Dungeness crab are the larger of the two species, reaching a maximum size of 23 centimetres in width. If you plan on keeping your traps on your boat they are real space savers.
A ring that is pulled up slanted can allow for crabs to crawl out the edge of the ring; a trap that is pulled up slanted allows crabs to potentially escape through an open door. I am a huge advocate of any form of customization; imagine motoring into a sea of red/white buoys and having to motor around looking for the one with your name written on it!Bait boxes are an easy way to store bait in a trap. One of the funnest things to do is catch flounder or sand dabs and use them in the trap.Having a measuring device with you is extremely important. Let’s just say you have a 100’ line and decide to set your trap at a 50’ depth, lines can easily be tangled in a boat’s prop or cut off by one. Attach them permanently with wire ties or zip ties, temporarily with small bungies.If you are using a fish carcass for bait, a bait pin can be a great alternative to the bait box. Even having a davit with a pulley on the boat makes pulling much easier.

They must be half red, half white. Fresh bait will draw them into the ring. Each pot fished must have a buoy tag attached to the main buoy (first set from pot).

Also, I have done very well with chicken, turkey legs and herring. If you decide to use yellow poly, be sure to clip on some weight to the line to pull it under the surface. Some folks will connect a multicolored buoy to their required red/white. However, they are light weight and you need to add some pot weights so they don’t drift off. Identifying which buoy belongs to you can be challenging at times. You need to write your name and address on the buoy. Floating lines can cause problems when crabbing in an area with boat traffic. When using rings, allowing a soak time of about 20 to 45 minutes is perfect. These are designed to clip to the corners of a trap, or clipped evenly around a round pot or ring for a smooth and level retrieve. I find snapping on a weight is a pain, and that a thin line is less comfortable to pull.

The beauty of living near the saltwater and being able to head out in even a small boat and catch these tasty shellfish is not lost on thousands of people who go out crabbing every summer. Pots tend to be heavier with the weight build into the frame, most weigh 10 to 20 pounds. Possessing a crab that is even 1/16” under the minimum size can potentially yield you a confiscation of your entire catch and a hefty ticket.Having an electric pot puller is nice for heavy pots or crabbing in deeper water.

Its an easy way to keep the kids or guests busy on the boat.Last year was the toughest I’ve seen in Area 10.
You won’t have to worry about getting it tangled in someone’s prop because it sinks.Here in Washington, we have many requirements pertaining to our Crab Buoys. Harnesses are highly recommended over just tying your line to the edge of your pot/ring/trap.There are two options for your crabbing main line, yellow ¼ inch poly line or leaded line. Use website settings to switch between units at any time. The poly lines really do suck though as they can be drift in choppy water and for the boat interference reasons you mentioned above.And as for bait, remember: the stinkier the better! Contacts. I like to use crab rings when I am fishing in less than fifty feet. The leaded lines are much, much better but I actually recommend people use nylon as it doesn’t mildew or deteriorate when you store it while still wet. #albacore #westp,Getting in on the action.

Units We use knots and degrees Celsius as our default units. In contrast, Red Rock crab, as the name implies, are bright red, have thick black-tipped claws and reach a maximum size of 16 centimetres. Because a ring will simply lie on the bottom, crabs are free to come and go as they please. They are also more expensive than collapsible traps.Square collapsible traps are by far the most popular in areas like Puget Sound.Collapsible traps tend to be less expensive. We also stock all the crabbing gear you need like buoys & rope floats, bait barrels or bags, crab gauges and polypropylene line – or you can keep it simple with a complete crabbing kit.