A father's day trip to Poulsbo provided another excuse to get the kayak and crab pots back on the Sound. Kat, Helen, and Milo were good sports and played pit crew for this adventure. It was a beautiful, smooth water day and I decided to try splitting my attention between catching red rock and dungeness crabs.
Red Rocks:
Reds like to hang out near underwater structure (rock piles, marinas) and they are the body builders of the Puget Sound. If I lose a toe, its going to be because of their disproportionately large claws.
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| Its amazing Kat lets me out in public... You might also notice I picked up a dirty Grays Harbor habit and started sporting the limited edition "oily tuna" skoal can. |
Throwing the ring pot around the marina's pilings using salmon carcasses and a can of tuna was very successful and in under an hour the kayak's hull had six red rocks skittering too and fro. Converting last years scraps into sweet crab meat is a miracle that will never get old.
Dungeness Crabs:
These guys are more likely to be hanging out in the sand or eel grass and I think the legal sized ones tend to be in deeper water although I have no success on which to base this assertion. I am the master at catching a pot of crabs that are about 1/8" too small to bring home:
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| A rock sole in the foreground, similar to a flounder, very lost. Only one keeper dungeness in the pot but I didn't get pinched! |
The wind picked up and turned the pleasant little bay into a inhospitable place for me so it was time to beat a retreat and bring the bounty home:
Turns out if you catch this many, you need to invite friends over. Two dinners with crab as the main course and we still have work to do!
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| It helps me sleep soundly at night knowing that even if you live on your own island, you can still have your pizza delivered. |