How to Set Crab Pots in Alaska

Our boat was sold to us complete with a lot of different types of fishing gear. Some of the gear consisted of crab pots, line, buoys, and bait hooks.

Crab pots and related items can be found in any good marine store - we get most of our stuff from Murray Pacific in Ketchikan, Alaska. They have great gear, good prices, and most importantly, helpful staff.

Sport crab gear includes pots, floating line, buoys, bait hooks, and bait. If you have seen "The Deadliest Catch" on TV, then you may have an idea how crabbing works. Of course, with sport gear, you can choose whether or not you want to go out in bad weather and there are a lot less pots which are smaller and you can handle them without mechanical help from smaller boats - even skiffs and canoes.

We set our pots at depths between 30-80 feet, on average at 60 feet. The bait we use are leftover salmon heads that we had caught previously and kept frozen for crab bait. We put the bait hook through the fish head and hook it on the inside of the crab pot.

Location: There are many local hot spots for crab and the best thing to do is ask people where they are. Usually, we find that crab are plentiful near the mouths of streams, in relatively shallow areas.

There are certain regulations that need to be followed when crab fishing. Check the regulation booklets which can be found in any sports and outdoor stores. Regulations dictacte where you can and cannot place pots, what size pots you are allowed to use, and how you need to prepare the pots in terms of escape holes in case you lose your pots. In this case, you need openings in the pot secured with degradeable cotton twine. Also, you may only keep male crab that are over a certain width.

We love fresh crab and are fortunate to live in such a bountiful state where we can easily go out and catch crab.

2-Pack of KUFA CT50 Sports Foldable Crab Trap with Red/White Floats, Harness, Bait Bag, Crab Caliper & Lead Core Sinking Line Combo (CT50+CAQ3) x2