CRABBING OFF THE BEACH

FISHING

Laundry Hamper Crabbin’ Catching Dungies and red rocks off the beach isn’t as productive as from a boat or pier, but it’s not impossible either.

By Andy Walgamott

Afunny thing happened last summer as I attempted to catch crabs with what I was billing to others as the “least effective way possible.”

It worked.

There I was in my waders, pulling our laundry hamper behind me as I essentially trolled the eel grass, seaweed patches, cobble fields and sand flats for Dungeness and red rocks on a Central Sound beach during a -2.5-foot late morning low tide last July.

When I found a crab, I jousted it with one of my sons’ plastic telescopic pincer toys to try and get a hold and lift it into the basket for further inspection.

The device didn’t work that great for grabbing the crabs, as their claws could still slip through the gap behind the pincers, but it had me officially retiring the chicken wire/ broomstick getup I had used during the previous day’s minus tide.

THE PREVIOUS DAY was when I had

decided that wading for crabs was the least effective method ever.

After a milelong wade-athon down the beach and then back up it, all I had to show for it was 1) a pair of female Dungies – one of which was in softshell form and both were released, of course – 2) another that disappeared into thick eelgrass before I could check its privates, and 3) the dawning realization that my waders were no longer waterproof in the area of my own privates.

A red rock crab pinches the pincer that editor Andy Walgamott used to prod it out of the nearshore shallows of a Puget Sound beach last

Where Dungeness blend in with sandy and muddy bottoms, red rocks stand out better. This one was lurking between eel grass patches. With how important the plant is for salmon and other marine species, the editor worked his way around the grass instead of barging through it. (ANDY WALGAMOTT)

FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES

Ican’t say for absolute certain that minus tides are required for shore crabbing, but I do know from fishing off the beach for salmon during other tidal stages that I haven’t observed any Dungeness or red rocks scuttling around at those times.

So, looking at this summer’s tides, these four series are the lowest of the low:

July 8-12, 22-26 (peak lows: 10-12, -2 feet; 22-24, -3-plus feet)

Aug 6-9, 19-23 (peak lows: 8-9, -1.7 feet; 20-21, -2 feet)

If those dates overlap with days that crabs are open for harvest in your waters, I’d try them out. –AW

Which is to say that I went home crabby on multiple fronts. So much for my brilliant idea of scoring from shore.

In hindsight, however, I think that that fail was related more to the day’s murky water conditions. Between a strong north wind, boats out chasing salmon and crabs and big old container ships all sending nonstop waves into the shallows, and surface schmutz and subsurface goo further clouding my vision, crabs and everything else for that matter were tough to see.

Ugh, excuses, excuses …

So, on Monday, with my spirit as low as the tide, I almost didn’t go back to the beach. It was a workday, I had an interview to do, I was on deadline for this magazine and others, the blog needed feeding.

My wife Amy would have probably been fine if I’d given up. Let us just say that she has not shared my excitement about how easy it is to pull the well-ventilated laundry hamper through the shallows, or its high potential crab storage capacity.

But this was also my big chance for the summer.

We don’t have a boat and the annual crabbing adventure that my son Kiran and I go on in the San Juans was a no-go during that summer of Covid-19. Our retired hosts and myself didn’t know how we could make it work in their Bayliner. Frankly, it was an unnecessary risk for them and us, and we could wait another year until we were all vaccinated. No biggie.

So with the abbreviated SundayMonday-only crabbing schedule for Marine Area 10 last summer lining up with just a few really low tides, it was go-time for loopy Plan LEWP.

INSTEAD OF HEADING south like I had the day before, I decided to go north. The wind and boat traffic were lighter, and once I rounded a wavekneaded point, the visibility actually increased markedly.

Still, I ended up worrying either a

Laundry hamper crabbin’, it’s a thing! The editor was excited how easy it was to pull the container along behind him as he wandered through the shallows of a Puget Sound beach, though his wife was less enthusiastic and for some reason insisted it be rinsed out afterwards. (ANDY WALGAMOTT)

dead red rock or a molted shell of one with my pincer for an embarrassingly long time before I realized nobody was home, and then when I spotted the next mottled orange shape on the edge of an eelgrass patch, I assumed it too was a dead crab or a molt because it was so blatantly out in the open.

