NW Outdoor Explorer

As the crisp autumn air filled my lungs, I eagerly boarded the fishing vessel Aquaholic at the Port of Ilwaco, Washington. Anticipation buzzed through my veins as I prepared for a day of Dungeness crabbing in the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean.

Mid-October is a prime time for crabbing in the Pacific Northwest. The crabs have molted and are actively feeding, making them more susceptible to bait. As the boat sliced through the choppy waves, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of camaraderie with my crew. We were all united by a common goal: to haul in a bountiful catch of succulent Dungeness crabs.

The crew proceeded with baiting the crab pots on the way out and once we reached our crabbing spot, they wasted no time in deploying the pots. Each pot was carefully lowered into the depths, weighted down with heavy weight to prevent them from drifting away. As the pots settled on the ocean floor, we could only hope that they would attract their intended prey.

The waiting game began. As the hours ticked by, we passed the time by sharing stories, swapping tips, and enjoying the breathtaking scenery. The rugged North Jetty stretched out before us, its beauty accentuated by the soft glow of the autumn sun.

Finally, the time came to retrieve the crab pots. With eager hands, we hauled them back onto the boat, our hearts pounding with anticipation. As we peered into the depths of each pot, our faces lit up with joy. Crab after crab emerged from the depths, their shells glistening in the sunlight.

We had hit the jackpot! Our pots were overflowing with plump, succulent Dungeness crabs. The excitement was palpable as we sorted through our catch, carefully selecting the keepers from the undersized crabs.

As the day drew to a close, we returned to the Port of Ilwaco with our coolers brimming with fresh crab. The satisfaction of a successful crabbing trip is indescribable. It is a feeling of accomplishment, camaraderie, and connection to the natural world.

As I savored the sweet, succulent meat of a Dungeness crab that evening, I couldn’t help but reflect on the day’s events. It was a day filled with adventure, excitement, and the simple joy of being out on the water with good friends. And it was a day that I will cherish for years to come.

We were fortunate to have a couple weekends of good weather heading into the end of 2018.  This made crabbing limits even more enjoyable this time of year.

Here is some of the equipment we have decided to use. If you would like to purchase your own, click the links below.

Our first outing, we launched from the Ilwaco marina and headed out at the bottom of the outgoing tide.  We set our traps along the red can line from buoy 18 to 22 in about 45 ft of water.  Instead of hovering, we headed back into Ilwaco while the traps soaked for the next 4 hours.  We took this time to clean up the boat a little, enjoy some adult beverages and even had a nice lunch up on the patio at Ole Bob’s.

After our little break, we headed back out to check the pots.  First pull, we got into 22 nice sized keepers.  We set the traps back and hovered for the next hour.  Our second pull, we reached our limit and headed back in.

June 23rd, Ocean Salmon Opener.  I have been waiting for this day since the end of Buoy 10 last year.

I have a slip in Ilwaco, but not using it just yet because I have river plans for the 4th of July.  I will be trailering for a couple weeks.

We got an early start.  Hit the road at 6am to launch by 8am and cross the bar at low tide.  Got our beer, bait and ice.  We even plan to do some crabbing to see if any stragglers are still hanging out.  Heading out, there is a slight breeze.  The swells were not terrible.  That is, till we pass buoy 10.  The confused seas were evident.  This is what my boat was made for.  We pushed on.  Once we got a little north and in about 50 FOW, we start dropping pots.  We put out 9 pots with hopes of a big bounty.

The water looked fishy, so it was time to put the lines in the water.  It did not take long and Fred was on the board with a nice Chinook.  We stuck it out there for a couple of hours with no success.  It was time to push North to the Condo’s.  The wind chop was not terrible, but not great either.  It took us a little wile to get to where we wanted to be.  We found a few charter boats doing their circles, so we fell in line.  Not long again, we are starting to get bites.  Over the next couple of hours, we land two more Chinook and released a few small Chinook.  With the doom and gloom fishing reports, this was not a bad ocean opener.  We did not see any Coho.

Time to pull pots and head in.  Sad to say, most of the pots were small females.  We did manage to get 6 nice sized keepers.  All my crew went home with something that day.  I did not.  🙁

Till next week…….

Dungeness crab here in the Pacific Northwest is our heaven.

The crab molt generally between May and August.  By October, their shells are starting to get hard and bodies are not quite full of meat.  Come November and December time, the shells are nice and hard and the bodies are packed full of meat.

We mostly crab in the Columbia river between Hammond, OR and Ilwaco, WA.  When the weather permits, we pop outside in the Ocean and harvest our crab direct from the source.  In the ocean, we are not so concerned with the tides sweeping away our crab pots never to be seen like we do in the river.  I cannot tell you how many pots we have lost mistiming the tides.  I think I have learned my lesson now, but it was an expensive lesson.  I have not lost a crab pot is many years now.

To prepare the crab, we try to clean it and have it boiled within a few hours of getting back to the dock.  That first bite right out of the pot is what keeps me wanting to catch crab again and again.

Once we have had our fill of all the crab we can eat with our friends and family, my wife have discovered a way to vac-u-seal the remaining crab and freeze it for later.  Out of the freezer, we let it thaw and either steam it a bit to warm it up or eat it cold.  I am not going to say it is just as good as fresh, but it is pretty darn close.

Unfortunately, this year I have an issue with one of my engines that needs to be looked at before I take the boat out again.  We hope to have it ready by spring.