Crab Traps
I do not think you can do better than the Danielson FTC Folding Crab Trap. It is constructed of vinyl-coated steel wire, measures 24"x24"x13", has 4 entrance doors, 2 escape rings for small crabs, and a rot-away escape hatch for lost traps. Many states require escape rings and rot-away escape hatches.
Since the traps collapse and lay flat using a rigid bait box defeats the folding advantage. Bait should be placed in a mesh plastic bait pouch.
Here is a Danielson trap erect. Practice collapsing and erecting the trap in your living room before taking it out on the water. In some cases the trap needs adjustment with a heavy pair of pliers to operate smoothly.
Here is a Danielson trap collapsed.
Here is a plastic mesh bait pouch.
Here are the collapsed traps secured to the kayak.
We have the trap and the bait pouch, and we can carry the traps on the yak. Now we need bait and a way to deploy and retrieve the traps. The gear used here to organize the lines is adapted from the BSteves Anchor system (of NWKA fame). The heart of the line management is a cheap plastic extension cord winder available at many hardware stores.
Bait
There is an old wives tale which says crab bait should be skanky - the skankier the better. BULL! Crabs like fresh bait. Use the freshest bait you can find. The most common crab bait is fish and chicken. I prefer frozen chicken legs. They are cheap, plentiful, portable, clean, and environmentally friendly. I buy the cheapest I can find in the grocery store, freeze them, and they go straight from the freezer into the bait pouch. One or two legs per bait pouch. Generally I bait my pouches before I ever leave the house as my usual launch location is less than a mile from home.You may have heard canned cat food (a fish flavor) works well as a bait. It does. Just stab a dozen holes in the top of the can with your water knife - you do have a water knife?. I've experimented and found no discernable difference between chicken legs and cat food. However, what to do with the can when you are retrieving your gear? A chicken bone or fish carcass can just be tossed overboard. A rank, stinky cat food can needs to be retrieved and disposed of on land. Cat food is for cats - and maybe dry boats.
If you are in a pinch for bait, consider flounder if you have them in your area. A jig, some Berkley GULP! Saltwater curly tails and you have crab bait, even if you have to handline. Keep the small ones, cut into pieces suitable for your bait pouch, and freeze.
Line Management
Above is an orange extension cord winder. You can find these for about $6. You hold it from the center and the reel rotates around the "handle". Since I carry two traps I wind two 100' lengths of line on the winder. There are 4 nubbins on one side of the winder reel that allows the reel to stand up on a surface. CUT THOSE SUCKERS OFF and file smooth. They will snag the line as it is being deployed or rewound.
My personal convention is the "down" ends have leash snaps and the "up" ends have loops. The down end of the mainline has a brass leash snap to connect to the link on the trap harness. About 10' from the other end is a weight loop, and at the surface end is another simple loop. An 8 ounce ball with attached loop is looped through the weight loop on the main line to keep extra line submerged and clear of passing boats. I also carry two 25' line extensions for when I want to deploy in deeper water. They are just like the mainline only shorter, leash snap on one end and loop on the other.
By law in Washington state a crab float must be red/white and have your name and address printed on the float. Here is a float with a short length of line ending with a leash snap. Some folks use a flag on a rod for increased visibility - not a bad idea I have not yet incorporated but will.
To load the mainline on the reel just loop the leash snap around the spindle and snap to the line, then wind evenly onto the reel. The second mainline is snapped to the loop on the first mainline and wound evenly on the reel. Wrap your extension lines neatly and securely for stowage on the boat or PFD.
The traps need to be harnessed so they fall and retrieve upright and flat. There are many ways to rig a harness, and here is mine. I've used two lengths of line. Lay them side by side and tie a loop in the center. Each of the 4 ends is tied to the trap with a simple bowline knot. Avoid tying the line to the rot-away escape hatch. To the loop I have attached a stainless steel removable link.
Here is the crab rigged kayak, an Ocean Kayak Trident 13 Angler. The traps are collapsed and stowed on the PVC 'H' at the rear. The line and winder is stuffed just behind the seat and secured by a bungee. The floats are stuffed whereever because if they fall overboard they are easily retrieved.
On the water
Deployment
We have arrived at the crab grounds where we want to deploy a trap. The depth is at least 20' less than your main line length. Be careful to take future tide and wave/swell height into account. And not just today's tide, but the tides for the next few days. There are times when water conditions make it impossible to retrieve your gear. There are times when the wave and/or swell action can walk your trap along the bottom - say bye-bye. And yes, I have lost traps this way.At your location, the first thing to do is attach the float to the trap. This will likely not keep the trap from sinking but should give you some time to snag the float or line should it go overboard - yes, again, the voice of experience. Generally, I bait and erect the first trap on the beach. However, for a collapsed trap I lift it off the securement and swing it onto my lap and erect it, or I swing around, straddle the yak facing backward and erect the trap. The rougher the conditions the more likely I am to swing around backwards. Now the mainline is attached, the buoy removed, the trap swung overboard, and dropped. Holding the winder by the center handle, the falling trap simply pulls the mainline off the winder. When the weight loop is free, the weight is attached, and tossed overboard. When the mainline end loop is free the float is attached and thrown overboard. Immediately mark the location on your GPS.
