How to Use Fish Parts in A Crab Trap

Buy a crab trap if you have easy access to a Gulf Coast bay or canal and like to fish. Even if you don't fish you can catch mullet with a throw net to bait the trap. If you use chicken, beef, pork or pieces of any land animal other than road kill, the crabs you catch in a trap can get expensive. A better option is to use fish parts to bait your trap.

Things You'll Need

• Crab trap
• Bait fish

Instructions

1. Go to a sporting goods store or bait shop and buy a crab trap. Be sure and get a trap that has a "parlor" above the "dining room." Crabs go into the dining room where the bait chamber is and then go into the parlor above the dining room. This type of trap is best because it conserves bait and you can put fish carcasses in the upper chamber and feed your guests indefinitely.

2. Bait the trap with what is left after you fillet a fish. Don't chop it up. Remember small bait fish, catfish, even an occasional flounder or croaker will also come to your restaurant. If you want the bait to last longer, chop it up just enough to stuff it in a freezer bag and leave it slightly unzipped. It will last a lot longer, but the scent range is considerably less.

3. Put the trap where it will be at least a foot under the water at low tide. You can use crab traps in the surf but they aren't as effective in still water, such as bays and canals. River otters will ruin your trap, but they are rare.

4. Service the trap at least every other day to replace bait. Once the bait is gone you won't get any more customers. The customers you have will no longer focus on the bait, meaning some of them will luck out and accidentally get out the way they arrived.

5. Process the crabs when you have 10 to 12 in the parlor. Any more and the parlor gets so crowded they fight each other, even if there are plenty of fish to eat. The best way to process them is to fill a bucket with water and ice. Use crab tongs to get them out of the parlor and into the ice water. The ice water slows their motion, and after a few minutes you'll be able to pull them out. It is an easy matter to break the claws off, break off the "flap" on the underside and slip a pair of closed scissors under the back of the shell. Grab the legs on one side and separate the body from the shell. The last step is to cut off the legs with the scissors and wash out the body cavity.

6. Immediately put the good parts in boiling water. When the water comes back to a full boil, turn off the burner and let them sit for 2.5 minutes. After they cool, either freeze the crabs or pick out the meat. Do not freeze the good parts raw. Some people boil them alive but this is a messy and stinky way to clean them.

Tips & Warnings

• The ice water makes them move in very slow motion but they still have all their strength.