Hardware stores across Whidbey Island are fully stocked with the necessities: round and square pots, bait, buoys, bait boxes and lead line.

And everything is going fast.

Crab season opens Friday July 1 and runs through Sept. 5.

Hunting the succulent crustaceans is permitted throughout the season except for every Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Puget Sound is home to Dungeness and Red Rock crabs, both of which are free to catch and eat.

Whidbey Island is surrounded by three marine areas designated by Fish and Wildlife, all of which open on the same day. Marine area 9 covers Admiralty Inlet, to the west and south of the island, and area 8-1 covers Saratoga Passage, from Deception Pass to the South End.

Area 8-2 covers the waters off Langley, Clinton and east towards Mukilteo.

Don Velasquez, a state fish and wildlife biologist, said the areas surrounding Whidbey should all be well-stocked with Dungeness and Red Rock crabs this year.

While the haul is usually even, Velasquez says there are hot spots.

“I would say, if you look at the recent track record, area 8-1 has the best supply,” Velasquez said.

The east side of the island is typically the place to be for recreational crabbers, said John Hetherington of Oak Harbor’s Ace Hardware, noting the currents aren’t as difficult to deal with there. The east side also tends to be more protected from the wind.

“It looks like it’s going to be a good year,” Hetherington said.

Other fishing and crabbing aficionados around the island tend to agree.

“I think the area in Holmes Harbor and Greenbank is going to have a particularly great year,” said Jonathan Rich, sales associate at the Ace Hardware in Freeland who’s also known as “the fish whisperer” within the store.

While crab populations in Puget Sound are believed to be bountiful, the fishery is regulated by the state. All sport crabbers are required to obtain a current Washington fishing license and acquire a crab endorsement. Endorsements can be purchased with the fishing license.

The rules are different among crab species.

For the larger and more desirable Dungeness, crabbers are required to fill out a catch record card before they drop their crab pots back into the water. Minimum size for caught crab is 6.25 inches with a limit of five males. All female, undersized and soft-shell crab must be released.

For the smaller Red Rock crabs, the minimum size is five inches with a limit of six crabs of either sex. Soft-shell crabs must be tossed back into the water. If crabbers wish to clean their catch on the water, they must keep the back shell as proof of their catch.

Whidbey Islanders can expect a plentiful season this time around, said Velasquez. Crabbers are coming off one of the best seasons Puget Sound has ever seen, especially in the marine areas surrounding the island.

While those levels aren’t expected to be reached this year, experts say prospects are good.

“Last year in the Whidbey/Camano area, it was a record year for harvest,” Velasquez said. “The early indication from test fishing is that it’s not quite as good as last year but it’s awfully close.”

Although one can try to fish for crab from piers such as the one at Cornet Bay, crabbing is primarily a boater’s sport.

Methods for raking in the best harvest varies among crabbers. Some use leftover salmon heads and guts and others chicken or turkey scraps. Some even use canned cat food. Multiple scent products are sold to enhance the bait to help leave a stronger scent trail, which is crucial to luring in crab.

The stinkier the better, said Rich, and everybody has their own putrid mixture.

“The best thing for me, believe it or not, are turkey legs,” Rich said. “Bait is definitely a concoction that varies depending on the person.”

“Everyone has their own recipe.”

But bait recipes are only the first part of a successful crabbing equation. Experienced fishers say the key is knowing where the hotspots are.

“You’d have to go and find out yourself,” said KeryJean Gehling, a floor associate at the Freeland Ace .

Gehling’s said her best crabbing spot is a closely-guarded secret, and that likely won’t change anytime soon.