Well now, if y’all ever find yourself wanderin’ round Astoria, Oregon, and you got a hankerin’ for some good ol’ crabs, you’re in the right place! This here spot on the coast is just full of ’em. The Dungeness crabs, they’re the most famous ones round these parts. They grow up real big and mighty tasty too. People come from all over just to get a bite of that sweet crab meat.
Now, crabbing here ain’t hard. All ya gotta do is get yourself a good spot down by the Columbia River, where the water’s nice and briny. It’s where the West’s biggest river meets the Pacific, so it’s just full of all sorts of critters in that water. A real treasure, if ya ask me. And if you’re lucky, you’ll pull up a nice fat Dungeness right from the water. You can dig ‘em up, reel ‘em in, or even use traps if you like. Lots of ways to go about it, and they all work just fine!
Now, I’ll tell you this, the best time to catch them crabs is in the early morning. The sun’s just comin’ up, and that’s when they’re most likely to be crawllin’ ‘round the bottom of the river or bay. You don’t have to be up at the crack of dawn, but the earlier the better. Once that sun gets higher, the crabs start to scurry off, and you’ll have a harder time catchin’ ‘em. If you’re usin’ traps, though, you don’t need to worry so much about the time, but ya still wanna go when the tide’s coming in, that’s when you get the most action.
Crabbing’s good fun no matter when you go, though. I reckon the worst day of crabbing is better than a good day at work! Ain’t that the truth! The thing is, crabbing and clamming, that’s a year-round kind of deal. Whether it’s summer or winter, you’ll find something to haul in from the water. If you’re more into clamming, you’ll wanna keep an eye on them low tides, that’s when the best digging happens. But for crabs, any time’s a good time, long as you got your traps and a little patience.
If you don’t feel like doing it all yourself, there’s plenty of folks in the area offering chartered trips and guided tours to take you out crabbing. They’ll show you the ropes and get you to the best spots, depending on the weather, of course. I’ll tell you, it’s mighty nice to have someone else do the hard work if you’re just wantin’ to enjoy the catch!
The Columbia River Estuary, and all the surrounding waters near Astoria, Tillamook Bay, and up and down the coast, have some of the best conditions for crabbing. The land’s got all kinds of terrain, and that makes it just perfect for these little critters to thrive. So, whether you’re crabbing for fun, or you’re just after a good meal, you can’t go wrong in this part of the world.
So, if you’re thinkin’ about gettin’ out there and catchin’ some crabs, don’t wait too long! Grab a bucket, a trap, and a good attitude, and get yourself down to Astoria. There’s a whole lot of crabs just waitin’ to be caught!
Tags:[Crabbing, Astoria, Oregon Coast, Dungeness Crabs, Columbia River, Crabbing Tips, Crabbing Adventures, Oregon Estuary, Crabbing Season, Crab Fishing, Tillamook Bay]