That one, however, turned out to be the biggest red rock of the day, about as wide as a keeper Dungie. It had been unwilling to give up the clam it was hugging, so the greedy bugger went right into the hamper.

A couple other crabs were well out in the open too, but others sat at the edge of eelgrass. It really was like trolling because I was covering ground and zigzagging between patches while using my polarized sunglasses to sweep the 2- to 31/2-foot-deep waters for signs of life.

As the tide just began to come back in, I called it a day with five 51/2-plus-inch keeper red rockies, all males, in my hamper. I had turned a handful more loose because they were a bit smaller than that.

BACK ON SHORE a mom and son were curious about what the heck I’d been up to. Putting on my ambassador hat, I answered their questions and talked about the Whulge’s different kinds of crabs and harvesting rules.

Crabs can be taken by hand but their shells can’t be penetrated by the instrument you use. A dip net or rake might work better than my kid’s pincer. See the sidebar below for daily limits, license requirements and other pertinent regulations.

SOUND SUMMER CRAB SEASONS SET

Crabbing gets cracking July 1 in most of Puget Sound, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced last month.

“We expect good crabbing this year in several areas of Puget Sound,” said Don Velasquez, agency crustacean biologist, in a press release. “Still, some areas with continued low abundance will have a limited season or remain closed this year to promote population growth.”

According to WDFW, seasons are:

In Marine Areas 4 (Neah Bay waters east of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line), 5 (Sekiu), 6 (Port Angeles), 8-1 (Deception Pass, Skagit Bay), 8-2 (Port Susan, Port Gardner) and 9 (Port Gamble, Admiralty Inlet), July 1-September 6, Thursdays through Mondays;

In Area 7 South (San Juan Islands, Bellingham Bay), July 15-September 30, Thursdays through Mondays;

In Area 7 North (Gulf of Georgia, Point Roberts), August 19-September 30, Thursdays through Mondays;

In Area 10 (Seattle, Bainbridge Island, Bremerton), July 11-September 6, Sundays and Mondays only;

In Area 11 (Tacoma, Vashon Island), July 11-August 30, Sundays and Mondays only;

And in Area 12 (Hood Canal) north of Ayock Point, July 1-September 6, Thursdays through Mondays.

However, Area 12 south of Ayock Point (Hoodsport, The Great Bend) and all of Area 13 (Olympia, Fox Island, Steilacoom) will again be closed “to allow weak Dungeness crab populations to increase,” per WDFW.

PUGET SOUND CRABBING REGS

Dungeness crabs Daily limit: Five, males only Minimum carapace width: 6¼ inches Red rock crabs Daily limit: Six, either sex Minimum carapace width: 5 inches Tanner crabs Daily limit: Six, either sex Minimum shell width: 4½ inches Other rules

Release soft-shelled crabs: Keepers must be in hard-shell condition; pinch edge of shell or upper walking arms to test.

Gear: See “Statewide Gear Rules” section of the sportfishing pamphlet for buoy, marking, mesh size, etc., requirements.

Hours: Gear can’t be set or pulled via boat from an hour after sunset to an hour before sunrise.

Possession: Shell backs must be retained while in the field.

License: Crabbers need a Puget Sound Crab Endorsement ($8.75 when purchased alone; comes bundled with the Annual Fish Washington license) and a summer catch card. Cards must be turned in or reported by October 1, 2021, as the info is “crucial” to managing the fishery. Failure to do so results in a $10 penalty added to the cost of your next crab endorsement.

Harvest recording: Keeper Dungeness must be marked on a crabber’s catch card before redeploying pots, traps, etc. –NWS

Like Rodney Dangerfield, red rocks may not get a lot of respect, but their claws are meaty and delicious.

(ANDY WALGAMOTT)

And while there are 2,500 miles of shoreline in Puget Sound, note that some beaches are closed to the harvest of shellfish because they’re marine reserves, preserves or other set-asides. Others may have pollution issues. Check the state Department of Health’s Shellfish Safety Information map (fortress.wa.gov/doh/biotoxin/ biotoxin.html) before you go.

