Crabbing at Oregon's Nehalem Bay Jetty Fishery

No trip to Oregon's beautiful coast can be considered complete without a serving of fresh Dungeness crab. And nothing is more rewarding than catching the crabs yourself.

The Jetty Fishery (www.jettyfishery.com), located on Nehalem Bay, provides an ideal venue for new comers to try their hand at crabbing. Six dollars rents you a baited crab ring and a spot on their dock for the entire day.


Dockhands will cheerfully instruct you on using a crab ring and how to tell which crabs are legal to keep. In Oregon, only males of a minimum size may be harvested. Lest you be tempted to sneak a few non-legal crabs into the pot, remember that the fine for keeping a female or undersize male is $300.00 per crab!

In a high tech world, crabbing remains decidedly low tech. Just toss the crab ring off the dock and let it sink to the bottom. Make sure you keep your feet clear of the attached rope. Pull the ring back to the dock after 15 minutes. The great thing about crabbing is you get crabs with nearly every cast. It sure beats fishing, where you can go all day with out a nibble.

First time crabbers fear being pinched by those ferocious looking claws. Crabs can safely be handled by grasping them at the rear of their shells. That way the pinchers cannot reach any of your digits.


The Jetty Fishery sponsors the famous Nehalem Bay crab derby the second weekend of June. A few days before the derby begins, crabs are tagged and released back into the bay. Catch a crab with a tag and you claim the prize assigned to that tag. Prizes range from fishing gear to a thousand dollars in cash.

Be warned though, if you catch the crab with the grand prize tag you might want to think twice before claiming it. The local medical clinic donates a free vasectomy to the grand prizewinner!

At the end of the day just haul your crabs up to the cooking area and the folks at the Jetty Fishery will take care of them for you. While your crabs are boiling, wander into the store and select your beverage of choice. Picnic benches line the bank and provide a scenic view of the bay to enjoy with your meal. During the colder months there is always a nice campfire going.

If catching your own crabs doesn't appeal to you, not to worry. There is a whole tank full of live crabs available, just point out the one you want and the crab cooker will have him boiled and ready to eat in about twenty minutes.

If you are travelling to the Oregon coast you owe it to yourself to stop by and check out all that the Jetty Fishery has to offer.