July 4th Crab Feast in Maryland

Looks like the start of something good...
I wonder if any blood ends up in the pot. Hmmmm.
Possibly there will be a part II of this crab feast?

Crabbing in Galveston Texas

Here's a unique way of crabbing from a shore line using tent stake, a rubber mallet and twine. And of course a net :)
Funny watching how slippery chicken can be...
At the end of the video a nice crab is caught.

Long awaited crab showing!

I am happy to report this crab season has taken a turn for the better over last year. There are some great signs coming from the docks. Sunday within a few hours my dad, son and myself managed 12 nice jimmies using a hand line and chicken. My son who's 7 insisted on being the official net guy and kind of missed a few crabs.
He did though manage to bring in quite a few. It was all fun...
As we crabbed we set out a fishing line and caught a large skate that turned out to be the highlight of my son's day. He had the game face working when I handed over the rod to him. It was quite a fight to say the least.

Using a cast net we also came up with a nice supply of menhaden for our traps along with a few shrimp. The bait stayed but the shrimp came home and was tossed into the steamer during the last 2 minutes of the crabs cooking. Looking forward to more!

So yesterday the crab Guy and I decided to take a peek at the traps on an overnight set and were pleasantly surprised and happy to report we came back with 8 more blue crabs. Hopefully this is a sign of better times ahead!

This is Chris and his crab snack.

New Crabbing Season

Won't be long now... The crabs are starting to move around more as the waters warm.
Usually we see them when the water temps get above 60 degrees.

For a listing of water temperatures here's a great link to go to>>> NODC

While you wait for your local waters to warm up here's a video (new) of a recipe and procedure for cleaning blue claw crabs.

Maryland Blue Crabbing Vacation

The months of August and September are both great crabbing months and coincide with a popular vacation time of the year. One such place to catch a few blue claws and enjoy some of the best weather of the year is out on Point Lookout MD.
The state park (Point Lookout state park) offers a boat launch, fishing pier, camping and beaches all surrounded in a rich Civil War history.


View Larger Map

Rednecks, Road Kill and Crabbing

Last Sunday my son and I went to one of our favorite crabbing haunts to be greeted shortly after we arrived by two locals rolling up on bicycles loaded down with crabbing gear. They were very pleasant but just as eager to start crabbing. The one guy asked how we were doing and I answered with the standard "it's been better" answer.
Shortly after setting out their hand lines one was retrieved rather early because the bait was floating. I took a glance over and giddily asked... "What is that? A mouse?"

Well... The answer was not half as amusing as to where they got the bait!

In a short reply, "nope... it's a half a squirrel". I had to then ask where they got the bait and was told they picked it up on the side of the road on the way down to the dock.

Needless to say I was in awe of this all and found it quite amusing to boot.
I didn't stay much longer, wished them all a "good luck" and packed up. I then wondered on the way home how they made out...

The Jimmies are Running!

Just like that (seemed like overnight) the jimmies are in thick here in eastern North Carolina. I took my son to do a little fishing off the local pier and at the last minute decided to bring a crab net just in case.
My son caught a small spot so I tied it to some spare fishing line I had to see if there was any activity. With the one fish we caught 9 crabs in the following 2 hrs. We lost just as many as the line was constantly tugging the whole time.

Here's my son holding the rule showing the one crab at 7". That wasn't even the biggest crab and was the average size!

Guy's Blue Crab Report!!!

On a 2 day set we came up with 8 nice crabs!
This is just the beginning of what looks like a terrific crab season :)
We will check the traps in a day or two and will report...

Blue Crab Molting & Mating Videos

Explanation on molting and the mating process of the blue claw crab. How the blue claw crab is part of the ecosystem and their diets.



Here's another video showing a blue claw crab molting...

Trotlining for Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs

A great article describing how to catch blue claw crabs with a trot line can be found at "Maryland-Virginia Saltwater Fishing" website.
A photo of how to set up a roller guide system on the side of your boat and how the complete process is done is described in detail.
Be sure to check them out!