Newport Oregon Crab Fishing

Imagine this: You head outside into the amazing natural beauty and fresh air of the Oregon Coast in Newport. You’re ready to head on to the waters, whether with charters or loved ones, where you can get lucky and catch fresh, delectable crabs to cook and feast on!

That’s right, we’re talking about Newport Oregon crab fishing! If your eyes are set on getting juicy crabs during your trip to Newport, read on. We share a quick guide on crabbing in the area.

 

Newport Oregon Crab Fishing

No trip to Newport Oregon is complete without crab fishing, especially when catching the popular, delicious Dungeness crab! These are the best crabs you’ll want to catch thanks to their high-quality white meat.

But of course, there are so many other crab species you can catch besides the best-known Dungeness. There are other species like the native red rock crab, European green crab, and more. These crabs are also just as fun to catch and delicious to eat!

Besides what you can catch, here are other things you must know when Newport Oregon crab fishing:

 

Where to Go Newport Oregon Crab Fishing

There are various docks and piers to choose from when Newport Oregon crab fishing, like:

• South Beach Pier
• Abbey Street Pier
• Bay Street Pier
• Yaquina Bay

All these areas are free for Newport Oregon crab fishing. While you can go crabbing from a fishing charter (like ours), it’s also quite an experience crabbing from the dock or pier. Moreover, it’s an inexpensive option. However, you’ll need to put up with the limited space when dropping lines and traps. Moreover, you’ll likely keep catching the same crabs as other crab trappers caught and released.

 

Equipment You’ll Need

You can either bring your own equipment or rent it out from local shops by the docks or piers. If you plan on Newport Oregon crab fishing with a charter, they usually already provide the equipment, so no need to worry about that.

Here are the three types of crab traps you can use in Newport Oregon’s docks:

• Danielson Trap: This is known as a soaker crab trap you would usually use from piers, docks, or boats. This means you have to pull the trap up after it’s been soaking for an hour or so. This trap works by crabs trapping themselves, luring them into a large cage with bait bags. When they enter, they won’t be able to escape.
• Crab Trapper: This trap would have two metal-netted 24-inch sides. When lying flat, the tap looks like a 24-inch circle. This is the only crab trap you can use on the beach, shore, dock, pier, and boat.
• Crab Ring: The concept of crab trappers is pretty straightforward. Simply bait your crabs into the ring then pull the trap up once you feel the weight of crabs inside. The two-ring crab net is the most straightforward among all types of crab rings. When using this type of trap, pull the rung up quickly because the outer ring will form a wall so crabs can’t escape.

The crabs you catch won’t only depend on the trap you use, but the weather conditions and the kind of water bottom in the waters you will catch crabs in. It will also depend on the species!

For instance, rock crabs prefer bays with rocky bottoms, while Dungeness crabs prefer sandy bay bottoms and ell grass.

 

When to Go Newport Oregon Crab Fishing

You can find crabs in every Oregon estuary all year long! Yaquina Bay offers some of the best year-round crabbing opportunities in Newport.

In terms of the time of year, smaller estuaries and areas with freshwater influence are good to go crabbing in from late summer to early winter. That said, the fall season is generally the best time to go crabbing.

Once September comes, crabs tend to be even more filled out, so you get a higher percentage of quality meat. If you’re wondering how to determine the crab meat quality, you can check the shell. Hard-shelled crabs usually have 20-30% meat by weight. Soft-shelled crabs would have only 12% meat.

Another thing to consider is the weather. After heavy rainfall and freshets, the crab would be less abundant around the bays. You’ll want to avoid these times.

As for the time of day, in Newport, Oregon crab fishing is best during slack water times, which is during peak high and low tides. During swift tidal exchanges, crabs would usually bury themselves. At slack water times, crabs are usually walking around and foraging as they are less affected by tidal currents.

If you plan on going Dungeness crab fishing, you should also think of the legalities. Fortunately, crabbing is open in estuaries, beaches, piers, jetties, and tide pools all year long. However, crabbing in the ocean for Dungeness crabs is closed from October 16 to November 30.

Speaking of the legalities, make sure that you carry your shellfish license, crab measuring device, bait, bait holders, crab traps, and cooler to store caught crabs. Your shellfish license is important, because, without one, you may face hefty fines or penalties.

Furthermore, you must follow Newport Oregon’s specific restrictions and bag limits when crab fishing. For instance, the daily bag limit for Dungeness crab is 12. You can only catch males and they must measure at least 5 ¾ inches. As for red rock crabs, you can catch up to 24 crabs of any size and sex.

 

Wrapping It Up

We hope that our article on Newport Oregon crab fishing helped you out! Now that you know more about how to catch quality crabs in the area, why not begin planning your trip to the beautiful city?

Don’t forget to book a fishing charter while you’re at it! Contact us now for a fishing charter and guide services so you can have a more successful time catching crabs and other fish species.