Crab bait

Sitkaspruce

Sitkaspruce

Well-Known Member
So we dropped a couple of crab traps the other day in some new waters. One was baited with a salmon head and the other with a hali head. The salmon head had 7 crabs and the hali head had a big fat ZERO.

Are hali heads crappy crab bait or was it just bad luck. They were about 50 m away from each other and in 10' of different depth.

Cheers

SS

Fishing001.jpg
 
HiYa Sitka,

I've always found hali frames (yes, head included) to be about the best producing crab bait. At least in the waters I fish on the WCVI. Second best, chicken (backs are cheap). Don't often use salmon, either frames or heads. Works, but 1) the hali seems to work better in the long run, and 2) the bloody sea lions won't rip your trap apart to get at the hali, whereas they WILL with salmon.

Cheers & good Luck Crabbin'!
Nog
 
I talked with Gus who was a commercial crabber in Port Renfrew, Sooke, and other places. He said the bait depends on the area. In PR the crab are used to lots of salmon washing out of the rivers and prefer it. I tried halibut there and had 5 to 1 better catch on salmon heads/guts. The question I guess is why crabs would ever know about halibut - but in some areas like SE Alaska, it is the preferred bait.
 
I don't think it was the bait, more likely the location of the trap. Last week I pulled two traps both baited with the same (salmon) both traps were identical and both in the same depth just 100ft apart. One had 8 large male dungeness the other had none, completely empty.
 
Hey Ken-- dont tell anybody, but I have found human feet in Reboks are the best. Second is feet in a Nike! Now you know I wouldnt sh## you! :D I think it is the "eau de toejam" that makes the difference!!!




20ft Alumaweld Intruder
 
A friend and commercial crabber, runs 200 pots...... he says clams are best second to none
 
I like the idea of clams but I'm thinking it would take more than your limit of clams to decently bait out four traps and if you had more than your limit of clams on board shucked or unshucked and got a visit from the boys.....
 
That would,nt be the first clam I ever saw catch crabs!:D

C-Ballz
 
Clams are the best followed by squid but both are only good for long (24-48 hr soaks) when used in bait cups as in commercial applications.

For short soaks of a couple hours, chicken and oily fish is the best.
 
I saw a commercial crabber using geoducks (frozen in boxes) as bait on the Sunshine Coast quite a few years ago.

I knew what he was using because he would throw the empty boxes overboard. :(

I use salmon heads/frames and it works well for me... I've also used other types of fish and they work too. I tried turkey once and didn't catch anything.
 
I talked with an old guy...long time fisher, crabber...whatever it was he did it, and he said that hali was not a good bait usually as hali will eat crabs...not sure but that was his take.

getbent
 
Been crabbing alot, the last 2 weeks, out of Comox harbour. Salmon has worked the best by far for bait. We've used hali carcasses, herring and chicken. Pots with salmon win hands down.

"It all starts with fur and feathers"
 
Hey Gypseas, that is just down right nasty, unless you want empty traps which are easier to haul up.....:D I Zap Strap two salmon heads to the top of the trap and have had as many as 13 in on trap. I don't use hali heads as they take up too much room in the trap...:( Hey Cuba Libre, you would of needed one heck of a big trap for your hali head.....:D:D SS

seaswirlstiper.jpg
 
Well most fish stores sell or give you salmon heads?

Living the dream
 
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