YEAH, YEAH, RED rocks are kinda the pink salmon of the crabbing world – not as cool or coveted as Dungeness. And I was disappointed not to find any of the latter species. But I really do like the taste of and amount of meat inside red rocks’ big claws, so it was a win in my book.

And sure, I would much prefer to go crabbing with friends in their boat or throw rings off a pier, but it turns out that the least effective way possible to crab is to stay home, and I’m glad I didn’t, and instead added a new way to catch them to my arsenal. NS

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Too Early To Prep For Deer? Nope, 6 Things You Should Do Now

A pair of whitetail look out from the side of Steptoe Butte, on far Eastern Washington’s Palouse. Deer season will be here before you know it, so it’s time to get cracking on preparing your gear for fall. (BRIAN WALKER)

When it comes to getting ready for hunting season, there’s no such ON TARGET By Dave Workman thing as “jumping the gun.” Summer is here and that affords lots of time to start your preparations for deer hunting, and a bit later, elk hunting. Be happy that Washington’s October 16 opener is still almost three months out because you may discover that’s just enough time to get everything in order. Here are six things you need to do while the temperatures are high and the days are long: WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY, break out your

sleeping bag(s) and give them a good cleaning. I’m serious about this because chances are you’ve left the bag rolled up or jammed into a stuffing bag over the winter, in a closet or out in the garage. It needs to be cleaned out. If you can wash it in the laundry, hang it outside to dry in the sun. Air it completely out. Look for any rips and repair them. Let’s face it, people stink and they can sometimes get pretty rank after a few days in a hunting camp.

Remember, I said “bag(s).” Many years ago, I found out just how comfy one can sleep in a doubled-up sleeping bag. It can be freezing outside, but inside, you’ll be toasty warm.

Check your sleeping pad or air mattress. A foam pad should not be falling apart and an air mattress needs to hold air. I’ve slept without a pad in a hunting camp and it was a miserable experience, and I was much younger. Now’s a good time to repair or replace such items.

YOUR COOK STOVE should be checked to make sure it still works. I’ve got an old Coleman and a larger Wind River, and before August gets here, you can rest assured I will have cleaned both of them inside and out.

Make sure the controls work, that your burners fire up properly. And get a supply of propane canisters to make sure

you’ll have enough to fuel your stove and lanterns. In the process, buy some spare mantles for your lanterns because it’s almost certain you’re going to need them sometime this fall.

BREAK OUT YOUR hunting boots and warm them up outside some hot weekend afternoon. Apply a new coat of oil or SnoSeal or some other leather treatmentpreservative. Pay special attention to the seams. I managed to get more than two decades out of a pair of hunting boots by taking care of them.

Once the grease/oil is applied, put your boots back out in the sunshine and allow that heat to do its job. While boots are still

Daypacks need to be cleaned out because during the hunting season, you’re always doing this: stuffing something in them, usually accompanied by some dirt.

(DAVE WORKMAN) Sleeping bags need an annual cleaning and air-drying to keep them fresh. Open them up completely and check inside and out for rips that can be repaired. (DAVE WORKMAN)

warm, put them on with a pair of heavy hunting socks and walk around for a while.

CLEAN YOUR DAYPACK or backpack out. That means turn them upside down or inside out and get rid of all the gunk that might be inside there. Do a resupply of necessities, such as a small first aid kit, toilet paper, a small packet of baby wipe towels, a bit of hand soap, and whatever else you carry in there, such as a small rope and fire starters in case you wind up stuck overnight away from camp. Nobody plans for such an eventuality, so prepare for it.

And if you camp in a tent, set it up now. Let it air out. Check for mildew, rips and holes, and fix them. If you use a wood stove for heat, make sure it’s working properly. Clean out the stovepipe or replace it.

SCOUT YOUR HUNTING area. I’ve said it before in these pages and will say it again now: You need to physically/visually inspect the area you plan to hunt. This principle never changes because game populations, animal movement and other conditions do change.

