The Outdoor Line Forum

A buddy was telling me to crab (dungeness) deeper in the winter. I've always worked that 50-70 foot depth but he suggested going up to 100 feet in the winter as the crabs go deeper. Anyone else found this to be true? Looking forward to getting out next weekend (and hoping for good weather).

John

I run 150' of leaded line on all my pots and in the winter, I've been known to stretch it!

Lets say you don't have an area such as Area 9 dialed in for Winter Crabbing. What would be a good way to start targeting areas and types structure or features to look for?

Hi Lisa,

I asked a similar question back before the summer about hit about 9 here:

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=2870

For me, I have had great luck throwing a pot off the jetty in Ballard / Shillshole, anywhere 35-50,60 ft has been great for me with fresh fish, a bit of squid and a (ahem and a pink glow stick).

I saw a guy throw one in with a pink glow stick and later saw him pull his pot and it was full of crab, my pots had none, he gave me the glow stick and I sunk it again for the same time and was loaded up also... so i use one now lol.

The tide will rip there, so weigh down your pots!

I wish great crabbing for ya!

Once this storm hits and flushes our rivers, the nutrients and spawned out salmon carcasses will make a great crab buffet off the mouth of the Skagit, Stilly and Snohomish rivers.
So, don't snooze on Marine Areas 8-1 & 8-2

So if you "stretch it" as you mentioned in your earlier post do you have better success in the winter going deeper? Heading out on Sunday and may work several depths and some prospecting rings to see what depth produces.

Another question. Should we be keeping rockies including females? Are these regs to help reduce this population to make room for more Dungeness?

Hey Hoff,
Can't speak to the management objectives regarding red rocks and I'm not a huge fan of keeping them but you're correct about the either sex red rock regs.

Why I'm not a fan? The cracking effort to meat yield ratio is all off...

Here's another thought: If I'm catching a bunch of rocks when targeting dungies, I "feel" like I'm in the wrong place. Sand and mud flats are dungie bottoms while sand and rocky slopes are generally where you'll find the rocks