What is Trotline Crabbing? Very generally, this is a technique for catching crabs that uses a long line that is placed on the floor of the water with baited “snoods” along increments of the line. Snoods are just the crabber’s term for a short noose-like contraption with bait attached at the end of it. The basic idea is that the line is run from a boat and setup like so: Once the trotline rig (including anchors, buoys, and chains) is set, the crabs will mosey over to the bait, cling on, and start…
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Mud crabs, or scientifically known as scylla serrate, are crustaceans found in the mangroves, estuaries, and mud flats. Within their habitats, they are found, you guessed it, in the mud. Why are these crabs so highly sought after and how exactly do you find and catch them? Read on to find out. Why the Mud Crab? Despite their not-so-appetizing name, these crabs are delicious to eat and like stone crabs, they have a lot of meat. They are pretty robust species as well and will eat a good variety of organisms in…
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For every crab fishing adventure, there are surely a few tools that are completely necessary. Let’s see what you should bring on your next crabbing excursion. Ruler (or some sort of length-measuring device) As a crab catching machine, you should obey by the rules and regulations set in your state or region. A common rule between all fishing and wildlife departments dictates what kind of catch you can keep. For instance, can you keep females? What about molting crabs? The one common rule between all states is related to the size of…
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What is a crab snare? A snare is basically a trap that tangles up the crab in such a way to prevent escape. It is made up of a small bait box with loops of monofilament attached to it. There are anywhere from 4 to 6 to even 8 loops connected to the bait box. When the crab goes in and tries to feed on the bait, its long, lanky legs get tangled within the loops. The loops are able to decrease in size similar to a noose and this is the essential…
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Sorting and Storing Your Catch When you catch your crabs, you probably can’t keep every crab that you catch. This is due to regulations that are specific for your state. In any state, it is illegal to keep sponge crabs which are female crabs that have eggs on their abdomen. These sponge crabs are easy to spot as they will have an orange sack of eggs attached to their under-belly. Determining Gender In some cases, for a specific species of crab or depending on what state you live in, you may be required…
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Setting a crab pot (also known as a crab trap) requires a few things. Aside from the obvious crab pot that you will need, you will also need some sort of rope or attachment in which you will haul up your catch and use to set your crab pot. Let’s show you the ropes. Rope Type: The rope used to attach your crab pot to must be sturdy enough to hold the contents of the crab pot and the crab pot itself. Depending on your crab pot size and weight, different ropes are…
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The Basics on Recreational Crabbing with Crab Pots: Crabbing is the skill of capturing those feisty but delicious shellfish we call crabs. For recreational crabbers like you and I, there are a few, easy-to-learn methods for catchy these delightful critters. It requires absolutely NO prior experience and provides hours of fun for everyone. Crab pots are super effective traps and using them doesn’t really require much human intervention (i.e. set and forget). Crab pots are basically cages that have strategic openings in them that allow crabs to enter but not exit. Some have…
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The Basics on Recreational Crabbing Using a Ring Net: Crabbing is the skill of capturing those feisty but delicious shellfish we call crabs. For recreational crabbers like you and I, there are a few, easy-to-learn methods for catchy these delightful critters. It requires absolutely NO prior experience and provides hours of fun for everyone. Another easy way to catch crabs is by utilizing crab rings. The concept is straightforward: bait the crabs into the ring and “close” the trap when you think the crabs are inside of it. Easy! The absolute simplest crab…
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Crabbing is the skill of capturing those feisty but delicious shellfish we call crabs. For recreational crabbers like you and I, there are a few, easy-to-learn methods for catchy these delightful critters. It requires absolutely NO prior experience and provides hours of fun for everyone. The Basics on Recreational Crabbing with a Line and Net: One of the simplest crabbing methods relies on a line (with an optional weight), bait, and a dip net. The line can be nylon string or fishing line. Crabs don’t pull that hard so you can buy something…
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