I don't know how salty bay fishing is,

[plumbertom]

But here's my report anyway. My partner went to Coos Bay yesterday to fish and crab out of Charleston harbor. The weather was great with just a mild breeze rippling the water when we got there at 11 AM. We were looking at an afternoon low tide about 4 PM. across the bay channel, we set our traps and shortly found that the current was ripping so much it was dragging our pots. It was a slow drag but they were moving down river on the strong outgoing flow. So each time we checked them we had to run them back up bay to reset. This was only a couple hundred yards over a 1-1/2 hour soak. But with that much current the crabs were staying hunkered down in the sand/mud and not moving. We were really thinking we wouldn't do much until the slower water at the tidal shift. Unfortunately, we didn't do much even then, with only three legal Dungeness and two red rock.tossed back a couple dozen undersized and females. Between checking and moving our traps, we fished the jetties with little success, Although I did boat a couple of nice black rockfish and one legal-sized ling. Even so, it was my first outing onto the water in weeks and I was happy to be out enjoying the day.

 

[rogerdodger]

this time of year, the 'out flow' + 'outgoing tide' = stronger than expected current; trying to crab or fish before low isn't worth it. incoming tide to a high tide is better but the 'out flow' reduces high slack to almost nothing.

( I was out there March 8 during the outgoing tide on my Oasis and it was really ripping out around the #7 green tower, I had no issues making headway against it but it took some effort. There were also several stray traps caught up in the submerged jetty, with loose ropes swirling around. I got a limit of crab by working the area west of the submerged jetty, where the current is less, also just upstream from the #7 marker but still towards the west slightly, out of the main channel, lots of 30' water in there. My traps do have extra weight on the bottom, 2 to 3# of it. All my crabs were >6" but none over 6.5", the commercial boats have cleared out the larger crabs. I was also targeting lingcod but didn't find any).

 

[4labs]

Sounds like you got enough for dinner and for this time of the yr + all the rain you did pretty good. First time I crabbed out of CB was a disaster for me and latter went with a friend who grew up in CB and knows the water. We launched out of that ramp below Charleston and went straight across to drop gear.
Do want to hit it for one of those halibut that Roger caught love that video.

 

[plumbertom]

this time of year, the 'out flow' + 'outgoing tide' = stronger than expected current; trying to crab or fish before low isn't worth it. incoming tide to a high tide is better but the 'out flow' reduces high slack to almost nothing.

( I was out there March 8 during the outgoing tide on my Oasis and it was really ripping out around the #7 green tower, I had no issues making headway against it but it took some effort. There were also several stray traps caught up in the submerged jetty, with loose ropes swirling around. I got a limit of crab by working the area west of the submerged jetty, where the current is less, also just upstream from the #7 marker but still towards the west slightly, out of the main channel, lots of 30' water in there. My traps do have extra weight on the bottom, 2 to 3# of it. All my crabs were >6" but none over 6.5", the commercial boats have cleared out the larger crabs. I was also targeting lingcod but didn't find any).

Yeah, one of our traps almost got dragged into the no longer entirely submerged jetty. Recovering it without getting dragged onto the jetty was a iffy proposition so we left it until the tidal flow slowed enough to make control of the boat that close much more reliable.
The swell between the jetties was pretty large and breaking well up the entrance to the bay very near where the submerged jetty met the shore jetty so we stayed up bay in the calmer water.

 

[plumbertom]

Sounds like you got enough for dinner and for this time of the yr + all the rain you did pretty good. First time I crabbed out of CB was a disaster for me and latter went with a friend who grew up in CB and knows the water. We launched out of that ramp below Charleston and went straight across to drop gear.
Do want to hit it for one of those halibut that Roger caught love that video.

Crabbing is still learning experience for me, this is just my second year of crabbing.
Mostly at Coos Bay I've launched at Charleston and, fished either up river or down from that #7 marker within 1/2 to 1 mile, depending on conditions and crowding.
My little jon boat isn't built for too rough of water.