The much-anticipated opening of recreational crabbing has finally arrived.

For many this has been a fun family activity enjoyed for many years, while some of you may be attempting this for the first time. Whatever the case, crabbing is a great way to enjoy the lazy days of summer.

There are two species of crabs that local anglers will encounter, the Dungeness and the Red Rock. They are easily identified on the water.

Rocks are usually smaller, around five to six inches, and are a deep dark red. The tips of the claws are black tipped.

The Dungeness is usually larger, must be six and one-quarter inches to be legal, and are a lighter shade of red. Their claws do not have the distinct black tips.

Many prefer the Dungeness because of size and its softer shell. Personally, I have found the Rocks to have a much harder shell, thus it takes a little more work to get at the sweet succulent meat.

Either way you go, you will be in for a treat at the table no matter which you choose. Before heading out, be sure to check the regulations. In there will be the daily bag and size limits, plus the pictures that will help you identify sex.

Most years either sex of Rocks can be kept, but only male Dungeness may be retained. The key is to check the abdomen of the crabs. The triangular abdomen of the females is much wider than the males.

Another thing to check for is the hardness of the shell. If the “cheek” of the crab flexes with finger pressure, the shell is too soft and the crab must be released. The shell must harden before the muscle tissue grows into the new shell. Even if you take a large crab, if it is soft, there will be very little meat. Throw it back and take the ones that will be loaded with the delicate flesh.

Now that I have your interest, you will need a few things to get started. There are many ways to take crabs. Most can be either used from a boat or the shore. Box traps are common. You bait the trap, set it and then relax. After about fifteen minutes, pull your trap and sort through the take.

If you set your traps and leave them unattended be sure you have red/white buoys and have them marked properly. If you are going to be in the area, you can use any color you like. It is illegal to use old milk cartons, or old bleach and antifreeze bottles, not to mention if you lose them they litter our wonderful beaches.

Rings and star traps are also very popular. These items lie flat on the bottom and when you pull, the sides come up preventing the crabs from exiting the trap. You can also buy a special “trap” that attaches to your fishing line and use a regular rod and reel setup.

Other ways are wading and diving for crabs. No matter what way you choose the one thing you need to look for is a sandy bottom, with plenty of eelgrass. The crabs love to mingle and once you find an area such as this, you will usually find crabs.

What to use as bait is a personal preference. You can usually find commercial baits in many of the sporting good stores. Other people use fish scraps, if you have been one of the lucky anglers, or ask the seafood people at the stores to save them for you from their fish trimmings.

A very popular bait is turkey legs. These large baits work well, because they hold up well to the crabs feeding on them, plus they are very inexpensive. A little trick I use with the turkey leg is a can of cat food. The smell of the cat food attracts the crabs and when they enter the trap they find the leg to feast on. I usually bring different baits and set each trap with something different. Once I find which trap is taking more crabs, I will switch my traps over.

There are many popular places to try locally for a great dinner. The waters all around Oak Harbor are great places to try if you have a boat.

Crescent Harbor is always popular and a good bet to start. I usually start out from the old icehouse and work my way east. The west side of Polnell Point is another area that can be productive for both species, and I have had some very good luck on the east side as well.

One often-overlooked area is around Maylor Point. Just south of the refueling pier has produced great results when other places have failed. The north point of Camano Island can be very good. There is a special recreational only area that is very popular and usually yields good results.

Cornet Bay is another area, but be careful if you enter into the passage. The current can whip through there pretty good, and more than one crabber has lost their gear. If you don’t have a boat, many crab have been taken from the fishing pier at Cornet, and my sons have taken a few crabs wading in the areas around Ala Spit.

With their shells hardening, now is the time to get out and enjoy this time-honored tradition. It beats any day of work, and the rewards are well worth the effort.