By

Search for this sign when you are looking to find crabs in the area. 

 

Knowing where to catch crabs off of piers in the Lower mainland of B.C. is just as important as the bait and types of traps you use. Crab fishing in an area that is frequented by Dungeness or Rock crabs will play a huge role in the amount of crabs you will catch. You will want to know first, before dropping your trap that there are crabs at the bottom of that ocean.

There are a lot of crabs in the lower mainland, but they are not everywhere. This fact is even more noticeable when you are fishing from shore.

 

Here are a couple of signs to look out for when scoping out your “sweet spot”:

  1. Are there other crabbers on the pier with crabs in their buckets?
  2. If you see eel grass washed up on shore and large dead crabs or crab shells, then there are crabs in the area.
  3. Is the area you’re scoping out in a bay with a river nearby? Crabs like to live in the rich silt-laden ocean floor that rivers provide.
  4. A tell-tale sign that crabs are in the area is if spot a fisheries and ocean sign with the red border and black writing indicating the size and catch limits, (and also the harmful effects of eating crab lungs).

 

Piers Known for Catching Crabs:

Ambleside Park, located in West Vancouver is easy to get to and a great place to spend the day and throw a crab trap or two in. There is less competition for crabs when you go to this pier on a cloudy or rainy day.

Belcarra Park, located in Port Moody has a pier that is great for crabbing. You will likely catch more Red Rock crabs than Dungeness crabs, but you won’t go home empty handed. This is also a great place to spend the day.

White Rock pier, located in White Rock (about 50 minutes from Vancouver), has a very long pier that takes a while to get to the end. There are Dungeness crabs in this area but you have to be pretty lucky because it has been overfished.

Crescent Beach pier is a small pier that sometimes has lots of crabs and sometimes you get skunked. There is a strong current here so you want to time your crabbing according to the tides.

Outside of the lower mainland there are a couple of other piers and docks that I have had success with:

Nanaimo pier is the best place for crabbing hands down.

Sidney has a great pier for fishing as well. This is where you will find the super-large red rock crabs.

The marina docks on Bowen Island have always been good to me.

Where to Catch Crabs in the Lower Mainland British Columbia
 
 
:
: Main
: 2
Ingredients
  • Crab piers and docks

 

 

Return from Where to Catch Crabs to How to Crab Home

Return to the Crab Fishing Sitemap