Crab bait....
- Thread starter Randy waugh
- Start date
You could always take a tip from the Yanks:
http://komonews.com/news/local/sheriff-argument-over-dead-opossum-led-to-rural-mason-co-shooting
http://komonews.com/news/local/sheriff-argument-over-dead-opossum-led-to-rural-mason-co-shooting
Been using chicken backs for 2 years and wont go back. The only thing that I trying to solve is that... Once a couple get in there they demo the chicken real fast. Bait jars dont seem to work as it doesn't leave a trace or scent. I tried to wrap them like bait on a hook with butchers cord. It helps but after a 2 hour soak the backs are gone.
This year I'm grinding them through my grinder twice and putting it in the jars. Seems to shake out slowly and last alot longer. Chicken seems to work way better
This year I'm grinding them through my grinder twice and putting it in the jars. Seems to shake out slowly and last alot longer. Chicken seems to work way better
spring time
Well-Known Member
Commercial use squid
RiverBoy
Well-Known Member
Bear heads. My friend shot a large black bear and put the head in the freezer as he was going to do a European mount with the skull. Accidentally grabbed the bear head thinking it was fish parts one morning. When he got to the crabbing grounds he realized his mistake. He sent it down anyway, as the crabs would prolly help with the mounting / cleaning process. You guessed it: most productive trap of the morning!
Sharphooks
Well-Known Member
I'm a commercial bait distributor.
90% of my business is selling Argentine Illex squid to the Puget Sound Dungeness crab fleet. Each year the price goes north due to poor catches in the South Atlantic. Each year I tell my my crab fishermen they'll be looking at another .10 -.15/lb increase in price and each year they tell me to shut up and keep importing the Argentine squid , no matter what the price is.
This is what "the good stuff" looks like, the stuff they all want: CHOCOLATE!
So here's a story: last December us sportsfishermen got a surprise opener. It came immediately after a First Nations opener and they tend to carpet bomb the dungeness grounds where I fish. But they use pilchards so I was optimistic they didn't get them all
So the first day, I loaded my pots with spring salmon frames and heads, thinking this was waaaay better bait then their pilchards
I checked my pots after a tide change: at least 15 females, some rock crabs, and 2 male keepers.
I told one of my crab fishermen I had used salmon frames and didn't exactly knock the crab dead
His response:
"Dude, what the hell are you doing screwing around with salmon frames? Let me guess...you got a few keeper males, but a pile of females and some rock crab, right?"
I was impressed----he knew what I caught just by the bait I was using.
His next comment: "So, let me guess again, you have a couple of hundred thousand pounds of Argentine squid in a local warehouse, right?"
I don't like my guys knowing my inventory but I conceded the point that yes, I had enough squid to wad a shotgun.
"Well, get off your arse and go get some and stick THAT in your pot!"
Long story short---I went into town, got a 25 lb block, teased a few squid off the frozen block with a heat gun, shoved them in the pot for one tide change and went to check my pots.
I could not see daylight through BOTH pots. Four limits, minimum. HUGE males, like the size of pie plates, all caught in the exact same place I'd dropped the pots full of spring salmon frames a day or two before
And this was after the First Nations guys had been dropping pots for a week in the same area.
We have an opener tomorrow. Even though I have a bucket full of spring and coho frames from my Bamfield trip last week, Argentine squid is going into those pots.
90% of my business is selling Argentine Illex squid to the Puget Sound Dungeness crab fleet. Each year the price goes north due to poor catches in the South Atlantic. Each year I tell my my crab fishermen they'll be looking at another .10 -.15/lb increase in price and each year they tell me to shut up and keep importing the Argentine squid , no matter what the price is.
This is what "the good stuff" looks like, the stuff they all want: CHOCOLATE!
So here's a story: last December us sportsfishermen got a surprise opener. It came immediately after a First Nations opener and they tend to carpet bomb the dungeness grounds where I fish. But they use pilchards so I was optimistic they didn't get them all
So the first day, I loaded my pots with spring salmon frames and heads, thinking this was waaaay better bait then their pilchards
I checked my pots after a tide change: at least 15 females, some rock crabs, and 2 male keepers.
I told one of my crab fishermen I had used salmon frames and didn't exactly knock the crab dead
His response:
"Dude, what the hell are you doing screwing around with salmon frames? Let me guess...you got a few keeper males, but a pile of females and some rock crab, right?"
I was impressed----he knew what I caught just by the bait I was using.
His next comment: "So, let me guess again, you have a couple of hundred thousand pounds of Argentine squid in a local warehouse, right?"
I don't like my guys knowing my inventory but I conceded the point that yes, I had enough squid to wad a shotgun.
"Well, get off your arse and go get some and stick THAT in your pot!"
Long story short---I went into town, got a 25 lb block, teased a few squid off the frozen block with a heat gun, shoved them in the pot for one tide change and went to check my pots.
I could not see daylight through BOTH pots. Four limits, minimum. HUGE males, like the size of pie plates, all caught in the exact same place I'd dropped the pots full of spring salmon frames a day or two before
And this was after the First Nations guys had been dropping pots for a week in the same area.
