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Area 8-2 Ports Susan and Gardner Report
Washington

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07/01/2017
Crab
Cloudy
Morning
07/01/2017
4
2132

After the politicians finally got their act together we headed out to Camano Head in the morning for the summer crab opener. I've never worked this area before so I was anxious to see how we would do. Well, we were not disappointed!

Our first set of 5 pots yielded 7 keepers and one red rock crab that measured 6 inches across the back. Our second set yielded 10 keepers and 3 red rock that were easily 6 1/4 - 6 1/2 inches. The dungies all measured 6 1/2 - 7 1/2 inches across the back. For our third set ( only 2 pots) we moved across the channel to the Spee-ba-da area and this time one pot came up empty and the other only had females in it, so we decided to call it a day, finishing with 17 dungies and 4 red rock crab. All in all, not a bad way to start the season!


Comments

Salmon King
7/1/2017 8:21:32 PM
????????????????
racfish
7/1/2017 11:18:25 PM
I agree. ???? The info was spotty.
Armando Cortez
7/2/2017 6:02:41 PM
Was trying to keep the report short. What info would you like me to fill in?
Sheltered
7/1/2017 8:43:47 PM
Looks good! How crowded was it?
Armando Cortez
7/2/2017 5:59:43 PM
It was quite crowded and got a lot more crowded as the high tide approached. It was like looking for a front row seat to the 4th of July parade. The thing that left us saying, "Seriously? You're kidding, right?" was watching a boat pull up and drop their pots right on top of ours.
riverhunter
7/2/2017 2:54:29 PM
Fyi. If you fished out of one vessel you are only allowed 4 pots no matter how many license holders are on board.
Armando Cortez
7/2/2017 5:54:12 PM
Thanks, riverhunter, but that restriction applies to shrimp pots only. From page 135 of the WA. State Fishing Regulations:

Statewide Gear Rules - Crab, Shrimp & Crawfish: One star trap, one ring net, or one pot is considered one unit of gear. The maximum number of units of gear that may be fished per person is:

Puget Sound: (Marine Area 4, east of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line, and in Marine Areas 5-13).

Shrimp: Two pots per person, and no more than 4 shrimp pots may be onboard or fished by any one boat at a time.
Crab: Two units of crab gear per person, and no limit on the number of units of crab gear per boat.
redroostertail
7/2/2017 11:42:10 PM
Hmm , That must be a new rule change and not a good one IMHO. Just what we need is families of five going out dropping ten pots. There's a maze of pots out there as it is. I don't like it.
riverhunter
7/9/2017 8:25:24 PM
I stand corrected but I remember it only being 4 pots per boat. Either I was wrong or I misread the regs
kokanee1
7/3/2017 7:00:35 PM
2 pots per person for crab makes total sense. This rule has been on the books for years. We crab with 6 pots when we have 3 or 4 guys on the boat.
Let's_Go_Fishing!
7/7/2017 4:26:22 AM
Have you crabbed MA 8-2 near Kayak Point? They do pretty well out that way. I'm limited to pier crabbing. If anyone has an open seat for Sunday morning the 9th, I'd gladly chip in and can meet at the KP boat launch near the pier. Thanks.
Armando Cortez
7/7/2017 2:44:04 PM
I've only been there once, a couple of years ago during the winter season. Caught close to 20 crabs but they were all JUST under the legal 6 1/4 size limit. I was just reading your report . Glad you had a successful morning!

I've been tempted to haul my canoe or my Crawdad over there and set a couple of pots out away from the pier. With as calm as the water can be there, I think either would work just fine.
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Available Guide

Available Fishing Guide:
Website: Bottom to Top Charters

Phone: (406) 321-0504