During 4 days in July on Camano Island, WA, life pauses when crabbers brave the chilly waters of the Puget Sound to try their luck with catching Dungeness crabs.
The crabbing season opens Thursdays-Mondays, from July 1 to Labor Day, but the largest and most plentiful runs are in the first weekend.
Dave, our kind neighbor and experienced crabber of 30 years teaches T the art of crabbing. The goal is to learn the rules, catch the daily limit and survive the crabbing season with all fingers intact!
Follow these 10 steps for a successful crabbing season:
1) Pay the state fee and get a crabbing license.
2) Equipment – Find up a friend with a boat!
Crabbing essentials: life vest, buoy, flags, cages, bait box, ropes, flex ties, carabiners, catch bucket and, oh….. don’t forget the crab crackers!
No need to buy new, since most stuff can be found used on fb market.
3) Buy bait early before it runs out. The rule of thumb is that the older and stinkier the bait, the better!
4) Launch site – stuff as much bait into the bait boxes to last several days. At high tide, round up your buddies to help carry the boat and equipment to the water’s edge. Team work is essential since you’ll be catching more crabs than you can eat 🙂
5) Slowly row/motor out to “the secret spot”. It’s important to pre-tie the cages with ropes long enough to reach the bay’s floor. Hoist the cages out of the boat and gently drop them into the bay. These cages will remain in the water for the next 4 days.
6) Check cages daily. The limit in our area is 5 crabs per day per license. Each crab should be larger than 6.25″ and must be males (lucky female crabs!) When pulling up the cage, wear heavy duty rubber gloves to protect the hands. Crabs meeting the size requirement are placed into a 5 gallon bucket, others are returned back to sea.
Before arriving back to shore, record the day’s catch and size in your crabber’s logbook.
7) On shore, flip craps upside down to avoid runaways and admire your catch!
Cleaning can be done at the shore or at home. Want to make friends? Give a few extra crabs to your favorite neighbors.
8) On Monday (Day 4), all crab cages need to be pulled and brought back home. The crabs are allowed 3 days to rest from all crabbing activity.
10) Enjoy your catch and be creative with your recipes! The possibilities are endless. Crabs can be stored in the freezer, vacuumed sealed in an air tight bag for up to 3 months, but we prefer to eat them fresh just hours from the bay.
Thanks Dave for inviting T to be your crabbing buddy and showing him the ropes. The crabbing tradition on Camano Island continues!
funandfreedee 