How to catch blue crab

Ever get a craving for Blue crab but just can't bring yourself to pay those prices for them? Here is a few tips and tricks on how to catch your own dinner with little cost involved. It is also a great way to spend time with your family and teaches children valuable skills.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Check your state's laws regarding crabbing. I live in SC and there is no license required and no quantity limits. However the crabs must be 5" from point to point. You'll want to know all this information to avoid a fine. you will also want to research where to crab in your area. We usually choose boat landings. The traffic in and out of the water can be annoying at times, but they are easily accessible and you always meet a lot of wonderful people. Not to mention the docks there are ideal.

2. 
   Hook that is used to secure turkey or chicken neck.

   Because there are so many methods of crabbing, and all require different steps I will only focus on my favorite method. Its the cheapest to get started and the most fun (in my opinion), and my kids absolutely love it. You'll want to purchase a spool of string, the kind found in the fishing sections of department stores. There you will also find "hooks" that you can secure the turkey neck to but this isn't necessary. You'll also want to wrap the length of the string around something, I use empty bottles or strong sticks. This helps to avoid knotting and tangles.

3. 

   You will also need a net. The net itself doesn't need to be big but the handle should be long. You can use a bucket or a cooler to keep all the crabs as you catch them.

4. 
   Turkey neck tied to string and rock

   Tie or hook the turkey neck to your string. If you don't have a hook, just wrap the string around and tie a tight knot. You will need some kind of weight to ensure the bait reaches the bottom. I sometimes use fishing weights and have used rocks.

5. Lower the bait into the water. Make sure it hits bottom. You can tie off your string to just about anything available, just to be sure the current doesn't take it away. Or you can hold it, the method preferred by my 4 year old.

6. Check your line often. To check it, very slowly and gently pull the string, you can tell while doing this if you have a crab on the line. Pull it up just enough so that you can see it under the water. Use your net to scoop it up the rest of the way. You should be very slow about lowering the net into the water as this sometimes can scare the crab and it will let go.

7. Once you have the crab in your net, determine if he is of legal size. If it isn't, return him to the water but I advise to do it in another location away from your bait or you will continue to catch the same one. If the size is good,,,empty your net into the bucket. If the crab has a hold of the net, do NOT try to remove him with your hands. You can either shake it until he lets go (which is usually the case) or lay the net on top of your bucket until he decides to let go on his own.

8. Continue catching until you have enough for dinner. I usually use several different lines at once. Some on both sides of the dock. Checking all of them often.

Tips & Warnings

• Your bucket should contain only a little bit of water. Otherwise the crabs will drown and die before they can be cleaned. This can be dangerous as it could cause illness when eating.
• If crabbing on a hot day, you can add ice to the bucket. This helps to keep crabs from spoiling. All crabs should still be alive at time of cleaning or they should be discarded. If crabs have been on ice they appear dead but once they are removed from ice they begin to move around again. If any do NOT move....TOSS OUT!
• If a crab lets go before you can net him, lower the bait back down immediatly. He will come back to the bait.
• You may want to carry along hand sanitizer since you'll be handling raw chicken or turkey. You could also use gloves.
• If your children are with you please use life vests while on the dock. Docks get rocked often by passing boats and it wouldn't be hard to fall in.

[rabbidust]

on 2/9/2009 hi petunia, thank you for the article, i was wondering where you find to do this in sc, i think my kids would love to try this?