Crabbing

[ponyo]

I want to try catching some blue crabs and lobsters. I plan on crabbing from a pier. I ordered 4 one foot traps. Is that enough for recreational crabber? Do I need more? Any tips or experience? Complete novice here.

 

[skyking]

I use a turkey leg wired to the side of the trap. Some folks use a can of cat food. Perforate the top with an old fashioned can opener, the kind that makes holes for pouring out juice.

 

[Newbian]

I have seen enough deadliest catch episodes to not even try it. 😉

 

[zerocool84]

I thought this was a dance thread.

 

[ArizonaSteve]

Isn't crabbing an aviation term too?

 

[El Guaraguao]

When I first came down to the south (florida), I took my girlfriend to a park right on the st johns river. It also has a pier. At night time, we would take a stroll the park and pier. Everytime we went, there was always these 2 old asian ladies with a couple of mobile laundry basket..haha, ya know those shopping cart-like baskets that you use for laundry? well they had those filled up with blue crab. I asked them how to manage to get so my crabs. String.Raw chicken (somewhat rotten) and patience. They would tie up the chicken and let it sit in the water and slowly pull up the rope to find a good size blue crab holding on to the chicken.

 

[IAteYourMother]

Text

 

[imported_weadjust]

I use chicken and turkey necks for bait for crabs don't know about lobster. Leave the necks outside in the sun for a day or two so they stink big time. Crabs are ocean buzzards they like dead rotten smelly bait.

 

[minendo]

The average male uses 5-7" of bait and 1 in 3 of them will catch crabs.

 

[Newbian]

Originally posted by: minendo
The average male uses 5-7" of bait and 1 in 3 of them will catch crabs.

Well money works as a better bait but when you pay for it it's more like a 9/10 you will catch it. 😉

 

[MrPickins]

Originally posted by: mofoe2001
When I first came down to the south (florida), I took my girlfriend to a park right on the st johns river. It also has a pier. At night time, we would take a stroll the park and pier. Everytime we went, there was always these 2 old asian ladies with a couple of mobile laundry basket..haha, ya know those shopping cart-like baskets that you use for laundry? well they had those filled up with blue crab. I asked them how to manage to get so my crabs. String.Raw chicken (somewhat rotten) and patience. They would tie up the chicken and let it sit in the water and slowly pull up the rope to find a good size blue crab holding on to the chicken.

My dad does it this way also. This works really well if you have the patience.

I always preferred using a crab net.

Tie a chicken neck to the bottom, tie the net to a pier and drop it in. Wait a few minutes, and reel it up faster than the crabs can swim out. It's almost too easy.

 

[imported_weadjust]

x2 on the crab net. Big cooler of beer. Empty cooler for crabs.

 

[skyking]

Originally posted by: ArizonaSteve
Isn't crabbing an aviation term too?

Indeed, the crab angle is the difference between the longitudinal axis of the plane and the direction of travel over the ground. When you watch those vids of a 747 or 777 doing a maximum crosswind landing and they are not aligned with the runway, they are crabbing.
youtube link.
At the last moment the pilot kicks the nose around to align the plane (hopefully) with the runway.
A typical General Aviation aircraft uses a sideslip with one wing lowered into the wind and opposite rudder.
That won't work as well on those transport planes with engines hung below the wing and long wings. Things tend to get messed up when they hit the runway.
Example.

 

[Sumguy]

You can catch crab using a chicken leg and rope, no shit. Don't even need a net/cage.

My dad got bored one day and brought three chicken legs with us when we went fishing. He just tied it up to the fishing line and cast out. Reeled it in really slow, and once it got close enough, flung it onto land (I think only one let go).

He made his own trap from chicken wire and wood. Same bait. Its basically a cube with a funnel going in, so the crabs can't find the exit fast enough to escape. They aren't really hard to catch.


I've only caught one lobster. It was off a bridge, and a complete mistake, since the hook got caught in a hinge on one of its legs.

 

[silverpig]

I've been crabbing a few times. It's easy. Just get a couple good crab traps, throw some chicken in them, dump them in the water, fuck off for the day, return several hours later, reel the thing in and you'll have a cooler full of crabs with 15 minutes work.

 

[Iron Woode]

obligatory worst joke ever:

Why do crabs make good snacks?

because you can eat them right out of the box.

😛

 

[octopus41092]

Generally crabs isn't something you want to catch 😀

 

[iGas]

1. Check local fishery for sport fishing regulation (fishing licenses may required).
2. Make sure that maximum amount of traps allowed per person.
3. Check crab male/female, type, and size using a ruler.
4. Maximum amount of crab/s allowed per session/per day.

IMHO, fresh chicken/turkey/fish worked much better for me than rotten/staled baits. I change baits every 45-60 minutes to make sure that they are fresh. Don't leave trap in the water too long so that octopus or sunfish/starfish get at the crabs & baits. Don't pull the trap up too often....leave traps in the water long enough to let the crab/s have a chance to get to the bait/s (I find anywhere between 25-60 minutes is sufficient).

I once left the trap/s in the water for more than 3 hours (went off to have a beer with a buddy at lunch), and the traps were full of sunfish/starfish when I pulled them up.

Good luck!

And, please post the result.

PS. the best result for me are steel & stainless steel/net traps that have one-way trap doors.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: octopus41092
Generally crabs isn't something you want to catch 😀

Speaking from experience??

 

[ponyo]

Thanks for the replies. I plan on setting some traps and checking while fishing. Now I can't wait to head back down to Navarre Beach, FL, to fish and crab.

 

[venkman]

Originally posted by: zerocool84
I thought this was a dance thread.

i though this was an std thread.

 

[KeithTalent]

LEAVE DUG ALONE!!! :|

KT

 

[squirrel dog]

I caught crabs off the beach at Mt.Pleasant as a child using string and chicken necks.We would catch so many the adults would have us stop(several dozen)that method does work.traps would be nice also,do both.In Louisiana you need a trapping lic.I think and you can have maybe ten dozen on you,again I think.Ten dozen live crabs will keep you focused.

 

[EagleKeeper]

When living in Southern Md, I had 2 2ft cube pots that I would toss off a dock into the St Mary's or Potomac river during crab season.

At the beginning of the season, I went down to a local fishing marina and purchased a trash bag full of trash fish ($5). Rolled 3 fish up in newspaper and stuffed the freezer.

Every morning I would capture a pot and place a fish package in the bait tunnel and toss it back.
Total time ~10 minutes
If the pots were tied to a pier, they would be robbed/confiscated.
In evening I would capture the other pot; empty supper (15+ Blue crabs) into a bucket, toss females back and toss pot back into water.
Total time ~15 minutes

We never had beef during crab season.

I had a 25' thin clothesline with a mini grappling hook tied tod the end. To oss the line out wnhere tohe pot should be and drag until located.


I do not know anything about catching those overgrown crawfish that they call "lobsters" in the south

 

[JDub02]

my wife's friend's family is into commercial crab fishing in the chesapeake. i've been asking to go for a day .. just to say i did it.