers. We harvested 20 and released the other 9. Very few females and all were around 6 3/4 to 7.5 inches. Very nice crab. Great trip. Will repeat this on Friday. Posted a report in the report section.