How to Fish for Blue Crabs
Florida is home to blue crabs, which are excellent eating. What's even better is these crabs can be caught by recreational fishermen. All it takes is a license and a little know-how and you can enjoy your own blue crab dishes, from crabs you caught yourself.
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Instructions
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Buy a Florida fishing license by logging on to Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation website (see Resources), or by visiting one of the many dealers who sell them. These include tackle stores and many convenience stores.
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Buy or build a blue crab trap. The specifications for the trap must meet the guidelines set forth by the Florida Department of Fish and Game for commercial traps but you do not need to meet all the laws for commercial fishers like affixing the buoy design on your vessel or boat. The traps need to be made or a minimum of 1 1/2 inch wire mesh and be 24 x 24 x 24 inches long with throats and escape rings vertically on the trap. They also must have a buoy. Read the rules carefully.
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Create the buoy. It must be made of cork, Styrofoam or polystyrlene and have decent buoyancy. You can use old lobster buoys or buy them at a fish tackle store, or make your own. It must have a painted "R" on the surface and bear the name of the trap setter's full name and address. See the regulations for the buoy on the trap regulations document (see Resources).
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Attach the buoy with a "trotted" line with a time release, a section of rope that will degrade after a certain length of time. An organic rope made of hemp or anything that is not synthetic (nylon, fiberglass, polystyrene, etc.) will degrade in the water.
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Find spots to set your traps. Recreational fishermen can set traps anywhere around the coast, in bays, near inlets, beaches or any other area that is good for crab. Avoid congested areas with boat traffic, or any inter-coastal waterways and navigation channels. Areas maintained by the state or government are off limits.
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Bait your traps with dead pinfish, clams, squid or fish fillets (whole fish work best).
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Check your traps every couple of days. You have to pull them manually, so be sure to set them where you can get to them at high and low tide.
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Tips & Warnings
Setting traps near rocky ledges with plenty of sea grass will net you the most crabs, since they like these areas. Sections of coastline that you can access easily during the day (you can only pull traps during daylight hours) with little boat traffic and few swimmers are the best choice.
Crabbing is regulated so be sure to read all the regulations and follow them exactly. That way you avoid harming the fishery and can continue to catch crabs. Recreational fishermen are allowed five traps maximum.
