CRABBING LOCATIONS: DFO Area 19 Victoria - Sidney

[John Pierce]

CRABBING LOCATIONS: DFO Area 19 Victoria - Sidney

DFO HISTORY
20200416 DFO says all 19 except open except 19-2 Esquimalt Harbour closed, limits are max 4 combination Dung or Red Rock.
20191117 DFO says all 19 except open except 19-2 Esquimalt Harbour closed, limits are max 4 combination Dung or Red Rock.

[John Pierce]

DFO AREA 19-1 VICTORIA HARBOUR - GORGE

SONGHEES WALKWAY
LOCATION: West of Octagonal Hut on walkway, just below large block of Princess Patricia Apartments.
ACCESS: Nearby steps from Seaforth Street, but minimal parking on street, 3hr parking at Rainbow Park then walk 400m west along walkway.
SERVICES: Octagonal hut has seating, and cover for rain.
20200121 JohnP casts Hawk style ring net west from hut for 2hr using cooked chicken carcass, result no crab.
20191203 JohnP casts Hawk style ring net west from hut for 45min using turkey neck bait, result one medium dungeness, did not keep.

SONGHEES
LOCATION: 100 m east of Boom and Batten Restaurant.
ACCESS: 20m walk from parking lot off of Songhees Rd.
SERVICES: Wheelchair access, no toilet, chair etc.
20200517 JohnP soaks trap for 2.5hrs using Trout head guts and tail bait, result 4 Red Rock (3 male, legal, kept) + 2 Dungeness (small).
20200509 JohnP soaks trap for 1hr using Trout head guts and tail bait, result 5 Red Rock, all male, 4 legal size, kept.
20191128 JohnP casts Hawk style ring net for 1hr using turkey neck bait, result one small crab.

PORTAGE INLET
20200418 Via canoe, JohnP pulls crab trap after soaking 20 hours in lower Portage Inlet above Admirals Bridge with turkey guts and neck as bait, one crab, dungeness male but undersize.

SELKIRK TRESTLE
20191105 JohnP stops as two guys crabbing off trestle S end, no crabs.

SHIP POINT WHARF
LOCATION: 200m west of Victoria Visitors Bureau/Clock Tower.
20200416 JohnP soaks crab trap at 8AM with bag cooked turkey parts for 50 min at start of Ebb Tide, 7 crab, 1 legal Red Rock. Next 4 hours less and less smaller crabs.

STEAMSHIP TERMINAl WHARF
LOCATION: West end of wharf in from or old Steamship Terminal next to where Coho docks.
20200503 JohnP soaks crab trap at 10AM with bag turkey necks for 2 hrs, 7 crab, 1 legal Red Rock.

FISHERMAN'S WHARF
LOCATION: Reports of good crabbing.
20200410 JohnP casts Hawk style ring net from end dock F at several angles for 1.5hr using turkey neck bait, result 0-2 small Dungeness crabs per 15 min cast.

BREAKWATER DOCKS
LOCATION: 100m West of Breakwater Cafe, just past pagoda.
ACCESS: 100m walk from paid parking just past Breakwater Cafe.
SERVICES: Wheelchair access, toilet, benches etc.
20200409 JohnP casts Hawk style ring net from dock in several locations for 2.5hr using turkey neck bait, result 0-3 small Dungeness crabs per 15 min cast.

[John Pierce]

DFO AREA 19-2 ESQUIMALT HARBOUR
20191117 DFO says 19-2 closed.

[John Pierce]

DFO AREA 19-3 WILLIAM HEAD - OAK BAY CHINESE CEMETERY

COBURG PENNINSULA
LOCATION: Ocean side of spit across from Esquimalt Lagoon.
And dungees off the beach with a trap and a boat.

OCEAN BLVD BRIDGE
LOCATION: NE end of Esquimalt Lagoon, tide route into lagoon has large flats.

ESQUIMALT - ANGLERS BOAT LAUNCH
20201220 JohnP casts Hawk style ring net from N side of breakwater for 2 hours, 4 decent Dungeness all undersized, one Legal Red Rock, put back.
20191129 JohnP casts Hawk style ring net from breakwater.

[John Pierce]

DFO AREA 19-4 OAK BAY CHINESE CEMETERY - CADBORO POINT

OAK BAY HARBOUR
20200418 JP soaks crab trap with turkey guts and neck off Oak Bay Marina parking lot with aid of SUP paddle boarder, pulls after 45 min, zero crabs.

UPLANDS PARK CATTLE POINT
LOCATION: Offshore? Just near the boat launch at Cattle Point.

[John Pierce]

DFO AREA 19-5 CADBORO POINT - N OF SIDNEY

BALMACARRA BEACH
LOCATION: Northern end of Gordon Head.
ACCESS: Park at Balmacarra Park at corner of Balmacarra Road & Leyns Road (residents only parking signs 11pm-7am), walk down beach access trail and down 75 steps (mostly expanded metal) to beach.
20191129 JohnP cast Hawk Ring Net with rod out at high tide using turkey neck as bait for 45 min, zero crab.

