How to Catch Crabs: A Pacific Coast Guide
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About this ebook
There is nothing quite like a harvest of freshly caught crabs to set the tone for a perfect shoreline feast. Charlie White shows how beginners and veteran crabbers alike can benefit from his decades of experience—from finding and capturing crabs to storing, cleaning, and cooking your catch. Whether you use crab traps or the traditional shoreline, low-tide hunt to bag your quota, this book will aid your cause. This new edition of the classic crabber’s manual contains an up-to-date list of websites where you can find the latest regulations and catch limits for BC, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and California.
Charlie White
Charlie White (1925-2010) is an internationally known author, filmmaker, television personality and fish-behaviour researcher. His books on salmon and marine life have sold more than 500,000 copies, putting him among the top authors on fishing. Charlie also developed a series of Undersea Gardens marine exhibits in the United States and Canada, which allow viewers to descend beneath sea level to watch sea life in a natural environment. In 1973, he began experimenting with a remote-controlled underwater television camera to study salmon strike behaviour. His underwater close-ups, in freeze frame and slow motion, revealed for the first time many fascinating new facts about how salmon and other species approach and strike various lures. He has made three feature-length films about his work, two of which are now marketed on video (Why Fish Strike! . . . Why They Don't and In Search of the Ultimate Lure). He has been recognized in Who's Who for his fish-behaviour studies, and he invented a number of popular fishing products, including the Scotty downrigger, Electric Hooksharp, Picture Perfect Lures and Formula X-10 fish feeding stimulant. The Charlie White Theatre in Sidney, BC, which opened in 2002, honours Charlie's contribution to the community. He was also honoured by the University of Victoria as Fisherman of the Year in 2001.
Read more from Charlie White
Living off the Sea Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCharlie White's 103 Fishing Secrets Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Catch Shellfish: Along the Pacific Coast Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
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How to Catch Crabs - Charlie White
Types Of Edible Crabs
Cancer magister
Cancer magister, commonly called Dungeness
or sand crab,
is the major commercial crab found in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia. The males grow to eight to ten inches (twenty to twenty-five centimetres) across the back (carapace). They have large meaty legs and claws plus a large knot of body meat in the muscular portion of the body immediately adjoining the legs.
Cancer productus
Cancer productus, or rock crab,
is not caught commercially, but has quite edible meat. Rock crabs are smaller than Dungeness and have harder, reddish-brown shells. They have large strong claws, but their legs are small and spindly, with little meat. The body also contains little meat, but if you have patience it is possible to get a nice meal from rock crabs.
Box crabs
There are two subspecies of box crabs. They are quite edible but are seldom taken by sport crabbers. Instead these deep-water crabs are usually captured by scuba divers on rocky bottoms.
Some larger specimens are called king crabs, but this is not the same species as the much larger Alaskan variety.
King crabs
These huge and very tasty crustaceans are fished primarily in deep water off the coast of Alaska. Local populations have also been found in the northern inlets along the B.C. coast and in the Queen Charlotte Islands. They have also been found in the Prince Rupert area and in Grenville Channel.
We have no information of any sport fishing being done for these giants, but it might be an exciting adventure to go on an expedition for them.
Finding Likely Locations For Crabs
The easiest and most reliable method of finding local crab populations is to ask questions of the residents of the area. Marinas, tackle shops, boat rentals and similar commercial establishments can usually advise of the best crabbing spots.
Look for crab traps on board other boats at marinas or in boat harbours and ask the occupants where they catch their crabs. Most will be very helpful.
Generally, the Dungeness crab can be found on a sandy bottom where there is a good tidal movement. Along Oregon, Washington and the west coast of Vancouver Island, the commercial crabbers get the majority of their catches in the open sea off shore using large, heavy commercial traps. The sport crabber will usually find it more practical to fish in small bays and especially in river mouths and estuaries.
In the inland waters of Puget Sound and the Strait of Georgia, look for a sandy bottom with eel grass or a sandy bottom at the mouth of a