For instance, maybe there was a bad winter that moved game elsewhere, or maybe there was a fire in your hunting area that messed up the habitat. Maybe there’s been some logging and roadwork this summer, or other changes have happened since last fall. You need to know these things now so you can plan – or change

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plans – accordingly.

Of course you should also spend time at the range, making sure you’re zeroed. Remember, you’ll be firing a cold bore shot, so make sure you know where that bullet will strike at 100, 200 or even 300 yards.

AND PICK UP at least two copies of the hunting regulations. Keep one in the house and one in your vehicle.

Here’s a roundup of Washington rifle deer seasons, as they appear online:

High Buck Hunt, September 15-25

Three-point minimum: Alpine Lakes, Mount Baker, Glacier Peak, Pasayten, Olympic Peninsula (Buckhorn, Brother’s, Wonder Mountain, Mount Skokomish and Colonel Bob) and Henry M. Jackson Wildernesses and Lake Chelan Recreation Area.

General blacktail, October 16-31

Any buck: Game Management Units 407, 418, 426, 437, 448, 450, 454, 460, 466, 501 through 505, 506, 510 through 520, 524 through 556, 560, 568, 572, 574, 601 through 621, 624 (except Deer Area 6020), 627 through 654 and 658 through 699;

Any deer: GMUs 410 through 417, 419 through 424, 564, 655 and Deer Area 6020;

Three-point minimum: GMU 578.

General whitetail, October 16-29

Any buck: GMUs 101, 105, 108, 111, 113, 117, 121 and 124.

General whitetail, October 16-26

Any buck: GMUs 203 through 284.

General whitetail, October 16-26

Three-point minimum: GMUs 127 through 145, 149, 154, 162 through 186.

General mule deer, October 16-26

Three-point minimum: GMUs 101 through 145, 149, 154, 162 through 186, 203 through 272, 278, 284, 328, 330 through 368, 372, 373, 379, 381, 382 (except closed in Deer Area 5382), 388.

Late Westside blacktail, November 18-21

Any buck: GMUs 407, 454, 466, 501 through 505, 506a, 510 through 520, 524, 530, 550 through 560, 568, 572, 601 through 621, 624 (except Deer Area 6020), 627 through 654, 658 through 684, 699;

Any deer: GMUs 410 through 417, 419 through 424, 564, 655, Deer Area 6020.

Late Eastside whitetail, November 6-19

Any buck: GMUs 105, 108, 111, 113, 117, 121, 124.1 NS

Noted dog trainer Jess Spradley works with his wife Tifanee Spradley – also a veteran trainer – to get a pair of Labs tuned up. Each trainer closely watches and controls their dog in order to optimize training time and curtail any conflicts. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

Dog Fight Prevention

Iopened the door, my pup shot through my legs, and before I knew it, there was a dog fight. I broke it up as quickly as I could, but GUN DOGGIN’ 101 By Scott Haugen it wasn’t easy, or pretty. My pup suffered some bad bruising and hair loss on his chest and front shoulder, but fortunately, no stitches were needed.

The door I’d opened led into our garage, where I was temporarily housing a buddy’s stud dog, which had just finished eating. The bonehead mistake was one I’ll never forget, and goes to show that most dog fights are the result of their owners not paying attention; guilty as charged. Fortunately my male pup, a strong-headed 8-month-old at the time, bounced back.

“Regardless if you have a male or a female dog, a fight can happen,” states noted professional trainer Jess Spradley of Cabin Creek Gun Dogs (cabincreekgundogs.com) and who is a familiar name to these pages.

Spradley trains year-round and is around a lot of dogs, not just his own, but those of fellow trainers and clients, too. One time I joined him on a two-day training session where he had nearly a dozen dogs, and brought along two handlers to help change out dogs, feed, water and kennel them.

Following a hunt or training session, it’s a good idea to leash your dog if other dogs are around. Get it water or food, then kennel it, in order to avoid a potential fight. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

“Own a dog long enough and there will be a fight, and you should always assume there’ll be a fight, even if your dog has never been aggressive,” is what Spradley tells folks. “Your dog might be easygoing and never edgy, but if your buddy has an aggressive dog, it can cause a fight. Be very watchful in these situations because it could change your dog’s demeanor for the rest of its life.”

