Laws and Regulations

Check with your local Department of Wildlife Resources office to see if a license is required. Some states allow fishermen to use a small number of crab pots without a license. Others require a shellfish license at all times.

Many states also have laws regarding the size of crab you are allowed to keep. Also, some species of female crabs are not legal to keep. Check with your local bait shop or Department of Wildlife Resources office. Fines for keeping illegal crabs can be steep.

Crab Pots and Dip Nets

Crab pots can be the most effective technique on open water, especially if there are sea lions or seals that can steal bait. Use fish or fish carcasses, chicken or turkey. Shad, salmon or rockfish are popular baits on the West Coast.

Crab pots are lowered to the ocean floor with a rope attached to a buoy or float. They are allowed to sit for awhile, then hauled up. Do not place the pot in a place with a strong current.

From a dock or bridge, crab pots can be lowered and left for a longer amount of time. Check the pots twice a day for best results and largest harvest.

During calm weather, you may find some of the easiest crabbing at low tide in marshy areas. Troll slowly over areas with eel grass or other crab habitat and use a long-handled dip net to scoop crabs right into the boat. The same method may be used while wading through these areas at low tide and using a short-handled dip net.

Weather

The best crabbing occurs before the water becomes too cold. Once water temperatures fall below 55 degrees, crabs become more inactive and are not easily caught.

On the West Coast, crabbing is productive until as late as February. Once the winter rains hit, the salinity of the ocean dilutes and the crabs move farther out into saltier waters.

During the summer on the East Coast, take a dip net and try jetties, piers and seawalls right before the tide goes out. You also can fish off of docks with bait. Have a net handy to grab the crab as you pull it out of the water. Watch for those claws, they can pinch hard.

Salt Water Fishing Charters

If you’re tired of hotel and resort vacations, our salt water fishing charters may be for you. At Spirit Sport Fishing, we’re dedicated to providing a thoroughly enjoyable sea experience via our fully stocked boats and our USCG certified captains, which ensure that your trip is safe as well as fun. We have a number of different packages for our salt water fishing charters, with prices dependant on length of trip, amenities desired, and distance traveled. One of our most popular salt water fishing charters is our ¾ day trip to Catalina Island. Depending on the package you choose, we can supply water skiis and snorkels along with all the fishing gear you need to make the catch of your life. Along with the sheer beauty of the water, a great thing about the So Cal coast is all the different fish species that thrive in its depths. Halibut, rock cod, yellowfin tuna, crab, red snappers and much more can be fished on our salt water fishing charters, with certain species being more accessible depending on the season, time of day, etc…

Schedule a salt water fishing charter with us today and see for yourself why more and more people are turning towards Spirit Sport Fishing for adventurous and tranquil oceanic getaways!