On Wed, 28 Oct 2015 09:47:44 -0400, John H.
wrote:

Soft shells are caught in traps just like the hard shell. They make great rockfish
bait. I'd put a quarter of a soft shell on a hook. Usually had pretty good luck. But,
using soft shells for bait is not cheap.
--

I guess you don't see peeler crabs up there anymore. They are as
attractive to the fish and stay on the hook better.
It is basically a blue crab in mid molt. You can crack it and pull out
the meat along with a very tough skin that holds it on the hook.
Rock fish were virtually endangered when I was up there but it was
excellent for hard heads and trout. You really did not need a lot of
bait, A little chunk would do fine. One crab might be 8 or 10 baits.