Lawson's Landing..........Sun 5/18/19.........Going to give it a try

This is going to be bitter sweet for me......I used to like this location A LOT back in the day but they last time I was there was in 2009 and I had just got my crab nets in the water when I received the news that my dad had just died.......I gave my crab rings away.......Asked the lady at the ticket booth if she would let the next person in for free in memory of my dad and she tearfully agreed, and then I took the long drive home to the nursing facility where my father was staying......NOT A GOOD DAY.........Hopefully tomorrow will be better and hopefully the weather will chase away the worst of the crows.........I have rain gear......

Good luck and let us know how you do. Been wanting to get up that way.

BLEEP.....and I MEAN BLEEP.....LAWSON'S LANDING......THEIR PIER IS CLOSED.......

I ended up hitting my usual bank spot near Campbell Cove and someone must have had pity on me because I had my best crabbing day there......EVER......3 Keeper Dungies and 6 Red Crab including a 6 1/2" BEAST......

I am going to have to get a bigger cook pot

http://instagr.am/p/BxqQVclhzu4/
http://instagr.am/p/BxqOWldBUQl/

I officially had to RETIRE my Okuma Corrida BR-65 Reel........It is hard as hell to crank now and I don't know if it is worth trying to take it apart and fix it.........Switched to my Back-up Rig......A Surfmaster 100 on an 8' Master Casting Rod and it brought in the biggest crab of the day......That Beast Red.........I think that next week is going to be ALL OLD SCHOOL.........2 11' Roddy Hunter Casting Rods paired with Surfmaster 100 reels......Season ends June 1

Some thoughts on gear.........I have been using the $9.99 Crab Snares from Outdoor Pro Shop from the beginning and using wire to attach two 3oz No Roll Sinkers to the bottom of the cage where they would not interfere with the snare loops........BUT.......Repeated casting was stressing the wire and it was breaking......I then tried to use heavy Duo Lock Snaps to attach 5 or 6oz weights to the cage........BUT the snaps did not hold up and I lost weights........FRUSTRATING.........I ended up using ZIP TIES and at least THEY held up....

Now about BAIT................I have been using Salted Anchovies, Sardines, and Mackerel.......But with limited success.......I am STUBBORN.....and I HATE spending $16.99 for a 3# Box of Squid.........But today I used Squid..........and....well......you saw the results......

By any chance, have you tried some of the big squid that you can often find at Asian markets? Those squid I believe are a bit cheaper and I’m fairly sure that any decent market with live fish tanks will have it. Never tried it though.

I live in Rohnert Park......No Asian Markets anything like that here

Hey DSRTEGL, check out ASIANA Market in Cotati. It's address is 7665 Old Redwood Hwy. They should have what you need there and it's not far from Rohnert Park.

nah the big humbolt squid chunks dont work good. use the frozen whole squids, they give off more scent. save the fat off of chicken pieces and the innards to stretch you money on bait.

I keep forgetting that place.......I am walking distance away.......

W
Wow, Lawson’s Landing Pier is closed?! Is that permanently or just the day you went? I have only been there once.

I need to give them a call. The pier was always a little shoddy but also yielded a lot of crabs and nice catches of fish at times.

At the time of my posting it had been closed for a couple of months.......It IS on their website......BUT IN SMALL PRINT......with their pier closed I think the nearest pier that is available for crabbing when the season opens again will be Point Arena!?!?!?!?!

Spud Point may be open, or open soon. Never saw many crabs taken from the Point Arena Pier even though I fished it regularly for years.

You need weighted nets there......Because of the swell......and mostly red/rock crab and kelp crab there.......too rough and rocky for many dungies