In the January 2022 Gear bag we at Fish Alaska are going to look at some great products for the recreational shellfish angler, including a boat, cooler and even a cookstove to cook your catch on.
HT Enterprises Siberian Ice Box
htent.com
This unique system combines a padded foam cushion with an interior compartment supporting four lure boxes, a multi-section tackle tray and Styrofoam-insulated storage compartment beneath, plus two removable, accessory outer-storage sleeves and two wire rod holders. It also includes an adjustable, padded shoulder strap for hands-free transport, and molded, serrated foot pads for a secure, non-slip base.
Camp Chef Outdoor Cooker 60K BTU
campchef.com
This unit is perfect for cooking crab and in conjunction with Camp Chef’s 42-quart Aluminum Cooker Pot, you will be ready to boil up a mess of crab. We’ve been using this system for the last three years and we can fit 48 Dungeness crab clusters (24 crabs, remove the two clusters from each using the LeeLock Crab Cracker and discard the shell and guts) into the pot. The cooker takes about 45 minutes to get all that water boiling, then we submerge the clusters and bring it back to a boil and within 15 minutes the crab is cooked. The high-pressure burner puts out a lot of heat and quickly brings water to boil.
LeeLock Crab Cracker
leelock.com
This anodized, solid-aluminum tool is indispensable for crabbing. First, it allows you to measure your crabs, with pre-marked notches on the device at 5 3/4”, 6”, 6 1/4” and 6 1/2”. This means that you can use this tool to accurately measure crabs in WA, OR, CA, AK and Canada. Next, it sits on top of a five-gallon bucket, and by placing the crab on top of the Cracker and whacking the top of the shell with the other hand, you can easily and quickly kill the crab, separate the two clusters and leave all the guts and carapace in the bucket. This makes it possible to fit more crabs in your cooker and is a very efficient way to clean your crabs.
Pro-Cure Crab & Shrimp Attractant
pro-cure.com
We’ve been using this oil every time we go Dungeness crabbing and it has helped us get limits of crab on every trip. We like to put our baits in mesh bags so that seals and sea lions can’t pull the bait out of our crab traps, and before we place the bait into bags, we marinate it in Pro-Cure’s Crab & Shrimp Attractant Oil. The attractant includes fish oils, salmon egg juice, pure anise oil and amino acids.
Promar Deluxe Folding Crab Trap
promarnets.com
Perfect for crabbing, the Promar Folding Crab Trap makes a great choice for recreational shellfish anglers. Featuring four entrance doors, a tending door, and two 4 3/8″ escape rings. Constructed of vinyl-coated steel wire, this durable trap folds flat for easy transport and storage. We choose to keep ours upright and assembled and store our 50 feet of Promar Lead Line, two Promar 6” x 14” Floats, and 4-Arm Trap Harness in the pot and ready for use.
SeaArk Boats 2472 MV
seaarkboats.com
SeaArk has been building jon boats their whole career and they know how to build one that lasts. Their 72-inch-bottom jons are constructed from .125-gauge aluminum and include oversized ribs and rib doublers, plus a 3/16-inch extruded keel to help when pulling into rough beaches or gravel bars. This is a jon boat that will last a lifetime and is up to the challenges that Alaska doles out.