May 20 - 23, 2024 - Marguerite Bay

May 23, 2024

Departing Ketchikan, performed an engine room check and discovered engine oil seeping from top of the oil filter. Stopped the engine, snugged up the filter, and seepage was resolved. We traveled up Clover Passage and Behm Canal to Traitors Cove and into the bay. Ready to do some “catching” we dropped both crab pots off the stern at 2:00 PM and then set anchor. We also set a line out for halibut – but – it snagged on the bottom as the tide ebbed resulting in a loss of the set-up. At low tide, a survey of the shoreline resulted in the spotting of a trio of deer walking along a creek.

Next morning was calm with a nice view out to Behm Canal. A trio of Surf Scoters passed nearby providing a good photo opp. And we spotted a black bear roaming the shoreline where the deer were the previous day. A deer could be seen on the islet performing a bit of morning grooming. We lowered the tender for a ride up Traitors Cove where we saw a boat anchored near the head. The wind had kicked up making it a bit of a slow, lumpy, ride. We found the anchorage spot of the other boat (had left earlier) and checked out the narrows to the upper cove where we could see water still rushing in even though we were near high tide. We headed back to pick up the crab pots which had soaked for 24 hours. The first one we pulled up had four crabs in it. But the second one had 14 crabs in it for a combined total of 18 crabs - all males and all legal size. I suspect the pot with four had one of the doors hung open on the bait bag allowing crabs to escape as the bait was all gone! We selected the crabs per our limit, releasing the rest, finished up the day cleaning and cooking crab, setting one pot out for another round, and finishing up with a nice crab dinner and a clear night sky.

With a sunny day we walked to the lake and back, a 4-mile roundtrip trek. Along the way we met a couple of locals who had pulled in for the day, Dave and Diedre, and had a nice chat. Returning to Raven, we pulled our crab pot and caught 8 crabs in one pot (1 female) kept 5. Not as well as the previous day – turns out fish heads are the better bait versus a pork loin or shrimp.

The following day was rainy and was spent shelling and vacuum bagging our catch. We pulled the pot one last time and had 6 crabs, kept 4 (1 female, 1 small). After two movies, cleaning, cooking, and bagging our limit was complete!