The Seattle “Crabbing Is Good” Report July 5

Puget Sound Dungeness Crab Season Kicks Off

As the locals say, our Seattle summer always officially begins on July 5, because it always rains on the Fourth. It is our way of poking fun at the misfortune we all have when it comes to the weather. April showers brings May…. Showers, then we enjoy a little June gloom, but the day after we get rained out during our Independence Day celebrations… Then summer unofficially begins.

I, on the contrary, consider the opening day of crabbing on the Puget Sound to be the official kick off to my Seattle summer. Thursday was the day!

Pulling Crab Pots in Ballard

We have set and pulled four pots just outside the Shilshole Bay Marina breakwater on Thursday and Friday. Results were mixed. My go to zone is 65′ to 80′ around Ballard. That is where I have always done well and that is where we focused this week. I found a keeper or two per pot on the northern breakwater, and two or three keepers per pot on the southern end near the ship canal channel markers, which I was happy with.

Plenty of folks in all manner of watercraft were pulling pots in the area as well, many were doing poorly but I think almost everyone found at least a couple.

Get The Crab Cooker Ready!

We moved over to Bainbridge today and found the mother load! It was common to find three to five keepers per pot, so we reached our boat limit quickly. The eastern side of Bainbridge doesn’t get fished as hard as the areas close to Ballard.

The Seattle shoreline gets hammered, due to the close proximity to the marina and boat launch. We alternated baiting with raw chicken, salmon carcasses and flounder. It didn’t seem to matter, all baits produced about the same. On average we kept about eight or ten crab per morning or afternoon outing! Lots of happy faces on our boat these past few days!