Crabbing for Dungeness in Westport, Washington

Dungeness Crab are one of the culinary signatures of the Pacific Northwest and you can catch them in Washington’s favorite coastal fishing port, Westport. They are a delicious and fun to catch. Dungeness are abundant up and down our Pacific Coast. Westport is Washington’s busiest coastal fishing town and there are many activities. It is a great place to catch a few Dungeness Crab. Shore bound anglers and boaters alike enjoy good crabbing in Westport, Washington. Whether dropping a few crab pots along the coastline on your way offshore to salmon fish or spending a weekend with the family on the docks, you can get in on this great fishery.

Catching Westport Dungeness Crab without a boat…

Even if you don’t bring your boat, you will find plenty of opportunities in Westport, Washington to catch Dungeness crab. From the jetties to Half Moon Bay to the boat basin. The Westport Boat Basin is by far the most popular spot for land-lubbers looking to catch Dungeness Crab.

The most popular place to drop crab rings is off Float 20, which is located on the northwest corner of the basin and is accessed from Neddie Rose Drive (Neddie Rose Drive begins at the western end of the basin at The Islander and dead-ends at the parking lot for Float 20). Float 20 is often vacant of boats, leaving plenty of space for anyone looking to try their luck with Dungies. Float 20 is very close to the entrance of the basin, and many crabs will push into the marina from Grays Harbor, offering a better chance at keeper size crab than on other floats.

Westport Boat Basin Crab

People flock to Westport in the summer for a quick weekend getaway. While you are there, go to the Westport Boat Basin and soak a crab ring! Within the Westport Boat Basin, crab rings are preferred to pots. Rings only need to soak for a mere 20 minutes since they lay flat on the bottom. Nearby Dungeness simply tap dance over to the bait and begin the feast. But longer soak times are required when using traps or pots. Crab need time to work their way around the pot to find the entrance.

Many of the shops and charter offices along the main street (Westhaven Drive) offer daily rentals of crab rings. Float 20 offers the only access to the high pier, where anglers catch flounder, Greenling and Rockfish. I like to throw my rings off the ramp to the high pier, or toss them away from the float just before that. Dungeness Crab will eat everything, but I think the best bait is filleted out Black Sea Bass or Salmon. I find that a perfect day in Westport begins with a few hours fishing for Rockfish (Sea Bass) and Lingcod at the Westport Jetty. Once you get your fishing fix, go crabbing in the basin with the carcasses from your catch. Expect to throw back plenty of small Dungeness before you find a few keepers but you won’t go home empty handed!

The high pier at the end of Float 20 is popular with anglers but Dungeness Crab can also be caught here. This is perfect for castable crab snares. The Finger Jetties off the west side of Neddie Rose Drive are also a great place to go.

Wesport South Jetty Dungeness Crab

The Westport Jetty is one of my favorite places to crab from shore. I have found that the distant half of the Jetty offers a shore crabber access to a little deeper water, which usually equates to an abundance of larger Dungeness. While I have done well casting Crab Snares on the Harbor side of the Jetty, if the Ocean side is calm enough, I have found greater success getting a limit.

Half Moon Bay Crabbing

Half Moon Bay is a great place for a beach stroll and offers shore fishing for flounder, perch and Dungeness crab. It is located at Westhaven State Park. Bring a stout fishing rod and a crab snare and you have a great chance at beaching a few tasty Dungeness!

Dungeness Crab in the Pacific Ocean

Westport has long been home to a thriving commercial crabbing fleet. Many of the finest restaurants in the West Coast’s major cities order their Dungeness Crab from Westport fishermen. And any boaters trying to cross the Grays Harbor Bar in the early spring will find themselves carefully watching for commercial crab buoys as they make their way to the open ocean. Crabbing in the ocean can be productive at times.

Westport’s commercial crabbing fleet hits the entrance to Grays Harbor hard in the winter and spring, but the summer is usually left to us weekend warriors. Ocean currents can be extremely strong, so heavily weighted crab pots are essential. Weighting a pot with 10 or 15 pounds should do the trick. Allow at least a few hours of soak time before retrieving. Most folks who crab in the Pacific near Westport will drop their pots, fish for the day, then pull pots on their way back to port. There’s nothing like a few limits of tasty Dungeness Crab to top off a great day of fishing!

Dungeness Crab in Grays Harbor

Boaters looking to find Dungeness Crab within Grays Harbor should focus on the area around the Ocean Shores and Westport Jetties, Half Moon Bay near the Westport Harbor and off Damon Point near Ocean Shores. The entrance to Grays Harbor is bordered by two large rock jetties and the deep channel between the two offers plenty of Dungeness Crab. Most boaters will just drop their pots in a convenient location to where they moor/launch. Crabbers will notice that the water gets real deep real quick near the Westport Jetty. Most crab buoys end up just out of casting distance from Jetty bound anglers. Most crabbers drop their pots in 30 to 60 feet of water. Heavy pots are important because of the heavy currents in Gray Harbor.

Best Crab Bait for Westport

Dungeness Crab are scavengers and will eat anything they can find. I do have a few favorite baits that I try and use if I can. Salmon carcasses and freshly caught Flounder are great bait for crab. You can also use fresh chicken, turkey legs, rockfish and lingcod fillets.