2013 ORC Side Discussions

So as not to pollute the Official Announcement thread, I figured I'd start this one.  I'd like to bring my crab traps and get some dungies either for eating while I'm there or to take to my parent's afterwards in Eugene (I'll be doing some chainsaw work for them again this year). 

Are there good spots in the vicinity of Depoe Bay to drop crab traps?  Are the Puget Sound legal traps also legal for the OR coast?

Also, I've never tried to keep crabs alive for any longer than it took to get home and get some water boiling.  If I'm going to take some to my folks what's the best way to keep them alive?  Cooler with ocean water and some ice?  Maybe slosh it every so often to keep O2 in the water?  Do they need a rock fish carc or two to keep from wasting away?  Figure I'd need to keep them alive for around 24 hours.

Or would I be best off to go ahead and kill and cook them at the campground and put the cooked crabs on ice until I get to Eugene?

   Hey Andrew,,

   Love the heading for this.   Side Discussions  cracked me up.

   Sorry I can't help with your crab questions.I'm sure someone else will.

Siletz Bay or Newport Bay.  July typically isn't a great month for Dungies.  There's no R in the name.

If you do get some, you'd be best off cooking them at camp.  They're hard to keep alive without a bubbler.

-Spot-

Crab are pretty hardy critters. The best way to keep them alive is to keep them cold and damp. A layer of wet newspaper and then a layer of ice works great. Just don't let them get submerged in fresh water. You can also wrap each crab individually and dunk them in seawater. Then put in the cooler. Extra ice will help here too.
If they do die just clean them as soon as you can and keep the halves on ice.
Cooked crab will last a week but the flavor goes down hill everyday.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Siletz Bay or Newport Bay.  July typically isn't a great month for Dungies.  There's no R in the name.

If you do get some, you'd be best off cooking them at camp.  They're hard to keep alive without a bubbler.

-Spot-

Looks like battery powered bubblers can be had for $10-15.  Maybe less if I look harder.  I figure 1 daily limit would probably result in a small amount of leftovers even with both my parents, my wife and kids, and MIL and her hubby all eating them.  If I can keep them alive I'd have 3 days to catch that many.

Crab are pretty hardy critters. The best way to keep them alive is to keep them cold and damp. A layer of wet newspaper and then a layer of ice works great. Just don't let them get submerged in fresh water. You can also wrap each crab individually and dunk them in seawater. Then put in the cooler. Extra ice will help here too.
If they do die just clean them as soon as you can and keep the halves on ice.
Cooked crab will last a week but the flavor goes down hill everyday.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Another good option if I don't go the bubbler route, especially if I can get close to a limit on that Saturday (drop the pots that Friday night with LOTS of bait, pick them up after weigh-in of whatever I'm lucky to hook).

Looks like OR allows you to use up to 3 pots, so all I'd need is an average of 4 keepers per pot to limit out.  Hopefully a nearly 24 hour soak would make that a reasonable hope.

I would recommend against a 10 dollar bubbler if you want to keep your crab live.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Siletz Bay or Newport Bay.  July typically isn't a great month for Dungies.  There's no R in the name.

If you do get some, you'd be best off cooking them at camp.  They're hard to keep alive without a bubbler.

-Spot-

For Siletz Bay, which is probably what I'd choose as it's what I'd drive past getting from Chinook Bend to Depoe Bay anyway, would you recommend the inside or outside the breakwater areas?  Inside looks like I'd have to set at low tide just to ensure they stayed submerged, and not having crabbed river mouths before I'm not sure if they even come into there.  Looks like there's some potentiall decent terrain a few hundred yards off the beach there too.  Around 30-60' deep and sandy.

For 3 days of storage, I would do as Fungunnin suggests and wrap each one in sea water soaked burlap and kept on ice in a cooler.  Just put a few solid blocks in the bottom and keep the drain OPEN!  Do not remove the ice from their respective bags, just cut a few drain holes in the bags on the side that will rest on the bottom of the cooler.

