"Right now is the prime time for crabbing," said Brandon Ford, an ODFW spokesman in Newport. "The crab are in the best condition throughout winter and into the spring. The pre-season testing of ocean crab for the commercial fishery showed that crabs had hard shells and were full of meat. And crabbing in the bays and estuaries has improved in the recent weeks."

Ford said that crab are now plump and full of meat after filling their new shells with muscle tissues since molting in late summer.

The recent storms did not affect non-commercial crabbing in the least, said Ford. There is, however, a ban on collecting shellfish and toxin alert from Newport to Astoria, because of the storm. This does not affect crabbing.

Newport alone has dozens of crabbing spots along the Yaquina Bay, where crabbing is allowed year-round. It's also known as the "Dungeness Crab Capitol of the World," partially because the area's fishing fleet has broken many records for crab hauls in recent years.

Commercial crab season opened December 1, and this means that the ocean will be open for crabbing to private citizens as well.

"When ocean conditions permit, anglers can combine crabbing and bottom fishing in one trip," Ford said. "I believe there are more people looking for those opportunities. The crabs are generally bigger in the deep ocean, although it is often a matter of luck, like any sport fishing."

But Ford says that the bay is also a good place to find Dungeness crab, especially for those new to the sport.

"In South Beach, there's that dock that goes way into the water, and it's mostly used for crabbing," Ford said. "But you can fish from there."

Aside from numerous crabbing spots all along Yaquina Bay, some bayside lodgings provide crab cookers for guests. These include the Landing at Newport and Embarcadero Resort. The bay also features about ten charter boat services.

You must have an annual shellfish license to go crabbing, the cost of which is $6.50 per year or $16.50 per year for non-residents of Oregon. For more information on Oregon coast crabbing, see Department of Fish and Wildlife, or call ODFW's Newport office at (541) 867-4741.