Old School- crabbing in Tsawwasswen

[Phila]

I have lived here in Tsawwassen for the past 20 years and crabbed every year.

Where

As has been pointed out you can crab the area from the US border North to the ferry causeway. The area in front of the ferry terminal (West) has restrictions, basically no surface floats, more or less shut down for sporties. See the regs. Going North it opens up again past the coal port out towards Canoe Pass Light. Also up Roberts Bank.

You’re early, which is good. The crabs move inshore to spawn in May-June. They are scattered and not as mobile right now. From now on you’ll find them from 80 feet and shallower to as shallow as 15 feet mean low tide.

The boat launch on the ferry causeway is very limited in terms of depth, so best to use a small boat and time it carefully. With a 16 ft tinny 6 ft on the tide charts was a good minimum for me. Use your judgement. Parking can be a challenge.

what

Use good, fresh bait, not that skanky freezer burned chums. They won’t be interested. Most successful crabber I know uses only chicken thigh & legs or chicken backs. If you have access to fish frames they work well. Halibut trim is is some fish shops right now.

Competition

TFN and Musqeam fish the waters from the US border up to Point Grey. They are out there now. I pulled up a friends trap 3 weeks ago. It was my turn in his boat, all Covid protocols observed. There was a main line running over top of it. And crab boats were going past us. Having said that, never had a problem with TFN or Musqeam guys, they’re just doing what they’re doing.

[Bugle M In]

Thanks Phila.....good stuff and helpful.

[browningboy]

Curious, did you grow up out there?
Anyways, just watch out for the boundary for the ferry's.
I know lots of folks liked to place their traps right beside the cresol soaked structures that make up the main dock.
Why the crabs liked it, no idea.

Was just talking to a buddy a few days ago about getting out there to do the same.

Disgusting however what they found in Boundary Bay that made the news a while back.
Finding one trap with buoy, no markings on it, and then finding many more attached to the main line.
I think in 1 day they recovered 250 traps (if i recall correctly?).
And estimated there may be as many as 1000 illegal traps out there.
And they all had fishing line/nylon to keep the escapement hatches shut, not the dissolving line.
Basically a continual killing machine.

Buddy also caught the natives over on the island doing the same crap, but "sinking the buoy" a foot or 2 below the water so
no one could discover them.
(not saying its the natives in Boundary Bay)
Ended up with the ropes entangling his props.
He was pissed.....wont say more about what he did about it.

Anyways, have fun.

No I didn't grow up in Tsawwassen, just hit the point a few times when we were younger, had bon fires, cooked crab, had a few beers and was a great day! I do remember you had to be careful on high tides on the Causeway as you truck could take on water.
Just a couple of us were talking and just wasn't sure if it's worthwhile heading out? Just bored shitless but I don't know if you can still have fires there etc....

[browningboy]

I have lived here in Tsawwassen for the past 20 years and crabbed every year.

Where

As has been pointed out you can crab the area from the US border North to the ferry causeway. The area in front of the ferry terminal (West) has restrictions, basically no surface floats, more or less shut down for sporties. See the regs. Going North it opens up again past the coal port out towards Canoe Pass Light. Also up Roberts Bank.

You’re early, which is good. The crabs move inshore to spawn in May-June. They are scattered and not as mobile right now. From now on you’ll find them from 80 feet and shallower to as shallow as 15 feet mean low tide.

The boat launch on the ferry causeway is very limited in terms of depth, so best to use a small boat and time it carefully. With a 16 ft tinny 6 ft on the tide charts was a good minimum for me. Use your judgement. Parking can be a challenge.

what

Use good, fresh bait, not that skanky freezer burned chums. They won’t be interested. Most successful crabber I know uses only chicken thigh & legs or chicken backs. If you have access to fish frames they work well. Halibut trim is is some fish shops right now.

Competition

TFN and Musqeam fish the waters from the US border up to Point Grey. They are out there now. I pulled up a friends trap 3 weeks ago. It was my turn in his boat, all Covid protocols observed. There was a main line running over top of it. And crab boats were going past us. Having said that, never had a problem with TFN or Musqeam guys, they’re just doing what they’re doing.

Thanks for the info! I do remember launching sucked sometimes and parking and getting out a pain too!

[Bugle M In]

Launch is fine if you have a zodiac.
You want a bigger boat, then you may have decide between cpts cove or over in white rock and go around the point.