Crabbing at Depoe Bay

Crabbing … Depoe Bay … April Crab Feed … Whale Watching …. Free Crabbing Clinic …. Crab Traps for Rent

You don’t have a lot of money? No problem. You do not need a lot of money or preparation in order to go crabbing in Lincoln City. It is a great excursion for individuals and families.

New to Crabbing? …. Free Crab Clinic … CHICK HERE

Private Crab Clinic Available by Appointment 7 days a week & Crab cooking …

The Crab Mentor will show you his favorite Crab location that does require a dock, pier, or dock. He will spend 30 minutes showing you how to catch Crab, catch Crab, explain the Oregon Crab laws and everything about Crabbing for $20.    

Call 541-765-2109 for an appointment.  Your traps, rental traps, or you can purchase the traps from the mentor; it is all the same to the Guide.

Where can you Cook Crab?  …. We help you fix your dinner

We provide the kitchen equipment to cook Crab and show you how to clean & cook the Crab…. ready to eat…. $2.50/crab

Three (3) type of Crab traps for rent

Danielson Crab Trap….. is a “SOAKER” type of Crab Trap. Meaning you pull the trap after it has soaked for an hour or so.  It is 2 ft by 2 ft by 1 ft.  Danielson works by using the  Crab’s instincts to trap itself. It lures the Crab with bait bag into the large cage through strategically placed openings that they can enter but cannot escape.

The type of Crab caught depends on the kind of bottom of the Bay. Rock Crab like bays with a rocky bottom. Dungeness Crab likes sandy bay bottoms with ell grass. If the Bay has a rocky and sandy bottom; thus, you will catch Rock and Dungeness Crab.

The Soaker-type Crab Traps are typically used from docks, piers, and boats.

Ring Crab Trap … The concept is straightforward: bait the crabs into the ring and “pull” the trap up when you think the crabs are inside of it. The absolute most straightforward crab ring is a two-ring crab net. You should pull the Crab Ring up quickly as the outer ring forms a wall so the Crab cannot escape. You will pull a Crab Ring up every 5 -10 minutes, depending on the crab activity.

Crab Trapper consists of two metal netted 24-inch sides. When lying flat, it takes sort of the shape of a 24-inch circle. It is the only Crab trap that can be used from the beach or shore and a dock, pier, or boat.

Crab Traps can be pickup at the Siletz River Location 82 Siletz Hwy South of Lincoln City for availability CHICK HERE

Rent Three Trap Option Set of (3) Crab Traps, a bucket, and a crab gauge @$50/set.  With Club Discount $40/set. Can make reservations online.  Reservations are No Deposit or Obligation Online at CLICK HERE  Crab Traps can be pick-up 8 AM – Dark with reservations.

Rent One Trap Option Set of  (1) Crab Traps, a bucket, and a crab gauge @$25/set  With Club Discount $20/set. Can make reservations online.  Reservations are No Deposit or Obligation Online at CLICK HERE  Crab Traps can be pick-up 8 AM – Dark with reservations.

PURCHASE Three Trap Option  CLICK HERE Three (3) Crab Trappers, a bucket, and crab gauge @$125/set. With Club Discount $100

PURCHASE Three Trap Option  CLICK HERE One (1) Crab Trapper, a bucket, and a crab gauge @$50. With Club Discount $40.  The office sales & reservation staff is only available to ask questions and sales from noon – 9 PM… 541-765-2109

Crab License … must-have.  Available at our Siletz River Location. Instate @$10/year….  Out of State @$19/3 days.

Crab Bait not provided … we recommend you buy raw dark meat chicken for bait, seals do not like chicken, but crab do.

Rent Kayaks, Crab & Fishing Boats. Quad Kayaks and Crab Cats

We project that normal rental of Motor Boats, Fishing Boats, Crab Boats, Crab Cats may not be available until Memorial Day …Monday, May 31, 2021.

If you want to reserved a boat after that date, please complete the no deposit/obligation form below. If possible, boats maybe available for rent before then.   Call 541-294-5064 for the latest daily status.

• Kayak Launches available 8 AM – 6 PM. The office reservations staff is available @ 541-765-2109 to ask questions from noon – 9 PM
• Reservations for Single and Tandem Kayaks are made on-line.  Reservations are No Deposit or Obligation On-Line at CLICK HERE 
• Reservations for Motor Boats, Fishing Boats, Crab Boats, or Crab -Cats are No Deposit or Obligation On-Line at CLICK HERE .… Reservations are processed after 9 PM.  If you make a reservation for today, make it on-line reservation, then call 541-294-5064 to ensure of your reservation.
• Launched depends on tides. Tide table CLICK HERE
• All kayaks will be disinfectant after every use.
• All life jackets will not be reused for 48 hours.

Location of Free Crabbing Clinic

Location of clinic will be in Lincoln City, Depoe Bay, or Newport.. The location may be changed week to week depending on the rains, tides, weather, and registration. Once you are registered, you will be given where the next clinic is located.

To Register online for Free Crab Clinic CLICK HERE

No Free Crab Clinics scheduled under June

Gloves if you are going to handle the Crab

Valid credit card info to be used if Crab Trap not returned

3 location to choose from… Lincoln City (Historic Taft) Depoe Bay or Newport

Crabbing in Lincoln City …. Siletz Bay .... CLICK HERE

Crabbing in Newport …. CLICK HERE

Most of the time, you will find Rock Crab in Depoe Bay as shown in the picture. There is a 24 limit regardless of size or sex. Crab season is year-round in Depoe Bay.  The crab is a saltwater creature. Beginning in September, crabs will tend to be more “filled out,” meaning there is a higher percentage of quality meat.

