Astoria Dungeness Crab Charters & Guided Crabbing Trips

What to Expect During a Crab Charter

You should receive a message from me with the exact meeting time and location a day or so ahead of time. Weather and tides decide the schedule for crab trips. I generally try to target within 2 hours of the high or low tide. For larger groups I typically set the pots ahead of your trip. This helps to make sure we get limits.

If weather and regulations allow we will target the area near the Cape Disappointment lighthouse or just beyond the South Jetty. This is where the crabbing tends to be best. There are a few other spots closer to the marina that also produce a lot of crab. These tend to be a bit more crowded resulting in slower crabbing as well as the chance that some pirate might raid our pots. If we do need to wait for the pots to soak we can spend the time with crab snares that work off of fishing poles. Catching crab on a fishing pole is a fun activity, especially for kids!

Pulling the pots

In calm water you choose if you want to pull the pots or have me pull them for you. The boat is equipped with an electric pot puller to make things easier if needed. Watching to see a full pot of crab come up through the water is always fun!. Once we get them on board I will sort the crab for you. This will make sure that the ones we keep are all legal. The crab will be stored on ice to keep them calm. There are several local businesses that offer cooking services for crab at a small fee. I will clean them raw and send them with you on ice if you choose as well.