Crabbing in the Seattle Area

 

The trip started with a two day non-resident permit that cost a whopping $7. You are allowed 6 Dungeness crab per day, We limited (12) on Friday and caught 9 on Saturday. As you take the crab from the trap you have to mark your catch card before dropping the pot again or risk issues if checked.

 This is the harbor that we dropped the pots in, the land ahead is Vashon Island.

Joe getting the boat ready to go Friday morning.
 Launching at a private ramp, the public ones get a bit on the scary side sometimes...

 I wish I could say Joe fell in right after I took this, but he did manage to keep his feet dry...

 Prepping the bait boxes for the crab pots, the bait of choice was thawed (somewhat...) chicken pieces.

 Securing the bait box to the middle of the trap.

 Dropping the first pot, the depth was usually between 70 and 80 feet.

 After dropping all of the pots we waited for an hour ( it is still amazing to me only one hour...) and started pulling them up.

 The results of our first pull, three keepers. You can only keep males and there is a guide used to measure size, somewhere around seven inches at the widest part of the body.
 My turn for a pull...

 Another productive pull, a few more keepers.

 
 One of the decent size ones up against a yardstick for perspective.

 Posing with one of the crabs trying to keep my fingers away from the front claws...

 Joe being Joe...

 Because this was the first time doing this, the novelty of pulling pots up from 80 feet did not really wear off until the second day, plus I got tired of listening to Joe whine....

 We were actually throwing legal crabs back on the first day, after 2 pulls for each pot (4 pots) we were well over our limit and ended up trying to weed out the smaller ones.
 This starfish ended up in the pot with the crabs, we pulled up a similar one on Saturday also...

 
 Joe and Odin getting ready to boil the crab.

 Laying out our catch for Friday

 In addition to Dungeness we also limited (12) on Rock Crab on Friday as well.

 

 Putting the first crab in the pot.

 
 Fridays finished result, 13 Dungeness (one over limit due to unauthorized hitchiker in the transom of the boat...) and 12 Rock.
 Lori, Joe and Odin all trying to squeeze on the couch... I think it is time for a bigger couch...
 And then we have Todd, who had his car payment paid by the suckers at the card table (myself included)...

 

Back to Andy's Home Page