How to Catch a Crab
Collect the appropriate crabbing equipment., Get the right bait., Be aware of restrictions in your area., Pick the right place., Leave the pot out overnight., Remove the crabs from the pot.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Collect the appropriate crabbing equipment.
Crabbers who use a crab pot tend to have a dip net (or scrap net) for scooping errant crabs, thick crabbing gloves, a crab pot, a culling stick (to help remove the crabs from the net), and a container for storing the caught crabs.The crab pot is a large square trap that is made out of wire (typically some sort of chicken wire).
There are entrances (called "throats") where the crabs enter the trap to get the bait, which is constructed so they can't access it.
The crabs then get trapped in the pot and you draw the pot back up to the surface with your new bounty.
Depending on the area you're in you 'll have to figure whether you need a lightweight pot or a heavier one.
For example: in the Puget Sound area, most areas support lightweight crab pots just fine, but a few areas, because of tidal currents and strong wave action, require heavier pots.
If you're sport fishing, you typically don't want to use the commercial crab pots which are typically 75-150 lbs. (the pots sportsmen use tend to be 10 to 20 lbs.
The culling stick helps to remove the crabs from the net or pot.
You can make one yourself by cutting a 5 inch (12.7 cm) notch in a piece of wood.
For the storage container, it is good to use a wooden bushel basket, but you can also use a cooler to store them.
Mostly you just want to make sure that you keep the crabs alive until it is time to eat them and storing them in the appropriate container with ice.
Leave the ice in the bag in the container and put the crabs on top of it.
This will make them easier to handle when the time comes to cook them. -
Step 2: Get the right bait.
There are tons of different kinds of bait that professional and sport crabbers use.
You'll have to experiment to see what works best for you, but chicken necks are a popular one, because they are scrap meat and crabs do seem to love them.
You can use frozen fish, because it typically decomposes faster than fresh fish, which better attracts crabs.
While crabs will eat basically any uncooked meat, you could also try some of the types commercial crabbers swear by: eel (this is one of the best ones according to commercial crabbers, but the price as risen because it is a delicacy in Europe and Asia); bull lip (durable, inexpensive, and crabs seem to love it); Menhaden, a type of forage fish, is great frozen, but decomposes very quickly, so if you're leaving the pots out for a while, you would want to use fresh Menhaden. , Every area has different restrictions for how many crabs you can have, what kind of a license you need, the size limit for crabs, where you can crab and when you can crab.
Go to your local marina and talk to the harbormaster, or your local department for Fish and Game.
There are certain types of crabs that you'll be looking to catch and certain ones you'll need to throw back if you get them in your crab pot.
Again, this will be entirely dependent on your area.
For example: if you're crabbing on the East coast of the United States, you'll probably be crabbing for Blue Claw Crabs.
If you catch a green crab or a spider crab, you'll need to release it, as those types of crabs aren't edible.
There also tend to be laws in place protecting crabs with egg sacs, since these need to keep repopulating the crab population.
If you catch a crab with an egg sac, make sure you release it.
Get rid of any dead crabs that you catch.
You don't know how long they've been dead, so you don't want to eat them.
Stick to keeping your crabs alive until it's time to put them in the pot. , You aren't going to want to head out to any old body of water and dump and crab pot in there.
There are specific places where crabs are more plentiful.
Crabs are found in salt water, not fresh water, especially in tidal water.
This type of water can include bays, inlets, the ocean, and saltwater marshes.Again, the problem comes in with different crabbing areas and different kinds of crabs.
Depending on what you're trying to catch, you'll put your pot at a different place or depth.
For example: a lot of people crab off piers, because crabs often pop up around underwater structures.
A good rule of thumb to remember is that crab pots generally need to be set between 20 to 150 feet (6.1 to
45.7 m) in the water, below the lowest tide line (this way the pot doesn't come out of the water when the tide goes out). , The reason most pots are left overnight is that crabs are nocturnal and that's the time when they're wandering around and looking for food.
You have to make sure that you've properly marked your pot so that you can find it again and so that no boats run into the line.You will probably want to anchor your buoy somehow, so that it stays more or less in the same place.
Attach the anchor about 2 to 3 feet (0.6 to
0.9 m) beneath the buoy, which keeps the line submerged, making it less likely that it will be cut off by a boat propeller.
People usually use a brick or a metal bar as an anchor.
Many of the rules dictate that the marker buoy has to be red and white in color and have your name and address and a telephone number.
Only one person's name should appear on the buoy. , Once you've left the trap out overnight, it's time to check the pot for crabs.
Usually you want to pull up a trap evenly, but that is more important with crab rings, so that the crabs don't slide out.
Remove the crab from the trap.
Hold the crab properly once you've gotten the trap to the water's surface.
Grab the crab by the back legs so that it won't pinch you.
Place the live crabs in the container on the ice.
They'll keep until you make it back to shore.
It's best to eat the crabs within 24 hours. -
Step 3: Be aware of restrictions in your area.
