I have always loved crabbing. The adrenaline of pulling up the crab pot, the anticipation of catching some giant dungeness crab never gets old. And the popularity of crabbing for dungeness crabs on the West Coast continues to grow.Crab attractants play a big role in helping you catch more dungeness crabs. You can use common crab baits (chicken, fish) with some extra scent help to fill a limit faster, but stand out among the crowd of crabbers. In crabbing, being different or having a different bait for the crabs can be just the ticket!In the spring I came across a new crab attract from a company in Northwest Washington at the Pacific Northwest Sportsman’s Show, McKay Shrimp and Crab gear out of Brinnon, Washington. Their white colored bottle caught my attention, but the contents inside the bottle made me pause: super dark, brown colored crab attractant made of 100% fish oil? Yes, McKay attractant looks like soy sauce, but has the punch of the smelliest fish I have ever smelled.Over the course of the winter, spring and into the summer I have been using the McKay attractant on chicken and fish to brine up bait for crabbing. So what’s the verdict? McKay attractant is solid! I caught crabs with brined bait every time out, and on a few occasions caught more crabs than regular bait or another brined crab bait. On a chicken vs. McKay chicken challenge, the crab traps with McKay did better than just chicken.Unlike other brand making crab attractant, McKay is 100% fish oil, where as other companies use a combination of chunky bait, fish oil, aminos and additives, making the attractant red colored. I would recommend if you are into crabbing, get a bottle of McKay attractant, brine your chicken, fish, or any crab bait, and put it to use to catch more crabs! Just don’t get any on your hands, then wipe your face or lick your fingers!
