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Field Notes from Jess ~ Rewilding in 2021 | Week 23/52 | Spring

crab fishing jetty fishing rewilding May 30, 2021
 
CRAB FISHING NEWPORT OREGON 
 
Destination Oregon Coast...packed up my truck for a little road trip south to meet up with Scott Turner Silhouette Outdoors, who drove over from Boise Idaho so we could spend 2 full days fishing off the South Jetty in Newport. We had this big idea of feasting on fresh Dungeness Crab from the beach, and hoped we would get lucky with some big males. (Dept. of Fish and Wildlife regulates what you can keep and you must return the female crabs to the ocean as they only mate once in their lifetimes)
I got my annual angling license for Oregon, bought my first crab snare and Scott picked me up a used 10-ft. surf rod and reel. Gear ~ check.
The hike out on the jetty was brutal! If I had not caught anything this would have been considered a rock climbing excursion. The further out you venture, the bigger the boulders and I found it extremely challenging to navigate.
We got lucky with 2 glorious blue-sky days, a very rare gift from the PNW Coast. We caught Lingcod, Kelp Greenling, Black Sea Bass AND crab! This involves tying on a snare to the end of the surf rod and casting out with fresh bait locked inside. I wasn’t able to cast out very far but enjoyed learning the process, especially reeling in the catch, which has a specific technique to be successful....mainly reel in fast and furious to keep the line tight so they don’t fall out of the collapsed snare. If you want to learn more on this, Scott has a detailed YouTube video on crab fishing Newport:
Nerdy nutrition info: Dungeness crab is really high in protein with very little fat. It’s Rich in selenium and zinc and has outstanding levels of vitamin B12.
We were successful! On our last night, we set up my Camp Chef grill with a big boiling pot on one burner and grass-fed butter to melt on the other. Our feast was epic...tailgate style with tunes, and a beautiful setting sun over the water. Scott brought pickled asparagus and I brought a strawberry rhubarb pie. I love ocean to table eating and this was as fresh as you can get! I now think crab meat is my favorite food. It’s like dinner and dessert at the same time!
We got some great pics that I’m excited to share with you. 🏹🤎 Thank you for your continuous love, enthusiasm and support.
Big love to all those being honored and remembered today.
~ Jess
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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