A whale cruising the Depoe Bay Harbor

How to Crab at Depoe Bay

Depoe Bay has the World’s smallest bay in the world and attracts thousands of visitors each year.

The Spouting Horn is next to Highway 101 will shoot a stream of water up to 40 ft in the air. It’s at times nicknamed a “blowhole,” but spouting horn is a more correct label. It’s the result of a fissure in the rocky ledges just below the sea wall at Depoe Bay, which funnels the heavy waves into a tinier and tinier space, eventually compressing the energy of the wave into such a small space it releases in an upward spout. Certain tidal conditions have to be met to create this effect – the waves have to be sufficiently large enough. This isn’t a problem during much of winter and spring, so you’ll find plenty of explosive spouting action during these times of the year. It fires into the air abruptly, sending sea water 20, maybe 40 feet high without warning. Looking like some white version of the Black Smoke Monster from LOST, its presence is dramatic, startling and awe-inspiring.

Depoe Bay is the only town on the Oregon coast with a “spouting horn” in its downtown. Most of the other spouting horns exist in places outside any city limits, and they are few and far between (there are two in upper Lane County near Yachats and two at different ends of Yachats – and that’s mostly it).

Depoe Bay’s location is ideal as it is just minutes from some of the most productive fishing for nearshore of deepwater complex rockfish species along the Oregon Coast. Anglers fishing out of Depoe Bay and Yaquina Bay have the highest catch ratio of rockfish per angler on the Oregon Coast according to statistical catch information compiled by the National Marine Fishery Service.

Depoe Bay Crabbing allows crabbing and fishing from the port docks from one half hour prior to sunrise and one half hour after sunset. Since Depoe Bay has a rocky entrance, more Rock Crab will be found, than Dungeness Crab. All the crabbing equipment must be removed from the docks during prohibited hours.

Lifejackets are required to be worn by children under 14 years of age when crabbing from the port docks but you must provide lifejackets for them. Lifejackets can be rented for http://www.SiletzRentals.com

Come and Go Traveler

You cannot Crab all the time, so the Traveler wants to give additional ideas for things, that as native Oregonian and a permanent local resident, likes to do in Depoe Bay. That is not to say they are the best or only things in Depoe Bay but are from the perspective of a permanent local resident.

Tidal Raves Restaurant – CLICK HERE This restaurant has wonderful big windows that provide views of the Pacific Ocean and the Whales. People drive out of their way to go to the “Tidal Raves” restaurant. It easy to find the restaurant because it is right on highway 101 and the parking lot will be full, and people are parking along the highway. Be sure to call EARLY for a reservation and ask for a window seat.

The seafood is wonderful, and they had a great selection. The prices were very reasonable. Our favorite dessert is breaded pudding with bourbon sauce.

Crabbing Clinic … Free online Registration

We teach a crabbing system developed by Bill Lackner of Newport has been teaching how to use this system in Siletz Bay since 2004.

The clinic provides Oregon’s crabbing regulations, harvest methods, location of the four (4) crabbing docks, and live demonstrations.

Crabbers are allowed to crab with up to three devices per license.  At the Clinic will be demos on how to crab from shore or a kayak. Crab Traps will be available to rent, purchase or bring your own traps for demo.

Crab Licenses .. Oregon State Resident = $10 … Three (3) Day Our of State =$19

YOU ONLY NEED ONE license PER THREE (3) CRAB TRAPS …

The clinic is in Lincoln City, Depoe Bay or Newport. The location will be changed depending on the rains, tides, weather, and registration.

The free clinic is about one hour.

To Register online CLICK HERE

Best Time to Crab

Any time is the time to Crab, but some or better than others.

“Slack water” also called “Slack Tide” (the times of peak high or low tide) are the best times to crab. During swift tidal exchanges crab often bury themselves, but at slack water, more crabs are walking around foraging, since they are less affected by tidal currents.

 The favorite time to harvest crab is the roughly the one-hour time slot on each side of the high tides for the day (one hour on each side equals a two-hour time slot). At this time the tide is moving the slowest, allowing the crabs, to roam around and look for food without needing to fight the current, but crab can be trapped any time of day.

The State of Oregon is offering residents and visitors the opportunity to explore and experience fishing, crabbing, clamming without the need for a license or tags on specific listed dates throughout the year.

2020 Free Fishing Days …

Nov 28 &29 …..

Crab Licenses 

• State Resident = $10
• Three (3) Day out of State = $19

YOU ONLY NEED ONE license PER THREE (3) CRAB TRAPS …

FREE Kid’s Crabbing Special

Everything a Kids ages 8, 9, 10, 11 needs the opportunity to Crab at no charge for 24 hours,.. The only restriction – One per family/season & valid Credit Card

Adult 24-hour Crab Trap package $40

• Three (3) Quick Pull crab traps, bait bag, float, and line
• One (1) Crab gauge
• One (1) Crab bucket
• Bait & License not included

Equipment that can be rented from Siletz Rentals CLICK HERE for:

• Crab Traps
• Kayak
• Crabbing
• Fishing
• Touring
• National Wildlife Refuge
• Guides
• Crab-Cats

Reservation Office Hours… noon – 9pm … 541-765-2109