deepest depth for crabbing

[the butcher]

whats is the deepest depth you've had consistent success with for crabbing... the typical depths are from 40-100ft but was curious if anyone has had good and consistent success going deep such as 200-250 ft etc...

 

[Hardy Guy]

Yes there are places where you can consistently catch crab at depth especially if they are deep to stay away from sea otters. Crab can change depths depending on the time of year and they often separate depths by sex so don't be afraid to experiment and go deep if nothing else is working.

 

[DuroBoat]

I tried the mud hole off Victoria last week at 240’ and one trap came up completely empty, the second trap had a few small males after a 2hr soak. I’m guessing my spot sucked but could be better in a different spot?

 

[Captain PartyMarty]

I have pulled plenty of the crab from 300ft

 

[Copper Moon]

I have tried as deep as 180 and had a little success.

 

[RiverBoy]

told this story on here before but a couple years ago we were prawning in knight inlet and pulling our prawn traps we had crab “ riders” on the outside. so we went and got our crab traps that were sucking big time and threw them down on some prawn lines. they came up loaded with big males. one was so full you couldn’t fit another crab inside. we were just under 300 feet

 

[Steplift]

I catch good crab in 250-300’ usually a mixed bag of tanner and dungies. Definitely bigger males in certain spots.

 

[Tom Mac]

My best spot is 190 feet, all ways bring my wife and daughter and get three limits, crab cakes and chowder for the next two days!

 

[Kasiks]

265 feet on the prawn trap more than a few times

 

[paguy]

My go to spot in the summer is 160' to 170'

 

[wolf]

When I commercial crabbed we had traps from 20 feet to 200 feet and every week the crabbing was different I never knew crab moved soo much . When you watch deadliest catch and they say the crab are on the move its true, one week you would get smalls and a few keepers next week less. Some weeks nothing but big males and hardly and smalls it really opened my eyes, one thing I can tell you crab definatly use what Id call runs , just like animals they tend to follow a certain path and holes and valleys ....

 

[Howzer]

... and going deeper is going to be more prevalent on the outside or northern waters as the sea otter populations increase.

 

[Teja]

Last week of December 2020 in 250 feet of water between Tent Island and Saltspring Island ... the picture is from one string of 2 Bauer prawn traps containing 46 small Dungeness total that were feasting on prawns ... 100 yards away our second string of 2 traps at a similar depth was loaded with prawns and no crabs.

 

[Bryan Allen]

Hummmm-- Is that a positive ID on the crabs?? from what I see, they could be graceful crabs ???

 

[grayclan]

250 to 350 at times when shallow doesn’t work. Last couple of years nothing works in the Sechelt Inlet. Commercial or poachers still hitting it but not much for the rest. Pretty much gave up. Hope it’s just a cycle .

 

[Teja]

Hummmm-- Is that a positive ID on the crabs?? from what I see, they could be graceful crabs ???

Yes, a forum member wiser than I informed me yesterday of that offline also. Topside had the color of a dungeness and the bottom side a different shape ... a Graceful crab as you say, but the 46 crabs looked anything but graceful surrounded by the carcasses of my prawns ... the buggers had a feast. P.S. thanks for catching my error.

 

[bryce]

Yes, a forum member wiser than I informed me yesterday of that offline also. Topside had the color of a dungeness and the bottom side a different shape ... a Graceful crab as you say, but the 46 crabs looked anything but graceful surrounded by the carcasses of my prawns ... the buggers had a feast. P.S. thanks for catching my error.

Are these the invasive ones your supposed to keep

 

[ILHG]

Yes, a forum member wiser than I informed me yesterday of that offline also. Topside had the color of a dungeness and the bottom side a different shape ... a Graceful crab as you say, but the 46 crabs looked anything but graceful surrounded by the carcasses of my prawns ... the buggers had a feast. P.S. thanks for catching my error.

Same thing happened to me. Until someone showed me I never would gave guessed.

I have had the same experience were traps are packed with crabs and prawn carcasses. All the prawns where huge to. But 50yrd over not a single crab and only a few jumbos.

 

[Dogbreath]

Are these the invasive ones your supposed to keep

No those are Green Crabs.