northern boy
 Posts: 752 Location: Location Location
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Matthew G wrote: |
Whats the easiest way to identify them? Are they just bigger? |
The best way to identify Dungeness is they have white tips to their claws and their shell is generally a purplish color. Their legs are also fairly pale.
The red crabs are a deep red and the "rock" crabs are brownish with black tips to their (large)claws.
Rock crabs generally don't get much beyond 6 inches but the reds can get very large.
If you follow one of the DFG links above there are descriptions and pictures.
Since there appear to be a few crab novices it's worth restating other important regs:
1. Red and rock crabs have to be 4 inches, Dungeness 5 and 3 quarters.
2. You have to have a "measuring device" with you while crabbing to avoid a ticket. Some wardens are satisfied with a tape measure, others require a "solid" implement. A plastic crab measure is a few bucks from most tackle shops and has the sizes for red/rock and dungeness marked out (as well as other shellfish).
3. You cannot keep crabs that you have caught with a hook, they have to be caught in nets or snares.
(edit to add one more reg)
4. Your crab hoop net, or snare, counts towards your two-pole limit while fishing on a pier.
5. A Northern Boy regulation; don't buy the circular/tablet shaped snares, they fall appart within seconds, and even a one armed geriatric crab can break them open. Square seems to be the sturdiest.
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