How To Crab From A Kayak Video

Hello Everyone,

I had a great day out at PC on Sunday and met several kayakers out on the water.  It was my first trip into the salt this year, and I decided to do an updated how-to tutorial video on crabbing from a kayak, as I know many people want to try this but may be unsure of how to do it safely.  It's not a difficult activity, it's just a process, but usually exceptionally rewarding this time of year.

This video may give you a few tips and tricks on how to do it safely, and BTW, the crabbing was awesome and the crabs were huge!!

I will also be uploading rockfishing and razor clamming videos soon, as the rockfish were big today as well.  Personal best on China and Copper Rocks.

I hope you enjoy the video.

Thanks for the video! I am curious, do most people just have a burner and pot and boil on shore or is there commercial outfit to boil crab in PC or Depoe if you dont have a larger burner?

I have a burner and pot at home, and keep the crabs on ice until I get home.  At the Rental house at PC this weekend, I brought a shallow crab pot and put it on the BBQ.  Took a while to boil but worked much better than dragging  the burner, propane, etc.  If you clean the crabs before you cook them, you can get more in a smaller pot, and also the meat is much cleaner and better tasting than boiling them whole.  Just my personal preference.

I was under the impression that transporting live crabs home was a no-go in oregon?

That may be the case if you have them in a livewell or something like that, trying to keep them alive.  I keep mine in the cooler on ice, not in water.  I've even been pulled over by a State Trooper coming out of Tillamook, for allegedly speeding, and he asked to inspect my catch, even gauged my live crabs in the cooler.  He let me go with a warning and didn't say anything about the crabs other than, "looks like you had a fun day".

I was under the impression that transporting live crabs home was a no-go in oregon?

nope.  it is unlawful to 'transport live fish into, within, or out of this state; hold any live fish in the waters of the state' but that does not apply to Invertebrate Species (clams and crabs for example).  I transport my crabs in an old cooler with a 12V aerator and boy are they fired up when I get them home and start whacking them...

Good to know!

I also Crab off of my jackson kayak. Its so satisfying!

Thanks for posting - this was a great video.  Even though the processes involved are simple, something as easy as 'bringing in the rope' can be dangerous at sea if not done correctly...thanks for the reminders before I try my first go at kayak crabbing this summer.  Cheers!

Thanks for the video! I am curious, do most people just have a burner and pot and boil on shore or is there commercial outfit to boil crab in PC or Depoe if you dont have a larger burner?

My garbage day is Friday. I usually fish Saturday.  I clean my crab at the coast.  They come home in halves and get steamed with some Slap Ya Mama when I get them home. That way my yard doesn't stink like a fishing pier by the next Friday.

I use the Insayn cleaning method if you are not familiar with it.  I am not a crab butter guy so they do not need to be whole for me to enjoy. I like my butter to come from cow teets. That is somehow less gross to me. I do not know why, because it is weird when you think about it, but I digress.

I'm with Craig on this. Crab "butter"...isn't. Crack 'em, rinse 'em, ice 'em for the trip.

I also deal with the issue of fish/clam guts by cleaning out at the coast whenever possible. When not, I put the nasty bits in ziplock bags and toss in the garage freezer (I highly endorse having a stand-alone freezer if you have the space). Then the night before garbage collection you put the bag of frozen ick in the garbage. Less stink and a shorter window for attracting scavengers (it doesn't smell as much when frozen and it is only in your can a short while).

Thanks for the video! I am curious, do most people just have a burner and pot and boil on shore or is there commercial outfit to boil crab in PC or Depoe if you dont have a larger burner?

My garbage day is Friday. I usually fish Saturday.  I clean my crab at the coast.  They come home in halves and get steamed with some Slap Ya Mama when I get them home. That way my yard doesn't stink like a fishing pier by the next Friday.

I use the Insayn cleaning method if you are not familiar with it.  I am not a crab butter guy so they do not need to be whole for me to enjoy. I like my butter to come from cow teets. That is somehow less gross to me. I do not know why, because it is weird when you think about it, but I digress.

Thats the same method for cleaning that I use, taught to me by the same person...

You wait to cook them until you get home? I thought it was best to cook right after killing to avoid any spoilage/decomposition?

I'm with Craig on this. Crab "butter"...isn't. Crack 'em, rinse 'em, ice 'em for the trip.

(I highly endorse having a stand-alone freezer if you have the space)

Buying an upright freezer may currently not be an option.

I have a 20 cubic foot upright freezer in my garage which is full of frozen fish, game meat, and produce.  I went out to get some fish for dinner last night, and was disturbed to discover that the temperature of the freezer was about 33 degrees, and the fish in the top of the freezer were defrosting.  The freezer has mostly stopped working.  It's a good thing I discovered the problem when I did, or I could have lost a lot of fish and meat. I was able to cram everything from the upright freezer into the freezer in the fridge in our kitchen and an ARB 80 quart 12 volt/120 volt portable freezer. I've scheduled a maintenance call for two days from now.  I decided to figure out what my options are if my upright freezer can't be repaired.  I checked the upright freezer ratings in Consumer Reports, and many of the freezers had a note that said they were no longer being manufactured.  So I started calling around town to find out what freezers are available locally, and was told that nobody has any upright freezers, because for some reason manufacturers have stopped producing them, and they may not start up again until the end of the summer.  Oops.  So I really hope that my freezer can be repaired.

Great video.  I purchased a jackson fd and plan on going out next week up in Bellingham when they open...