Crabbing On The Oregon Coast
Crabbing is a lot of fun and can be very rewarding if you wait out the little buggers. Sometimes they just don’t want to cooperate with you.
Dungeness crab is one of the best that you can eat. Just take it fresh and dip it in melted butter and some garlic for season and you will not believe the taste. It is finger licking good!
The peak of the harvest is December through April. They are readily available at supermarkets and specialty seafood markets all along the coast and elsewhere in Oregon. If you are lucky enough to try this sport, the winter and spring months are the best time. We love to catch them on some of the docks in Florence and Lincoln City.
Lincoln City has become know as the "Crab Capital of the World" with the largest fishing fleet on the Oregon Coast. You can catch them off the docks in Newport or in the bay. If you don’t have a boat or pots you can rent both items at different places on the dock.
Equipment
You can have the most fun with a Crab Hawk. You can use your fishing pole and reel. The first time we saw these in action we couldn’t believe it. They sure got us hooked! You can cast out into the deeper water, where the BIG ONES lay!
It is not uncommon to cast out over 125 feet. You can fish along the shoreline better than with rings and pots or even from a boat. Just watch for the action on your rod tip that lets you know that something is in your Hawk.
They are so much more fun then the big pots which are very hard to throw out. They are available all along the coast at tackle shops. You can use them anywhere on the west coast and the east coast and they are also great for catching lobster.
If you would like to find out more about these just go to http://www.crabhawk.com/ and they are really quite reasonable at around $20.00.
Shellfish License
One question I get is do you need a license for catching crab in Oregon? The answer is yes. Any person 14 years of age or older is required to get a shellfish license.
The cost for a license:
- ANNUAL RESIDENT: $6.50
- ANNUAL NONRESIDENT: $16.50
- THREE DAY NONRESIDENT: $9.00
You can purchase your license at any participating marinas and most tackle shops. We get ours from Bi Mart in their tackle department. You can also get more information at the Oregon Fish and Wildlife web site.
Check with Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife for regulations and limits.
You can go to their web site for all the information you want.
Oregon Fish and Wildlife Web site
If you are ready to try some great recipes then lets go! Here are a few recipes that I love and some that people have sent in to me.
Cooking Your Crab
They are very easy to prepare and can be served many ways. All you need to do to cook them is place them live in boiling salted water and cook for 18-20 minutes after the water returns to a boil. When the they cooked the shell will turn a bright orange. Some people will put some spices in the boiling water to give it extra flavor. Immerse in cold water to cool before you clean them.
The meat is delicious served chilled in a Crab Louis or cocktail style as a appetizer.
The meat is also great served with melted butter or special dipping sauces. You can use the meat with pasta, in a casserole and also in seafood soups.
Cookbooks
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