Siuslaw crab report

[rogerdodger]

well it was a nice day, light winds, and I had my best friend along with me but the Siuslaw is freaking full of small crab, I was rail dumping them all day long...I was out for the strong incoming tide right through high, traps in the water almost 5 hours, started around CG and moved down almost to A4, then back up to the Red Wing Damns....no large females, almost all were small males and I only bothered checking about 6 that were close, none were legal..last pot had one that was so so close...beautiful day but no crab dinner for me today...

last year in June we were not getting limits but easily coming home with 8 or 9 nice keepers...hope the season is just delayed and not lame..

 

[eugene1]

Glad to see you're back on the waters up North! Chinook will be in the bays next month; I'm kind of jealous!

Enjoy it and better luck with the sea spiders next time. August and September were always good for us.

Best,

 

[DYJ]

thanks for the report!

 

[bran_man]

Me and the wife went to Florence over the weekend and there were some people crabbing off the docks in old town (which can be pretty productive), but they had the same results. All really small, and no keepers. But its still early for crabbing in my opinion. Granted, you can catch dungies year round, but a guideline I like to go by is peak crabbing is in months that end in -er...

 

[Raincatcher]

I've never been crabbing so I am totally ignorant except for the info I get from the members. My neighbors liven in Florence years ago and was telling me the same thing about the best months ending in "er". Crabbing is definitely on my list of to-do's this year! Thanks for the report!

 

[rogerdodger]

I've never been crabbing so I am totally ignorant except for the info I get from the members. My neighbors liven in Florence years ago and was telling me the same thing about the best months ending in "er". Crabbing is definitely on my list of to-do's this year! Thanks for the report!

oh for sure, like last year, we got limits of nice hard shelled males everytime out in "July-er" and "August-er"....I think maybe the bigger crabs are still out doing their mating stuff in the ocean...

usually, even when keeper males are scarce, we at least have lots of big females to toss back, but this first outing I was not getting any large crabs of either sex....

 

[Raincatcher]

oh for sure, like last year, we got limits of nice hard shelled males everytime out in "July-er" and "August-er"....I think maybe the bigger crabs are still out doing their mating stuff in the ocean...

usually, even when keeper males are scarce, we at least have lots of big females to toss back, but this first outing I was not getting any large crabs of either sex....

So I don't have to wait until Septemb-er? Cool!

 

[bran_man]

No they can def be caught year round but the better time to go its usually in the er months. Florence its... Ok. I'm sure its much better if you have a boat that can get our there.but if you're just throwing of the docks like me, eh it can be decent sometimes. usually go farther down south to crab. Much better results down there. I've pulled many pots with entire limits worth of crab in just one pull... Again, in the er months. But yes there is potential for year round crabbing. Hopefully this is not a sign of a poor year...

 

[Raincatcher]

Are there good areas in the Tillamook/Lincoln City/Newport vicinity for a total novice? Remember now, I'm no spring chick anymore...so going out on the jetty is not an option for me since I sink like a rock in a calm pool. :doh: Never did get the hang of swimming... :redface:

 

[rogerdodger]

Are there good areas in the Tillamook/Lincoln City/Newport vicinity for a total novice? Remember now, I'm no spring chick anymore...so going out on the jetty is not an option for me since I sink like a rock in a calm pool. :doh: Never did get the hang of swimming... :redface:

I have heard good things about Newport but that is from boats, not sure about dock crabbing there....

 

[eugene1]

Barb, there's a dock near Rogue brewing in Newport. It's on the south side of the bay and it's free.

Seems like it's always fished out of keepers the couple of times we tried it there.

Best,

 

[rogerdodger]

June21 update

June21 update

a beautiful day with smooth seas and open bar, but the crab are still small with occasional male just under legal size, no large female in the river yet at all. nada, zippo.

we are headed for Detoit Lake next week and then will probably try for crab again the week of 4th of July, maybe by then the crab will have finished up their monkey business and found their way into the river, maybe the big tides coming will help....

cheers, roger

 

[DYJ]

Thanks again! I look forward to hearing when they are in an big. I just got set up with 4 traps and am lookin forward to crabbing from my boat this year.

 

[eugene1]

We always had more success down at winchester bay for crab, the area called half moon bay to be exact. Lots of keepers there for whatever reason. Can get bumpy if you go down around Christmas time, but in the summer and fall, it's good. There's even a crab "charter" boat that brings people into that cove.

Best,

 

[rippin fish lips]

Amen, on what Eugene1 said about winchester and the nonstop keepers it seems like. But the best place for a boat crabbing on the slaw, is by the coast gaurd station. but can't put them to close to the gaurd station.

 

[rogerdodger]

We always had more success down at winchester bay for crab, the area called half moon bay to be exact. Lots of keepers there for whatever reason. Can get bumpy if you go down around Christmas time, but in the summer and fall, it's good. There's even a crab "charter" boat that brings people into that cove.

Best,

very true but living 2miles from the Florence Marina launch, soon the crabs will come to us...and then the kings...and then the coho...

 

[rogerdodger]

Amen, on what Eugene1 said about winchester and the nonstop keepers it seems like. But the best place for a boat crabbing on the slaw, is by the coast gaurd station. but can't put them to close to the gaurd station.

for sure, and we soak pairs of pots from the A4 bouy, up across from the crab dock, then above and below the CG station, and even tested up to the Rhody bank bend...I talked with one of the CG guys at the launch and he confirmed no one is getting keepers yet....but they will come....

 

[rogerdodger]

July 3 Report

July 3 Report

out early (7am) to beat the wind, high tide about 10:45am...lots more boats showing up by 9am....and everyone catching lots and lots of....small male crabs.

we found no large females or keeper males in the Slaw, we soaked pots by A6 bouy, by the green marker across from the crabbing dock, by the CG station, and then up along the red marker wing damns....all locations the same- pots full of small males....and it was getting real windy by 10am, so boats we saw heading down near the bar were likely in for a choppy day of rail dumping small crab..

cheers, roger

 

[rippin fish lips]

out early (7am) to beat the wind, high tide about 10:45am...lots more boats showing up by 9am....and everyone catching lots and lots of....small male crabs.

we found no large females or keeper males in the Slaw, we soaked pots by A6 bouy, by the green marker across from the crabbing dock, by the CG station, and then up along the red marker wing damns....all locations the same- pots full of small males....and it was getting real windy by 10am, so boats we saw heading down near the bar were likely in for a choppy day of rail dumping small crab..

cheers, roger

I DON'T LIKE THAT! I got about 15 steelhead carcs to use up. Freezer is getting full lol.