crab cage

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trailertrawlerkismet

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(2022) Kismet
In preparation for our PNW trip this summer we are wanting to buy a collapsible crab cage. As we've never caught crabs before we're looking for advice as to brand, round vs square or rectangle and what else needs to be purchased in order to turn us into professional crab catchers. What do any of you crab catching Tugnutters advise?

Jim
 
Jim: I'm also interested in the responses to your enquiry.... also advice on cooking instructions... using a Wallas stove in my case. 😉
 
Jim --- First advice is don't mess with cheap crab pots. I have spent many years with pots that did not function properly. I had to accept the fact that pots do get lost occasionally. The pots come in as many shapes as there are crabs. The best are the ones that the pros use. Unfortunately they are heavy, expensive, and they don't fold up. We have finally settled on one called "Flexfold trap". (flexfoldtrap.com) It folds up to the size of a serving plate. More important, it works. Biggest problem with the "non pro" type is that the gates can jam open. (cheap hinges) There are a lot of happy crabs out there that came in for dinner and then left. As to the question of round or square, can't answer that, but the pros lean toward the round. Bait: crabs are scavengers. They will eat anything that won't eat them. Fish heads and chicken seem to work the best. I've tried cans of cat food but that is still open for debate. Pat's the expert on cleaning and cooking crabs but she's out of town with the grandkids. Have to get back to you on that one. Where will you be "homeporting" here in the PNW?
 
I crab in the San Juans and around the Sound and think you'll enjoy it. A couple of thoughts -- look on Craigs list for Crab traps in Seattle /Tacoma area There's some local dealers listed with decent collapsible traps. Remember the red and white buoy/float, crab size gauge, and weighted line at least 80-100 feet long though you can catch them shallower. Beware of tides and currents, I find crab pots floating out in the sound frequently that were pulled the current. Most folks weight their traps with 10-20 lbs not sure how collapsible pots are weighted. I've been successful with turkey legs, chicken backs, salmon carcasses, herring and commercial bait. I use a bucket when hauling in the line. Sorta like the anchor rode locker. It's easier when dropping the pot again.

I used to cook Dungeness just like I cooked bugs (lobsters) back in Rhode Island. A couple of years back a PNW native told me to boil the crab for 22 minutes in sea water. Try it --He made me a believer. It's not like shrimp, the meat doesn't get rubbery when cooked that long. The salt water seems to impart a nice flavor to the meat and the caraprice juices smell and look like a broth. Incidently, next month is shrimp season in Hood Canal and Sound. Shrimp season up near Sequim on Straits of sometimes lasts thru July
 
We've had a few different crab traps, and used rings as well. If you have room, I'd recommend Ladner's round stainless ones. They work great - super easy to set up and bait, float and pot line stores inside, and they out-catch any others we've used. And they do not rust. We carry two, kept on the cabin roof with our shrimp pots.

http://www.lfsmarineoutdoor.com/catalog ... sc&x=0&y=0

I was taught in Newport OR to cook Dungies this way: bring a pot of seawater to a rapid boil, drop in the live crab, wait till it's back to a boil, then give it 8 minutes.
 
Our neighbor told us to try cleaning the crab first before boiling. Some feel it waters down the meat but the one thing I do like is that there is alot less unusable parts to deal with after cooking and more fit into the pot at a time. Pry the back off, break in two getting rid of the "junk". You end up with two leg and knuckle halves in the pot. We use salt in fresh water. Dont clean them in the field in case fish and game want to take a count. There is good info on the on line Wash state fisheries site. We get mostly rock crab and have had good luck in shallow water at slack tide. But I wasnt in a tug with an expensive prop either!! One time we even used a garden rake while wading. Ya I have alot to learn. Would like to hear more on shrimping how to's. Try boiling shrimp in beer. Gives them a nutty flavor.
 
Have learned the hard way too... the heavier, round ones cages seem to be the best; while the collapsable type do work, don't plan on leaving them in the water much past high or low tide, as the current can definitely sweep them away. Chicken parts seemed to have worked the best (in Oregon), as for using 'meat' (mink, fish heads, etc.) these will be taken or attempted to be taken by sea lions and/or harbor seals... they can get into the cheaper folding traps.

