Crabs

[durango46]

Anybody having any luck catching crabs yet ? Suppose to be banner year for them.

My son caught almost 2 bushel a couple weeks ago. Had a trout line out and didn't catch one. Walked the shoreline and scooped them up.

[Aclobat]

Going crabbing tomorrow.(at the mouth of the gunpowder) Not using a trout line just those drop baskets. I'll let you know when i bring up.

[Aclobat]

Went out for 2 hours this morning with 20 basket traps. Used chicken necks and went out of joppatowne to the gunpowder. Brought up 10 legal sized crabs(they where close) and 4 jumbo's (or you could call them big #1's) I figured the area would be packed with crabs right now with lack of rain and the very warm waters, but the crabs havn't shuffled up this way yet.(atleast in my hood)

[Aclobat]

Same set up and location as last time. Caught 3 crabs. They arnt up my way quite yet.

[Aclobat]

Todays crab yield was 10!!!!!!(caught 13 females but i refuse to eat those things). gonna try Saturday if it isnt raining at 5am.

[durango46]

LOL......I don't eat female crabs either.

My son went down the local pier the other day and caught a couple dozen. All males with some decent size.

Heading down OC......wonder how the crabbing is down there ????
I can remember going as a kid. We caught 11 1/2 dozen in a couple hours with hand lines and a net.

Of course that was 35years ago

[Aclobat]

Snagged 2dozen this morning. Was out for about an hour but started getting way to hot.

[dandrews]

Sounds like crabbing is starting to pick up. Good news.

[Aclobat]

Yea but with the water being so freaking warm i hear it makes the crabs less active. But 2 full moons in August, gonna be alot of softies

[Aclobat]

The crabs are good! alot of heavy black crabs this morning. No softies but they should be around by the weekend

[durango46]

my son went to his local pier again....caught 3 dozen in a couple hours with 3 traps and a couple of hand lines.

1 crab measured 8.75
and the biggest was 9 inches....and full

[bmore_ken]

Todays crab yield was 10!!!!!!(caught 13 females but i refuse to eat those things). gonna try Saturday if it isnt raining at 5am.

I'm curious, why do you not eat females?

[Eastside Terp]

do you not eat females or not keep females when crabbing? ..........

since they only have eggs once, the key is knowing whether or not they have already done there part yet to contribute to t he crab population or not .......

I don't crab much anymore but I didn't keep them ..........

Can female blue crabs be harvested?

Female blue crabs may be harvested lawfully if they are not bearing eggs. Although it is lawful to keep non-egg bearing female blue crabs, it is a conservation practice to release them unharmed. There has been evidence that the females support the population of the species. Male crabs are capable of mating several times, but females are only able to mate once, after they mature.

If a juvenile female is harvested, there will be no chance that she will be able to reproduce. Additionally, mature females may store sperm in their bodies for several months after mating in order to spawn at a later date. If a mature female is harvested, though she may not exhibit eggs, there is no certainty that she has spawned.

Releasing female blue crabs enhances reproductive capacity and population renewal.

http://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/r...nal/blue-crab/

[durango46]

I think I have this right
Not sure if it was this year or last but you can no longer keep females period. Exception being commercial crabbers
Doesn't matter if they are mature or not.
Ever since I found out about this change I have wondered why ??? Is it possible for females to reproduce more than once ? I was always led to believe otherwise.

When we did catch females I never kept one that was immature. If you want to see crabs disappear keep the immature ones. I'm sure some do..

As for eating them.....I never have. Something about that orange stuff that doesn't appeal to me. LOL


Son caught 40 today....average size and nothing big

[Aclobat]

I'm curious, why do you not eat females?

They seem to taste alittle sweeter than a male no matter how you steam them. Also i look at it as they are gonna have some babies i'll eat next year.

[Aclobat]

I always just throw the females back into the river.

[durango46]

4 dozen yesterday
crabbed from 430am - 10am


average size again......zero females

[Aclobat]

4 dozen yesterday
crabbed from 430am - 10am


average size again......zero females

Where you using the pull traps? It seems like it is the same story as last year. The crab population is booming. Just there seems to be 4 tiny crabs for every decent sized one.

I broke my foot last week so i wont be crabbing for about another week until this boot cast comes off.

[durango46]

Where you using the pull traps? It seems like it is the same story as last year. The crab population is booming. Just there seems to be 4 tiny crabs for every decent sized one.

I broke my foot last week so i wont be crabbing for about another week until this boot cast comes off.

A pier right around the corner from the Stoney Creek Bridge


Sorry to hear about your foot Aclobat

[DkBlue]

A pier right around the corner from the Stoney Creek Bridge


Sorry to hear about your foot Aclobat

Costco had a big display for Phillips frozen crab cakes at the store here in Tampa. When I brought them home I read the small print that said product of the Phillippines. Bummer.