Summer time in the Pacific Northwest is truly one of the greatest things on Earth. Warm, sunny days at the beach with mild winds and mild swell lead to days you know you will remember forever. As we move into September, dungeness crab fishing pics up, and that has been my focus as of late.
I found several spots on the coast loaded with crab that receive little to no fishing pressure, and offer easy pickings for keeper crab. Sea kayak, handline, Crab Hawk, and a chicken leg, fished two hours before low tide is a simple but deadly combination for catching these tasty critters.
How to Catch Crab With a Sea Kayak & Handline:
1. Attach handline directly to the Crab Hawk.
2. Secure weight to corners of Crab Hawk. 1-4oz dependent on current at location.
3. Push needle in center of Crab Hawk through middle of unfrozen chicken drumstick and secure.
4. Paddle directly over sandy area and hold position.
5. Let out 15-20ft of rope off handline.
6. Open Crab Hawk and drop straight down into the water, let off line until the rope goes slack.
7. Keep a little tension on the rope with your hands but do not pull on the rope with any force.
8. Give a little test pull every 5 minutes or so. Does it feel heavier than before? Does it pull back?
9. Pull line in quick hand over hand until the Crab Hawk is within reach.
10. Pull Crab Hawk aboard and sort your keepers!
Surfing Sea Kayaks:
When we're not crabbing, we're surfing our sea kayaks. Here is a nice shot of Chris Bensch ripping it up in the Tiderace Xplore. I just got a new Tiderace Xcite and I must say it is spectacular. For a sea kayak, the Xcite is quite a surfy boat. I took hundreds of hi-res shots of Chris and Shay Bickley surfing recently. I'll have a few more b-roll shots for you in my next post.
Commitment to the Planet:
When we're not surfing or crabbing, we're honoring our commitment with Out of Sight, Out of Mind to remove trash and plastic debris from all waterways every time we kayak. We're running a global clean up contest there where you can submit photos of the removal and proper disposal of garbage from any waterway, using any human powered craft, and win prizes from our sponsors. September's winner will receive a $100 gift card from Alder Creek Kayak & Canoe. Join us in our mission to take action and leave the places we love better than we find them. We spent a couple of hours picking up all the trash off the beach after a day of surfing. There is a fine line between complaining and taking action to initiate change; Several people on the beach said thank you to us as we picked up trash, a few people joined in the picking and we were happy to see that. Mostly people just sat idle and watched as we cleaned the beach in front of them. Regardless of people's reaction, everyone on the beach that day was impacted by our actions. It's easy to complain, but it takes effort to actually do something about it. That's what Out of Sight, Out of Mind is all about. We're on a mission to inspire people to take action to clean up the planet. No matter how big or how small, every little effort helps.
Before:
After:
30lbs of trash removed:
Coastal Kayak Fishing at Lumpy Waters Symposium:
Lumpy Waters Symposium is quickly approaching and I'll be offering two classes this year. The first, Crabbing From a Kayak is designed for everyone of all skill levels and will be held in flat to mild water. We'll use handlines and Crab Hawks to fish for keeper dungeness. There's potential for a little salmon fishing as well. This class is great for anyone interested in catching crab just for fun or for sustenance on a mutli-day expedition in a coastal environment.
The second class is for advanced paddlers with ocean paddling & surf zone experience and is designed with sustenance fishing on a multi-day expedition in mind; Perfect for those planning an expedition in the Pacific Northwest or Alaska. We'll launch off the beach at Cape Kiwanda through the surf and head out to the reef & big rock off shore. We'll use our handlines to jig for bottom fish, including lingcod, rockfish, and greenling.
The goal of both of these classes is not to provide a day of guided kayak fishing, but instead to instill the skills and knowledge to safely fish the ocean and feed yourself with fresh seafood while touring this beautiful region.
As always, call 503-285-0464 if you have any questions or need additional information.
Until next time,
Jason
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