We did lose one pot and verified had at another checked by someone other than us. The perils of not tending and overnight soaks. The lost pot I attributed to the tide w/ kelp. Lots of crap in the water with the big tides. I saw least 2 bouy's/pots floating out in the middle of nowhere surrounded in kelp and eel grass. In one area even though our pots were weighted they moved. I put indicators on the main openings to verify if someone got into them. The other pot that was checked, they stole my bait container and the pot was empty. Why do people have to do that sht?

Got three keepers on Saturday walking around some eel grass flats.
Should of had a few more. The big boys head fast to deep water when they see you coming. Lots of females. This was in MA 9.
SF

That's a fun way to catch crab! Did a lot of that as a kid.

SHOCKING news ... Pulled in the driveway tonite, iam like wtf ? my lost/ stolen/ borrowed pots are in my driveway, all washed and ropes rolled nicely. No card,letter, no phone # nothing. Unreal. Never expected this.

That's awesome!

Fish on...

Todd

Dropped pots last Thursday and did a 7 hours soak and had 18 keepers in the first three pots. Re baited and didn't bother to pull the other three. Next morning pulled all six pots for another 18 keepers. Two of the pots had blanks. Pulled them again the next morning and only has two keeepers as the red rocks had taken over. Tuna seemed to be the key as we had run out of it for the final re-baiting.

Not sure if this is an issue or not, but I stopped by a small grocery yesterday and they had packages of Rock Crab clusters for sale for around $6.50 a pound. I am not sure where they came from other than the package said they were from Washington. For the looks of it, about half the clusters were very small and I have a hard time believing they came from legal 5" crabs. One had a pincer that was smaller much smaller than my thumb. It could be a regrowth but the rest of the legs looked really small too. Not sure if it worth doing anything of not.

Very cool on the returned pots!! If whoever did it is reading this thanks and may the goodwill be returned to you 7-fold!!

I got blanked with 6 pots last weekend - no smalls, no females, total blanks!! First time in 40 years of crabbing in the sound that has ever happened. At first I thought someone had cleaned me out but by the time they reset 6 pots and got out of there before I approached would have been enough time for at least something to crawl back in there at the honey hole I was crabbing. Then I thought tribes found my hole and cleaned it out but that doesn't explain no smalls or females. Gave up in frustration and started unloading the bait bags tossing nice chunks of expired farmed steelhead Freddies gave me for bait. 2-3" chunks of flesh and skin should have been filet mignon to the gulls but they grabbed it, chomped it a couple times like they were positioning it for the big gulp and then spit it out. Could not believe the gulls wouldn't eat it! The heck if I ever will!

Rinsed off the gear and tossed in a couple left-over herring into each of 4 pots and scratched out a limit in about 40 minutes. At least I have my own bait from the salmon we caught for this weekend! Happy crabbing - sure is tasty!

Area 7, 4 pots, 4 day soak, 4 crab. And the tribes get an opener again today.

South end of 8-2: Four pots Thursday and six keepers. Friday: 1. Saturday: 0.

So, for 3 days and four pots over six hour incoming tide soaks we ended up with 6 crab and it is still July.

Go to the middle of 8.2

That would be a long row!

Seriously, thanks. I've heard it's better a bit further north. Maybe when salmon opens I'll launch the big boat.

Worst season I've had in 8-2 in the 40+ yrs I've been crabbing here. Never had to work so hard to scratch out a limit.

Crabbing in the Everett vicinity has sucked. I stopped setting pots locally after the first weekend. I've done better up north of Langley in Holmes harbor and right next to the Muk ferry on the Everett side.

And if I am giving away your crabbing spot... Hey, you can post this info here since no one reads pp anymore. It's like 1999 all over again

Last weekend I was anchored up in Penn cove and the crab were huge and plentiful out by the green can on the Coupeville side of that shelf.

My buddy in Langley said it has dropped off significantly since the opener. By the way, I was contacted by WDFW about a pot I lost In MA 7 opening weekend. I thought someone stole it, but it must have got drug by kelp or something in the big tides. Picked it up yesterday. Nice to see enforcement activity on closed days.