One of my favourite things to do when I visit my grandparents in Oregon is to go crabbing. My last meal would probably be something with crab in it as I love it that much. I don’t know if you have ever tried to go and buy some fresh (or not so fresh) crab, but it’s PRICEY. A crabbing license and some chicken legs to catch your own is cheaper, and a lot more fun.
If you are visiting the Oregon coast, and not from the great state of Oregon, you can get a 3 day non-resident license to test out the crabbing waters. My Papa has his own crab rings for catching the little pinchers, but you can rent them at most docks that allow crabbing. For bait we tend to stick to trusty chicken legs, which you attach in a little bait basket to the bottom of the crab ring. You can also use other sorts of bait like fish, turkey, clams, as long as it’s fresh, that’s your best bet. 
Make sure you bring a bucket or cooler to fill with water to keep your crabs fresh and alive. There are rules regarding which crabs you are allowed to keep as well. You have to throw back females and only keep the males, and there are special crab rulers to measure the width of the shell. If the crab is too small, you have to toss it back to the ocean to grow a little more. I always get the most excited pulling up the baskets and seeing a whole bunch of crabs skittering about. Out of the bunch though, you are lucky if you get one that you can keep. You toss them all back (preferably as far away from your bait basket as you can get) and keep trying. It takes some time and scenery admiring to catch your fill. 
You’ve got to watch out though, the crabs aren’t the only ones who want your bait. Seagulls and seals prowl around trying to steal it out of the baskets or if you leave it lying unattended on the docks. 
Once you are done for the day, share the love and toss that unused bait to the seagulls. Keeps them from praying on the other crabbers along the docks for a little while. 
Once you get home, you are going to boil up your crabs and get to enjoy the fruits of your labour. The pinchers are the sweetest meat I think. I’ve never had to clean a whole crab by myself, the perks of having a Papa 🙂 I have however spend hours getting all the meat out of the leftovers after dinner so we can make crab meat omelettes the next day for breakfast. If I could live along the coast and eat seafood every day, I’d be one happy camper.Have you ever been crabbing?
