The Best Crab Bait: What Really Works on the Oregon Coast

Every summer, we put our theories to the test out on the water — and this year, we ran a series of hands-on experiments to find out what bait really catches the most crab. From the open ocean to the bays, and even off the beach with crab snares, we mixed things up and tracked the results carefully.

Here’s how it went.

The Baits We Tested

We ran intermixed strings of pots, each loaded with a different bait type to keep the results fair. Here’s the lineup:

1. Mulched Cat/Dog Food

2. Chicken

3. Hot Dogs

4. Salmon Heads & Bellies

5. Shad

6. Tuna Belly & Bloodline

7. Canned Fish Bait

Each was tested in three different environments:

• Ocean Crabbing (deeper water pots offshore)

• Bay Crabbing (pots set in estuaries and tidal flats)

• Crab Snaring (casting snares from the beach or jetties)

Ocean Crabbing Results

In the open ocean, two baits clearly stood out.

🥇 Best Overall: Shad

Shad released a strong, long-lasting scent trail that carried well through the current. Most likely due to its high fat content and highly reflective scales. It consistently pulled the most Dungeness into the pots.

🥈 Runner-Up: Salmon Heads & Bellies

Not far behind shad, salmon scraps proved highly effective. The natural oils and scent from the bellies made them an excellent second choice — especially if you’ve got leftovers from your last salmon trip.

Bay Crabbing Results

Inside the bays, where water movement is slower and scent disperses differently, and food abundance is higher we saw a surprising shift.

🥇 Best Overall (Tie): Chicken & Mulched Cat/Dog Food

Plain chicken thighs or drumsticks were extremely consistent. But the real dark horse? Ground-up pet food sealed in bait jars or mesh bags. The oily, meaty scent from mulched pet food carried well and drew crabs steadily.

🥈 Runner-Up: Hot Dogs

It turns out crabs don’t mind a little tubed meat. Hot dogs performed decently — not quite as potent as chicken or pet food, but they’ll absolutely work in a pinch, especially when cut into smaller pieces.

 

Crab Snaring Results

When it came to snaring crabs from the surf, the results weren’t even close.

🥇 Best Overall: Ground Uncooked Tuna Bloodline

By far the fastest and most effective bait. Soak times dropped from 20 minutes to under 10 minutes using raw tuna bloodline — the scent plume was intense and immediate. If you’re snaring from the beach, nothing beats it.

What We Learned

Different waters, different winners. What dominates offshore won’t necessarily win in the bay.

Scent dispersion matters. Oily, bloody baits like tuna, shad, and salmon create stronger scent trails in moving water.

Don’t overthink it. Simple baits like chicken or even pet food work great when food abundance is high and water is full of other scents

Fresh beats frozen. Across all tests, fresher bait consistently out-fished cooked bait.

 

🧭 Final Rankings

Environment	🥇 Best Bait	🥈 Runner-Up	Notes for best bait
Ocean Crabbing	Shad	Salmon Heads & Bellies	Shad oil disperses beautifully offshore
Bay Crabbing	Chicken / Mulched Pet Food	Hot Dogs	Pet food has surprisingly consistent scent release on crab used in murky dirty bay waters.
Crab Snaring	Tuna Bloodline	Salmon Belly	Tuna scent activates fast, but it dissipates quickly, works best for short soak times.

 

The Takeaway

If you’re heading out for Dungeness this season, match your bait to your conditions:

Ocean: Go with shad or salmon scraps.

Bay: Chicken or mulched pet food will do the job.

Beach snaring: Tuna bloodline is the secret sauce.

Every spot, tide, and soak time can make a difference — but choosing the right bait gives you the edge before the pot even hits bottom.

 

Get the best way to protect for bait in a crab pot -  Bait Basket Mega

Check out our crab snares - Raputrap Crab Snares

 

Tight lines and full pots,

The Oregon Lure Team