Free crab bait

Well I know most of you probably have plenty already, but just in case...

With the crabbing heating up soon in the coastal bays, if you need crab bait please take some out of my bait freezer. I have bags of rockfish carcs I'll gladly give to anyone who will use them. Even powerboaters! 

I live in the Gladstone area, SE of Portland, not far off I-205. PM me if interested.

Or make soup with some of those carcs.   

They work well as fertilizer in a garden as well.

Garden season is over at my house, and we have resident raccoons who would probably dig it all up anyway. If not them, then the possums or skunks...

Garden season is over at my house, and we have resident raccoons who would probably dig it all up anyway. If not them, then the possums or skunks...

If you have a Ninja Blender, make a nice liquid puree out of the carcs and water then refreeze in Ziplocks. 

Come spring, you could thaw out as many as needed when you are ready to mix some into your garden. 

Or take them out next year on your first fishing trip and pop them out of the bags and feed the little ocean critters with a block of frozen fishness.

Next year try filleting all of your fish at the fish cleaning station and leave all the carcs there. 
Unless you bake/fry the whole fish then I could see the need to bring the whole fish home.
 
Come to think of it, I can't remember the last time I had fish carcasses at my house.   

Next year try filleting all of your fish at the fish cleaning station and leave all the carcs there. 
Unless you bake/fry the whole fish then I could see the need to bring the whole fish home.
 
Come to think of it, I can't remember the last time I had fish carcasses at my house.   

I don't like wasting the carcasses; that's the whole point, otherwise I'd just throw them away. I like to get as much of what's left back to the sea as possible, one way or another. I don't look down on anyone else for how they handle their stuff, but for me it's just the right thing to do when at all possible. If it were legal to just dump the carcs back in the ocean I would probably do that once I had a cache of crab bait.

Yeah, there is a ton of meat in the collars and head of most of the bottom fish that unfortunately goes to waste. 

I see your dilemma with the "Dispose of a dead animal (fish) carcasses, or parts thereof, in Oregon waters" issue.  I believe it was intended to keep the stink and mess in check near boat ramps and docks, and less of an issue putting carcass back in the ocean where it belongs.   But words is words and LEO's can interpret it any way they like, so it seems. 

I'm sure the garbage man loves it when he has to pick up a gut wrenching garbage can from the street side.

I'm sure the garbage man loves it when he has to pick up a gut wrenching garbage can from the street side.
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17 years packing trash and I can tell you without a doubt that this is a correct statement and extra charges are usually at the discretion of the guy that has to smell said can. What ever you do keep that guy happy. 

Every charter boat at Depoe Bay dumps carks .... And besides rockfish is a poor choice for crab bait. Oily fish works much better.

Here's a strategy for disposing of fish carcasses: I was at a gas station when a motor boater pulled in to fill up his vehicle.  He parked by the last set of pumps at the end and started filling up.  Then he went over to the side of his vehicle away from the cash registers, pulled a big bag of fish carcasses and guts out of a cooler, and dumped them in a trash can which was shielded from the cash registers by his vehicle.  He saw me watching him, gave me an evil grin, and boogied out of there, leaving an unpleasant surprise for whoever emptied the trash can.

Because a bag of fish guts can get pretty nasty smelling if it sits in a garbage can for a couple of days in warm weather, I put fish carcasses and guts in my freezer until garbage day.  Then I put them in my garbage can out at the curb, and hope that the garbage truck gets there before the bag thaws.

Every charter boat at Depoe Bay dumps carks .... And besides rockfish is a poor choice for crab bait. Oily fish works much better.

I see I have awaken "he who has strong opinions." rockfish carcs make great crab bait; the proof's in the puddin'. I do just fine with 'em. I prefer shad, but I've had no problem generating good catch ratios with rockfish.

The real secret is what you mix your fish carcs with.

Every charter boat at Depoe Bay dumps carks .... And besides rockfish is a poor choice for crab bait. Oily fish works much better.

I see I have awaken "he who has strong opinions." rockfish carcs make great crab bait; the proof's in the puddin'. I do just fine with 'em. I prefer shad, but I've had no problem generating good catch ratios with rockfish.

The real secret is what you mix your fish carcs with.

I've done fine on rockfish carcasses in the past, but never with a Cabby head.   

Every charter boat at Depoe Bay dumps carks .... And besides rockfish is a poor choice for crab bait. Oily fish works much better.

I see I have awaken "he who has strong opinions." rockfish carcs make great crab bait; the proof's in the puddin'. I do just fine with 'em. I prefer shad, but I've had no problem generating good catch ratios with rockfish.

The real secret is what you mix your fish carcs with.

Unless you are getting really into crabbing and going for a long soak there is no need to blend your bait. If your secret is mixing other stuff with your rockfish try just omitting the rockfish. You just need bait that milks and draws crab into the trap. You don't have to feed them once they are caught.

Every charter boat at Depoe Bay dumps carks .... And besides rockfish is a poor choice for crab bait. Oily fish works much better.

I see I have awaken "he who has strong opinions." rockfish carcs make great crab bait; the proof's in the puddin'. I do just fine with 'em. I prefer shad, but I've had no problem generating good catch ratios with rockfish.

The real secret is what you mix your fish carcs with.

Unless you are getting really into crabbing and going for a long soak there is no need to blend your bait. If your secret is mixing other stuff with your rockfish try just omitting the rockfish. You just need bait that milks and draws crab into the trap. You don't have to feed them once they are caught.

I don't recall asking for your opinion... but thanks anyway. I'm glad you've found something that works for you. I've been crabbing for plenty long and compared baits in different traps. I know what works for me. Keep on truckin' little buddy.