-
Step 4: Pick the right place.
-
Step 5: Leave the pot out overnight.
-
Step 6: Remove the crabs from the pot.
Detailed Guide
Crabbers who use a crab pot tend to have a dip net (or scrap net) for scooping errant crabs, thick crabbing gloves, a crab pot, a culling stick (to help remove the crabs from the net), and a container for storing the caught crabs.The crab pot is a large square trap that is made out of wire (typically some sort of chicken wire).
There are entrances (called "throats") where the crabs enter the trap to get the bait, which is constructed so they can't access it.
The crabs then get trapped in the pot and you draw the pot back up to the surface with your new bounty.
Depending on the area you're in you 'll have to figure whether you need a lightweight pot or a heavier one.
For example: in the Puget Sound area, most areas support lightweight crab pots just fine, but a few areas, because of tidal currents and strong wave action, require heavier pots.
If you're sport fishing, you typically don't want to use the commercial crab pots which are typically 75-150 lbs. (the pots sportsmen use tend to be 10 to 20 lbs.
The culling stick helps to remove the crabs from the net or pot.
You can make one yourself by cutting a 5 inch (12.7 cm) notch in a piece of wood.
For the storage container, it is good to use a wooden bushel basket, but you can also use a cooler to store them.
Mostly you just want to make sure that you keep the crabs alive until it is time to eat them and storing them in the appropriate container with ice.
Leave the ice in the bag in the container and put the crabs on top of it.
This will make them easier to handle when the time comes to cook them.
There are tons of different kinds of bait that professional and sport crabbers use.
You'll have to experiment to see what works best for you, but chicken necks are a popular one, because they are scrap meat and crabs do seem to love them.
You can use frozen fish, because it typically decomposes faster than fresh fish, which better attracts crabs.
While crabs will eat basically any uncooked meat, you could also try some of the types commercial crabbers swear by: eel (this is one of the best ones according to commercial crabbers, but the price as risen because it is a delicacy in Europe and Asia); bull lip (durable, inexpensive, and crabs seem to love it); Menhaden, a type of forage fish, is great frozen, but decomposes very quickly, so if you're leaving the pots out for a while, you would want to use fresh Menhaden. , Every area has different restrictions for how many crabs you can have, what kind of a license you need, the size limit for crabs, where you can crab and when you can crab.
Go to your local marina and talk to the harbormaster, or your local department for Fish and Game.
There are certain types of crabs that you'll be looking to catch and certain ones you'll need to throw back if you get them in your crab pot.
Again, this will be entirely dependent on your area.
For example: if you're crabbing on the East coast of the United States, you'll probably be crabbing for Blue Claw Crabs.
If you catch a green crab or a spider crab, you'll need to release it, as those types of crabs aren't edible.
There also tend to be laws in place protecting crabs with egg sacs, since these need to keep repopulating the crab population.
If you catch a crab with an egg sac, make sure you release it.
Get rid of any dead crabs that you catch.
You don't know how long they've been dead, so you don't want to eat them.
Stick to keeping your crabs alive until it's time to put them in the pot. , You aren't going to want to head out to any old body of water and dump and crab pot in there.
There are specific places where crabs are more plentiful.
Crabs are found in salt water, not fresh water, especially in tidal water.
This type of water can include bays, inlets, the ocean, and saltwater marshes.Again, the problem comes in with different crabbing areas and different kinds of crabs.
Depending on what you're trying to catch, you'll put your pot at a different place or depth.
For example: a lot of people crab off piers, because crabs often pop up around underwater structures.
A good rule of thumb to remember is that crab pots generally need to be set between 20 to 150 feet (6.1 to
45.7 m) in the water, below the lowest tide line (this way the pot doesn't come out of the water when the tide goes out). , The reason most pots are left overnight is that crabs are nocturnal and that's the time when they're wandering around and looking for food.
You have to make sure that you've properly marked your pot so that you can find it again and so that no boats run into the line.You will probably want to anchor your buoy somehow, so that it stays more or less in the same place.
Attach the anchor about 2 to 3 feet (0.6 to
0.9 m) beneath the buoy, which keeps the line submerged, making it less likely that it will be cut off by a boat propeller.
People usually use a brick or a metal bar as an anchor.
Many of the rules dictate that the marker buoy has to be red and white in color and have your name and address and a telephone number.
Only one person's name should appear on the buoy. , Once you've left the trap out overnight, it's time to check the pot for crabs.
Usually you want to pull up a trap evenly, but that is more important with crab rings, so that the crabs don't slide out.
Remove the crab from the trap.
Hold the crab properly once you've gotten the trap to the water's surface.
Grab the crab by the back legs so that it won't pinch you.
Place the live crabs in the container on the ice.
They'll keep until you make it back to shore.
It's best to eat the crabs within 24 hours.
About the Author
Carolyn Russell
Writer and educator with a focus on practical DIY projects knowledge.
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