We have an opener tomorrow. Even though I have a bucket full of spring and coho frames from my Bamfield trip last week, Argentine squid is going into those pots.
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Sharphooks
Well-Known Member
Here's the thing: that 20K parcel is stored in a private facility in Vancouver and they are crazy busy this time of the year. so....... immediately after posting that offer I had second thoughts and realized I should Remove it----single block sales would only aggravate my guy ---too labor intensive.
I would do single block sales out of my own inventory (stored in a public cold storage facility) but it would be a long drive for you guys.. For my normal commie guys, a minimum sale would be a full pallet (approx. 2,000 lbs)
I would do single block sales out of my own inventory (stored in a public cold storage facility) but it would be a long drive for you guys.. For my normal commie guys, a minimum sale would be a full pallet (approx. 2,000 lbs)
Sharphooks
Well-Known Member
Left me talk to my guy. I know he's been selling to his Rupert guys for well over CAN $ 2.00 , but that's for multiple pallet sales. If he's willing to consider a pallet sale, I'll respond on this thread.
Someone would have to have a pick-up truck and should be in a position to drive away with a pallet.
Breaking a pallet apart is easy---each individual 22 lb block is poly-wrapped, then stacked and shrink wrapped on a pallet. I think his pallets were 88 blocks per, so that's 1,936 lbs net---you can do the math on what a pallet might sell for
For day use, I tease off pieces with a heat gun. Sometimes, to cut to the chase, I get out the sawzall ----that reciprocating blade goes through the block like butter but man oh man, does the squid dust ever stink....
a commie pot guy would say...."yes, sure that stuff stinks---smells just like money..."
Someone would have to have a pick-up truck and should be in a position to drive away with a pallet.
Breaking a pallet apart is easy---each individual 22 lb block is poly-wrapped, then stacked and shrink wrapped on a pallet. I think his pallets were 88 blocks per, so that's 1,936 lbs net---you can do the math on what a pallet might sell for
For day use, I tease off pieces with a heat gun. Sometimes, to cut to the chase, I get out the sawzall ----that reciprocating blade goes through the block like butter but man oh man, does the squid dust ever stink....
a commie pot guy would say...."yes, sure that stuff stinks---smells just like money..."
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Sharphooks
Well-Known Member
Squid of any species will be good bait as long as it was treated properly from the time it was caught to the time it was frozen at a plant. My guys will not touch California Loligo ("calamari") because years ago, the plants in California got in the habit of selling the good stuff to the food grade market and the scrapings off the plant floor they saved for the crab fishermen.
That caught up with them and now nobody will touch their Loligo for bait (even though good fresh California squid makes for good bait)
I semi-temper my squid (so the body is soft but the guts are firm) then cut up with scissors and put in the bait jar. Reason: if the guts slack out they liquefy and end up all over the deck of your boat
When buying squid at a bait shop: look for dryness or de-hydration. IF you see whiteness starting to show, or excessive frost, steer clear. For an example, I would not put the blocks on the top of this pallet in my pots:
That caught up with them and now nobody will touch their Loligo for bait (even though good fresh California squid makes for good bait)
I semi-temper my squid (so the body is soft but the guts are firm) then cut up with scissors and put in the bait jar. Reason: if the guts slack out they liquefy and end up all over the deck of your boat
When buying squid at a bait shop: look for dryness or de-hydration. IF you see whiteness starting to show, or excessive frost, steer clear. For an example, I would not put the blocks on the top of this pallet in my pots:
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Sharphooks
Well-Known Member
I have crumby pots---beat up with bent doors but they still seem to catch crab. Both have bait cages built in to the center of the pots so that's where I stick the cut-up squid---seems like a scent thing for sure (as opposed to a "picking" thing like with salmon frames)
BTW, I pulled two pots this morning baited with Argentine. I got 5 large keeper males which was not as spectacular as the pulls I had last December (triple limits in one pull) but we had a week-long First Nations opener last week and they pounded our grounds. And to make things worse, they've learned about squid.... there goes the neighborhood
I heard lots of people complaining about getting just females this morning. Just saw this on the BloodyDecks website about our local crab opener:
QUOTE
Dropped 10 pots at the North tip of Bainbridge and only got 6 keepers. Tons of large female crabs and red rocks. Not good.
UNQUOTE
That's where I dropped my two pots for 5 males----makes me appreciate what I got (and I suspect the guy who posted that was not using squid)
BTW, I pulled two pots this morning baited with Argentine. I got 5 large keeper males which was not as spectacular as the pulls I had last December (triple limits in one pull) but we had a week-long First Nations opener last week and they pounded our grounds. And to make things worse, they've learned about squid.... there goes the neighborhood
I heard lots of people complaining about getting just females this morning. Just saw this on the BloodyDecks website about our local crab opener:
QUOTE
Dropped 10 pots at the North tip of Bainbridge and only got 6 keepers. Tons of large female crabs and red rocks. Not good.
UNQUOTE
That's where I dropped my two pots for 5 males----makes me appreciate what I got (and I suspect the guy who posted that was not using squid)
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