HB Pier

[CoffeaRobusta]

Let the hoop soak while I was fishing of HB pier. Pulled up several small crabs that look like this picture of a swimming crab.

http://http://www.oceanlight.com/spo...;php?img=02562

Pulled up a couple of sheep crabs too. One was pretty big and i've heard they were good to eat, but i wasn't sure about this one. It had all kinds of stuff growing on it and even had fishing line tangled around. Wasn't sure how to clean it or prepare it so we cut the fishing line off of it and let it go.

The highlight was a legal sized bug. Dang! Guess I'm gonna have to wait until the end of september and hope it's still there. Getting the lobster suprised me as i didn't think HB had all that much rock and i thought the bugs liked rocky areas.

After a few attempts of trying off the piers with no luck i was begining to think that there were no crabs in SoCal. Happy to see that i am wrong. still no sizable Cancer crabs though.

[mg2969]

Never heard of the California Swimming crab. With the 2 hind legs having flippers on em and the shape of the claws looks like a very close relative to the NJ blue crab.

aka Maryland Blue Claw , aka Soft shell crab
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/ed ... facts.html

Most of the crabs I have heard about are the rock red crabs which are supposedly related to dungeness. But per DFG are NOT considered Dungeness. As for the sheep crab, never really heard it called that but I looked it up and I guess thats its true name, I have always referred to em as Spider Crabs. I too have heard they are very good eating. Somewhere in the fishing posting world I heard they were marketed as "CALIFORNIA KING CRAB", obviously not Alaskan. Other then cosmetically not very good looking, the shell is very thick and very difficult to break. Rubber mallet or tenderizer would work wonders

[CoffeaRobusta]

Thanks for the info about blue crabs. no suprise that it looks similar to what the swimming crab I caught because it seems they are in the same family. And you're right about the Dungeness. Dungeness and other rock crabs are all in the same genus Cancer; there's about 7 different species of cancer in California. Dungeness are more common up north; down here I think we are most likely to get yellow rock crabs but don't quote meon that. All I know is that they are tasty. Yeah and spider crab is another name for the sheep crab. I was thinking that maybe if i took a stiff wire brush to that crab to clean off all the barnacles and stuff growing on it then I might have considered cooking it.

[ghetto dad]

thanks for the report man!!

[sansou]

Thanks for the report.

I've seen those swimming crabs before down here in SD, usually around jetties. I've caught them dunking squid right off the ledges on jetties (they latch on the bait). I tried many times using them as bait, with no success. Undoubtedly, they would work wonders off a boat and out deeper, but as far as off a jetty is concerned, I have had no personal success on those guys.

[Troutman65]

I can see it now. Hords of Hoop netters invade HB pier for bug season.

:shock:



Thanks for the report


TM65

[CoffeaRobusta]

I can see it now. Hords of Hoop netters invade HB pier for bug season.

:shock:



Thanks for the report


TM65

Dang it I'm afraid of that. After I posted this my buddy pointed out that very fact. Wasn't thinking about that when I posted....I was just too excited about my first bug. Hell, they may not even wait until bug season. Heard a guy got busted on Newport pier for having lobster just last week.

Back off! HB is mine! ALLLLLL MINE!!!! LOL :2guns:

[BakoBassin]

Hey, that pic of the Swimming Crabs is NSFW :lol:

[Troutman65]

I can see it now. Hords of Hoop netters invade HB pier for bug season.

:shock:



Thanks for the report


TM65

Dang it I'm afraid of that. After I posted this my buddy pointed out that very fact. Wasn't thinking about that when I posted....I was just too excited about my first bug. Hell, they may not even wait until bug season. Heard a guy got busted on Newport pier for having lobster just last week.

Back off! HB is mine! ALLLLLL MINE!!!! LOL :2guns:

Your a crack up bro. If anyone takes a bug off the HB pier before the season starts I am sure they would get busted too. Good luck during the bug season. Looking forward to your reports.

TM65