RULE NUMBER ONE: Don’t ever let a dog run out the door ahead of you. They’re jacked up to get outside, and if they meet another dog face to face, it could turn ugly real fast. Rule number two: When letting your dog out of the truck, make sure it exits slowly, not bursting out the kennel or truck door. This is a common mistake at hunting locations where people gather, as well as campgrounds, parking lots and public parks. “If you have a type-A-personality dog, always keep a close eye on it,” continues Spradley. “You’ll recognize the personality type as soon as they come home, and you’re not going to change a strong-

Author Scott Haugen trained his two pudelpointers, Echo and Kona, to hunt together, and they do so for upland birds, waterfowl, shed antlers and more. Here they enjoyed a day in the sooty grouse woods. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

headed dog, but you can easily manage it. There will be times you need to get physical with type-A dogs because if you don’t, they’ll continually push to gain that alpha position. If you don’t think you’re in command of your dog, you’re probably not, and that’s not a good thing.”

Something you’ll notice early on, and Spradley agrees, is that when you’re in charge of a well-trained dog, it’ll submit to not only your verbal commands, but your body language and even your facial expressions. But you must establish this leadership role early, as it’s the best way to control a dog and prevent future fights.

WHEN HUNTING YOUR dog with other dogs, keep a close watch.

“If I’m hunting with someone and I don’t like how their dog acts, I’ll either go hunt on my own or put my dog away for a while,” offers Spradley. “After so many kills, we trade out. This takes time, but is easy because the last thing you want is a fight on a hunt.”

After a hunt is when Spradley sees the

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highest number of dog fights.

“These fights are the result of dog owners letting their guard down, letting the dogs run around the trucks, mingling freely like the hunters do, and that’s a big mistake. After a hunt dogs are tired, hungry, thirsty, often sore, and sometimes irritable, and those are ingredients for a fight. Keep your dog at heel all the way to the truck and immediately put it in the kennel.”

With the pandemic, a growing number of people have gotten dogs and are taking them on walks in public areas. I no longer go to some of my favorite public training areas because so many people have dogs off-leash. It’s a catastrophe waiting to happen, but they don’t know it.

“A strange dog should never loosely interact with your gun dog,” advises Spradley. “Socializing is important, but advocating that dogs should run up to one another and start playing is a recipe for disaster. I never let strange dogs approach my gun dogs, not even if they are on a leash because those aren’t relationships I want my dogs to develop.”

It’s worth noting that some dogs can be even more possessive while leashed.

DON’T TAKE SPRADLEY wrong; he’ll be the first to tell you dogs need socialization, but be smart about it.

“Get your dog with a buddy’s dog, never a strange dog,” he offers. “Start socializing when the pup is young because they need to know and be able to trust other dogs. Be smart; keep them around same-size and age-class dogs, and make the introductions slowly while both dogs are on leash.”

Spradley devotes serious time to training his dogs with other dogs they’ll be hunting with, so they get to know one another.

“I’ve never seen a gun dog puppy that was born to fight,” Spradley concludes. “If they do pick a fight, it’s likely because they had something bad happen to them at some point and simply don’t want to be around another dog. And when there is a fight, break it up right away because the last thing you want is a dog getting away with this type of aggression.”

As I learned the hard way when my pup ran out the door, make absolutely certain there’s no opportunity for a chance encounter with another dog. This applies when letting your dog out at home, walking it on the beach or running in a park. Watch those blind corners, be mindful of other owners letting dogs out of their vehicles and always have your dog on a leash whenever there’s the slightest chance for an encounter.

By paying close attention and anticipating situations you find you and your dog in, you can avoid the majority of potential fights. Then again, be ready to quickly break up a fight, because the more you train and hunt around other dogs, the more likely it is to happen. That’s just part of being a dog owner. NS

Editor’s note: To watch Scott Haugen’s series of puppy training videos, visit scotthaugen.com. Follow Scott on Instagram and Facebook.