CORMORANT POINT
LOCATION: Northern end of Gordon Head.
ACCESS #1: Park at Balmacarra Park and walk 5 min to trailhead at NW end of Seawood Terrace, then walk 5 min down middle of point trail out to rocks.
ACCESS #2: Park at Balmacarra Park at corner of Balmacarra Road & Leyns Road, walk down beach access trail and down 75 steps (mostly expanded metal) to beach, then walk 10 min NE along beach and 10 min over treacherous rocks (best not at high tide) to point.
20191227 JohnP & ColinC drop carb trap and cast Hawk Ring Net with rod at high tide using cooked chicken carcass as bait for 3 hrs from rocks to W side of rocks. Result six legal Red Rock crabs, 2 only one claw, kept 4.
20191129 JohnP cast Hawk Ring Net with rod out at high tide using turkey neck as bait for 90 min from rocks to NE of manmade sea pool. Result four crab, all Red Rock, 2 small, 2 legal size.

MOUNT DOUG BEACH
LOCATION: Edge of Mount Doug Park.
ACCESS: .
20200511 Reddit post that do pretty good for Dungeness by wadding with a net on a super low tide.

JAMES ISLAND WHARF
LOCATION: East end of James Island Road, 1 km NE of Waddling Dog Pub on Patricia Bay Highway #17.
PARKING: Few spots alongside roads, sign no parking 11PM toi 6AM. Large private gated lot 50m SW of wharf is for commuters to private James Island.
FACILITIES: 40m long wheel chair accessible Pier out onto water and gangway to small floating dock on land side. Garbage cans, single porta-potty.
20210822  JohnP & friend crab off front and S side of wharf using chicken and salmon Heads as bait on low slack tide, got 4 legal Red Rock in three hours, then tapered off as tide picked up.
20200818  JohnP & WingkeeC crab off front and S side of wharf using Salmon Heads as bait on rising tide, got 7 smaller Red Rock in first hour, then tapered off, older Portuguese-Canadian gent says because no current to move the crabs.
20200723 JohnP & IraP crab off front of wharf using Salmon Head/Guts for bait, starting 1 hr after low tide for 2.5 hrs, get limit 8 Red Rock. Guys fishing off S side also get lots and 2 legal Dungeness using chicken as bait.
20200418 RonD says heard that off right side is sandier/more Dungeness prone.
20191127 BrianP & JohnP crab off Pier and wharf for 2.5 hours dropping 2 traps, ring net, and fishing rod casting hawk style ring net using bait from best to poorest: raw turkey necks, salmon heads, leftover cooked chicken pieces. Caught only two legal Red Rock, both one claw, several small and one very yellow small Hairy Hermit crab.
20170314 GRR SandyM & BrianP report that went crabbing, max 6.25" Dungeness.

CORDOVA SPIT
LOCATION: 1km long spit north from near Oceanside RV Resort. Note, interior of southern half of spit is part of First Nations Reserve.
ACCESS #1: Park at Island View Beach Regional Park's parking lot, walk 10 min up trail beside beach, then 15 min along beach past First Nations Reserve to spit, then 5 min up spit.
ACCESS #2: Park somewhere at Oceanside RV Resort, walk 10min along east shore to N end of spit.

CORDOVA BAY LAGOON
LOCATION: Cordova Bay.
ACCESS #1: Park at Cordova Bay Park, walk 200m south down beach.
ACCESS #2: Park at D'Arcy Lane Beach Access, walk 200m N on beach.
20200720 ColinC reports at very low tide lagoon forms, and saw half doz legal Red Rock crabs that could have picked up, also lots of clams holes.

SIDNEY PIER - CRABBING
Good for large red rocks crabs, not good for Dungeness.
20180506 JP visits, lots of people crab fishing, most with clamshell traps, thin lines and no or tiny floats.

SIDNEY PIER - COMMERCIAL
20200706 JP throws trap in for 2 hours with trout heads/guts/tails for bait. 4 Red Rock, one large male, rest small/female, returned single to ocean.

SIDNEY TRENCH
LOCATION: Offshore, famous for crabbing and salmon.

[John Pierce]

DFO AREA 19-7 > 19-12 SAANICH INLET

DEEP COVE PIER
LOCATION: North end of Deep Cove Road

BRENTWOOD BAY SAANICH PUBLIC DOCK
LOCATION: Off west end of Marchant Road.
FACILITIES: Parking just uphill from dock or to south parking lot. No toilet, box to sit on at end of dock.
20200126 JohnP goes crab casting for 2.5 hrs off end of dock at high tide, turkey necks for bait. 10 small Dungeness, 1 legal Red Rock but only one claw so went back.