Cooking, I am also of the Newport, OR school... salt water, with a rapid boil, then place the crabs in the water for 8 - 10 minutes. Enjoy!
Keith
 
My mother came from a poor dirt farming family from SE Oklahoma and SW Arkansas. She married my father a South Louisiana Cajun. Later in life her father came to live in Louisiana near us. He decided that he wanted to taste some of the Louisiana Blue Crabs he had heard so much about. He went to the fish market and bought some, took them home, boiled them properly and then sat down to eat. He pried the shell off the body, got a spoon and dug in......talk about sick!
 
Herb: That sounds just like my Grandfather in his later years. Place a lamb chop or two with tons of grizzle and fat in front of him and all that was left were the bare bones. He sure enjoyed them and believe it or not, it was a pleasure to watch him consume every bit of it. :lol: Every time I eat lamb chops today I always have him in mind. 😉
 
Thanks for everyones advice on what style and brand crab traps to consider buying, I learned a great deal. As we are only going to use one for a few months while cruising the PNW this summer we'll take the suggestions and try to find a used one on Craigslist.

Jim F
 
You will find an awful lot of crabs are just under the size limit. The plastic measuring calipers are cheap and paying attention to the size rules is important.
We don't cook in our boat's cabin at all, and boiling crab is not a particularly pleasant smell - that may be a consideration.
We break our crab apart before cooking. I'm the killer, I'm afraid - pick them up bravely and firmly, with one hand right on top of the carapice and crack the bottom firmly across the middle from back to front. The edge of a dock works well, though not marina-friendly. The legs and meaty attachments fall into two sections that need a good rinse and then into the pot.
I believe that we fall into the shorter cooking time camp, but I would try the 22 minute idea for the saturated taste.
You're going to love Dungeness crab, and you'll get a good workout hauling traps unless you have a line-puller (I don't have one). You will also take a considerable interest in water depth 😉

John
 
I've spent a bit of my life as a commercial crabber. As others have said, the round pots work best. Dungeness crab aren't overly intelligent, at all, but they do become frustrated if they can't get in the pot and will leave. If a crab comes to the edge of a square pot too many times without figureing out how to get in, it will leave. Round pots don't frustrate them as much and they'll keep circling until they figure out how to get in. I've seen some underwater footage backing this up.

People in Puget Sound LOVE to steal crab pots. I've had several stolen. Don't leave yours unattended in Puget Sound, especially in the south sound.

Use a flag on a pole to mark your buoys. It makes it easier to find when the wind kicks up.

As far as bait goes, salmon eggs outfish any other bait. Period. Most people don't want to spend the money though. After that, try anything that comes from the ocean. Herring, anchovy, salmon, fish carcasses. I'm not sure why some people say to use the stinkiest bait, it's simply not true. Sure, stinky rotten bait catches crab, but crab only eat stinky rotten stuff if there is nothing else left to eat. I've also had good luck with chicken, for some reason I have not had good luck with turkey.

If you are catching undersized or females, move. The biggest strongest crab are the males. They take over the feeding grounds. When the good food is gone, they leave too and the smaller males and females move it to eat what's left.

If you are targeting dungeness and are catching rock crab, move. Rocks are a hell of a lot stronger and meaner than dungees and have no trouble tearing the limbs off a dungee. Not to mention, they usually inhabit a different range. That being said, try eating rock crab, they're actually better tasting, just a lot harder to eat and deal with.

with all that said, I'd just go buy a cheap "Danielson" pot and some chicken legs and go at it. You can get a whole kit for around $50 or so. Or if you're concerned with space, try the rings. They're a lot of fun, but you have to check them more frequently, plus, they outfish most other types of gear.

I have a game warden friend who says the rules in Washington are written in such a way that essentially every boat they stop is a violation. He said it's almost impossilbe to crab legally. For example, every crabber has to have THEIR name on the pots they pull. Only two pices of gear per person. As most of us know, when it's time to pull gear, you just pull whatever pot your group has set out, not neccessarily the one with your name on it. Also, make sure you know how to identify a male from a female, and how to identify a soft shell condition. Also make sure you record your crabs on your punch card as soon as you catch them, not when the day is over.
 
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