Crewmembers on the commercial fishing vessel Frya stack crab pots on the deck Friday. The Pilot/Steve Kadel

The smile on Tim Musser’s face said it all.

It was Wednesday, the day before local commercial crab fishermen finally headed out to set their traps, and Musser could barely contain his joy.

“I’ve been waiting like you can’t believe,” he said.

 Commercial and recreational fishermen from Gold Beach to Northern California have endured a six-week delay in the season because the crab was below meat percentage requirements.  

That postponement from the normal Dec. 1 starting to Jan. 15 was the longest in history for the Brookings area. 

But as of 12:01 a.m. Sunday, everyone can start fishing again. Commercial boat operators can pull up their pots and begin getting the product to buyers.

This year’s price is $3 per pound, which is up from last year’s rate, said Gloria Grimsley, manager of Hallmark Fisheries, one of three companies buying crab at the Port of Brookings Harbor.

Fisherman Bernie Lindley said the local fleet was paid $1.75 per pound for the first load of crab last season.

Hallmark collects crab from boats as soon as they come into the port, and takes the catch in refrigerated trucks to Charleston, where it is processed.

The weather forecast is for a downturn in the next few days. The high pressure that has dominated recently will weaken tonight with showers likely, according to the Port of Brookings Harbor’s website.

Ocean swells will build to 8 to 10 feet, increasing to 10 to 13 feet on Sunday, the website said. Lower swells are expected by Tuesday.

Fishermen are crossing their fingers for a profitable season.

“We’re always hopeful for a good year, but it’s always different,” said Musser.

He said friends who have already been crabbing north of Gold Beach and near San Francisco have had “fairly good” results.

Musser and crew member Kirby Stidham spent Wednesday afternoon cutting bait. Stidham used a chain saw to carve chunks of squid and sardines from large frozen blocks.

Squid is the king of crab bait, Musser said, because “it’s oily stuff. You want to put out a scent.”

He held the blocks as Stidham sawed through them, with debris flying up from the chain saw like wood chips.

Meanwhile, O’Donell Doyle and Daniel Franks put pre-cut pieces of bait into plastic containers in preparation for the season’s start. This is the third crab season for both men and they sat on their boat, Instigator, discussing the upcoming harvest.

“I think it’s going to be good,” Doyle said. “All the crab are out there just waiting. Your first few pulls are usually the best.”

Like most of the fishermen, they expect to make most of their money early in the season.

“We’ll load about 8,000 pounds (of crab) on here if we’re blessed,” said Doyle, who spends part of the year working construction. “Construction’s down, so this is a good supplement in the winter.”

Lucinda Williams, another third-year crab fisher, also was looking forward to  being on the ocean. She’s a crew member aboard Capt. Benjamin Westbrook’s boat, Frya.

“What counts most is the first two weeks,” Williams said. “That’s the most profitable.”

She met Westbrook years back at Ken’s Tavern and he offered a job.

“That’s where all the fishermen hang out,” Williams said. “He asked if I was interested and I told him yes. I’ve always gravitated to the ocean.”

The 41-year-old Grants Pass resident doesn’t see anything unusual about a woman going to sea.

“I bait jars, I drive and I even swab the decks,” she said. “I do everything a deckhand does except heavy lifting.”

Last-minute chores also were being taken care of Wednesday on the Jenny Lynn, where brothers Larry, Dave and Spence Moore were preparing for the season. The trio doesn’t lack experience in the game.

“We have 183 years of age on the boat,” Spence said with a grin. “We don’t fish as hard as we used to.

“When you’re young, you think you’re invincible. ‘No fear’ was the idea when we were young. Now we think a little more about longevity. Sometimes older and smarter is good.”

Spence, whose white beard  falls to his chest, said the brothers have been crab fishermen since 1975.

“We have salt in our veins,” he said.

The others nodded, obviously eager for Sunday’s opening.

“Let the insanity begin,” Larry Moore exclaimed.