Retrieval
I highly recommend leather gloves for retrieval and crab handling. It still hurts like hell to have one latch onto a finger, but generally the gloves prevent torn flesh. Also, pulling up a full trap on thin line from a 100' or more can be hard on the hands. Depending on your physicality, sitting sideways on the boat may be easier than sitting facing forward. Whatever works best for you. I tend to sit with one leg in the water. Let's retrieve a trap.Use your GPS to locate your float. Remember tides can pull your line to the other side from where you deployed, and strong currents can drag traps some ways. Once located check that it is your float. You will want to pull the trap from the upwind/upcurrent side of the yak - explanation shortly. Snag the float and pull it on board. Now throw the float over the other side of the yak. Now start hauling in line. Either collect the line in the boat and periodically toss a few coils over the other side or pull the line in such a way as to drop it on the other side in one motion. Which may depend on your body type. The combined wind/current will pull the float away from the yak and you will be trailing a line 100-125' long on the other side of the yak. If you are in a congested area this may not be safe. Generally responsible boaters give kayaks a wide berth, but occasionally there are exceptions. Use your judgement. This method of retrieval line management is courtesy of a Hobie yakker, Zee, also of NWKA fame. When the trap is at the surface grab it and swing it aboard. I usually place it over the live well where it is stowed for transport. Carefully drop or lift the side of the trap toward you and sort your catch. Keep the keepers and toss the others overboard. Rebait if redeploying and check that you have not drifted into deeper water than your main line can handle. Yes, that is the voice of experience. Drop it back down on the same side you pulled it up. You want the trap to drop straight down. If you drop it off the side where all your line is trailing it will swing to the bottom more like a pendulum, striking the bottom at an angle. This can damage your trap. The trap should hit bottom before the float reaches your kayak. If not, PULL IT BACK UP and relocate as you have drifted into deeper water.
Some folks use a bucket for line management, pulling in the line and collecting it in a bucket or tray in their lap, much like some fly fishermen use for line management. This method works well. I tried it a few times, but I have no use for a bucket or tray other than collecting line, and then you need to stow and carry around the bucket. I already have enough shit on the boat.
At some point you will retrieve the traps and bring them back to land. Collapsing the traps for stowage is the reverse of erection, and rather than redeploying the line simply wind it back onto the reel. Remove the line weight when encountered.
Back on Land
Rinse everything with fresh water including the lines and boat. Remove your line extensions and secure. Clean the sea salad off the traps. Stow everything neatly.Cooking & Cleaning Dungeness & Rock Crab
Crabs will live a long time out of the salt water, but heat and dryness will do them in. Generally, the first thing I do after getting home, even before starting to rinse and clean gear, is put the crabs in a container with a bit of fresh water and refrigerate. The water probably tastes horrible to them, but it keeps their gills wet, and slows down their metabolism. Sometimes I'll throw in some salt. I have kept them alive this way over a day, but I don't know their limit.Some people steam, but I boil my crabs. Bring enough salted water on high in a big enough pot to a vigorous rolling boil. Some people throw in Rex Crab Boil and other seasonings. The cold crabs are sedate enough for safe bare-handed handling, but DO NOT dawdle when holding them in the steam before dropping them into the water. They can wake up surprising fast when they feel the steam heat. An amazing thing happens immediately after dropping them in the water, their shells turn bright red in a wave of color starting at the edges and moving into the center. It's all over in just a few seconds. I let the water return to a boil and boil for 30 minutes. Others suggest less time. Immediately remove and rinse in cold water. Let them cool a bit until they are comfortable to handle, then clean.
Now the icky, educational part, cleaning. Remember, these are big crabs, the Washington State minimum size limit is 6-1/4" across the widest part of the shell. I've seen crabs 8" and 10" across! These ain't no tiny, wimpy East Coast, metrosexual Blue Crabs! These be manly crabs! I have found no better description of cleaning a mighty dungeness Crab than this description from Instructables.
Some comments on the cleaning description from Instructibles. The yellow-greenish goo is coagulated hemolymph, blood, and it is commonly called "crab butter". Some consider this a delicacy and there are recipes around which use it. Save the crab butter if you are so inclined. I don't, but then, I don't suck the heads of mudbugs either.