Place each crab in the factory upright position on top of the ice. Keeping the ice in the bags will keep the burlap from soaking up fresh water as it melts off the ice block. Ice blocks will last a week in a good cooler.

If you don't want to go through this much trouble, I would suggest cleaning them right away and put the legs, claws and body parts in ziplock bags and over crushed ice with the cooler drain OPEN!  The crab will be best eaten that day, but will be fine 3 days later before you need to steam them.

For 3 days of storage, I would do as Fungunnin suggests and wrap each one in sea water soaked burlap and kept on ice in a cooler.  Just put a few solid blocks in the bottom and keep the drain OPEN!  Do not remove the ice from their respective bags, just cut a few drain holes in the bags on the side that will rest on the bottom of the cooler.

Place each crab in the factory upright position on top of the ice. Keeping the ice in the bags will keep the burlap from soaking up fresh water as it melts off the ice block. Ice blocks will last a week in a good cooler.

I think that sounds like the way to go.  Just need to find a source for burlap now.  Coffee roasters?? 

For those that have crabbed the Siletz Bay area, do you set your pots inside the bay, or out in the open ocean?  If inside the bay, would I have to do short soaks around high tide, or are there spots deep enough that are also productive enough to let them soak >12 hours?

I know you don't have a Fishermans Marine Supply up by you, but here in Portland they carry burlap sacks sometimes for $2.50 I believe. Maybe some sporting goods stores like that will have them? I would be willing to bet Coastal Farm and Ranch might as well. Just some thoughts.

Or would I be best off to go ahead and kill and cook them at the campground and put the cooked crabs on ice until I get to Eugene?

Had good luck with this approach in the past.  Clean and cook the crabs in camp, then on ice for those that we take home.  Always good for up to a week (chilled in the fridge once home) - never kept enough to last longer than that.

I have a propane "turkey boiler" that works well as a camp crab cooker.  Can plan to bring that to ORC.

-Sam

What qualifies as a signalling device?  Would it be recommended to have a VHF radio before doing anything on the salt? 

Do people kind of cluster together on an event like this so there would be buddy boats?

I have no experience in my kayak on saltwater but do a fair amount of power boating, just wondering how to get some kayak-salt experience?  And how do you know if the day of the ORC is going to be a reasonable day to cross the bar?  That just sounds scary to me...but i'm a noob.

What qualifies as a signalling device?

Most use an air horn.

Would it be recommended to have a VHF radio before doing anything on the salt? 

I would.

Do people kind of cluster together on an event like this so there would be buddy boats?

People tend to go out in groups of 2-4.  And they space them out a little to let boats get out in between, if you see a boat waiting.  We try to be respectful of the boats.  No need to make them wait for slower kayakers to shoot the hole.

I have no experience in my kayak on saltwater but do a fair amount of power boating, just wondering how to get some kayak-salt experience?  And how do you know if the day of the ORC is going to be a reasonable day to cross the bar?  That just sounds scary to me...but i'm a noob.

There will be plenty of advise from the old salts the night before at camp and the morning of at the launch.

-Allen

I have no experience in my kayak on saltwater but do a fair amount of power boating, just wondering how to get some kayak-salt experience? 

Next month (June 18th 7pm) Next Adventure and NWKA will be hosting a kayak bottomfishing clinic as part of our "Kayak Fishery of the Month" series.   We can answer all your questions about safety, equipment, tackle, tactics, etc..  then.

If we get a good weather window the following weekend we might even be able to help you get a bit of kayak-salt experience before ORC.   

http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=10746

I have a propane "turkey boiler" that works well as a camp crab cooker.  Can plan to bring that to ORC.

-Sam

Probably not a bad idea to bring that.  I'm figuring on buying one for myself but there may be uses for it beyond cooking some crab.  Anyway, if I catch a bunch of crab, after setting aside enough for my folks, the rest will get cooked there at Chinook Bend.  Any more than 2 extras (about enough for me for dinner) and I'll be offering them to anyone that is nearby.