By Laura Spinale Scabbarding and scalloping
It was a very windy afternoon in Florida—the first cold snap of the fall—and my dad and I were freezing on the pier at Crystal Beach near St. Petersburg. A lot of my fathers buddies crab here, so I thought wed try our luck. Crabbing – in this case blue crabbing – is one way to catch your dinner in Florida. You can also fish, or go scalloping. People who think seafood tastes better when you catch it yourself will find a lot of it in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. I choose to start with crabs because I’ve heard and read many how-to guides that say anyone can catch a blue crab in Florida. Any idiot at all.
Finding the Best Spots for Crabbing Near You
Crabbing is a fun outdoor activity that can yield delicious rewards when you catch fresh seafood to enjoy later. But figuring out where to go crabbing if you’re new to the hobby can be confusing. What are the best locations? Do you need a license or permit? What equipment and bait work best? This guide covers everything you need to know about finding top spots for crabbing near you.
Why Go Crabbing?
Before getting into the where, let’s look at why you might want to go crabbing in the first place:
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Catching your own fresh seafood is very rewarding Crabs cooked soon after catching taste amazing.
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It gets you outdoors enjoying nature and scenic waterways.
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It’s an activity everyone in the family can enjoy together. Kids especially find it fun!
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Crabbing requires minimal equipment so it’s affordable and accessible.
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The challenge of catching crabs appeals to the sportsman in all of us!
Where Are the Best Places to Go Crabbing?
The key to successful crabbing is finding locations with an abundant crab population. Here are some of the best places to consider:
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Saltwater bays, inlets and marshes along ocean coastlines – These are prime crab habitats. Popular destinations include the Chesapeake Bay, Tampa Bay, and inlets along the Gulf Coast and Eastern Seaboard.
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Lakes, rivers and streams connected to the ocean – Look for areas where saltwater flows in to mix with freshwater. Crabs thrive in these brackish waters.
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Marinas, bridges, docks and piers – Any structure in the water creates habitat and attracts bait fish, which draws in crabs.
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Public beaches and parks with water access – Scout online for beaches and parks allowing crabbing with the proper licenses.
You can scope out potential sites near you using apps like Crabbing Spots, websites like CrabbingMap and forum posts detailing popular crabbing piers and beaches. State wildlife agency sites also list public crabbing locations.
Where to Get a Crabbing License
In most areas, you’ll need a fishing license with crabbing endorsement to legally catch crabs. Requirements vary by state, so check your state’s recreational fishing regulations. Some popular crabbing destinations like Maryland require specialized crab pots, while other states simply require a general saltwater fishing license. Buy your license at tackle shops, Walmart or directly through your state’s wildlife agency website.
When is the Best Time to Go Crabbing?
Crabs thrive in warmer months, making summer the peak crabbing season in most regions. However, you can have success crabbing in early spring and fall as well. Keep these tips in mind for timing:
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Early summer is ideal as crabs are very active and aggressively feeding after winter.
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Avoid extreme high and low tides when crabs are less active. Target mid-tide cycles.
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Dunny days with light wind and cloud cover see peak crab movement.
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Afternoon tends to be better than morning since crabs are nocturnal.
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Check local tide charts a few days before your trip to target optimal tide and feeding windows.
Must-Have Equipment for Crabbing
While you can keep it very simple, having a few key pieces of equipment will help you crab like a pro:
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Bait – Chicken, turkey, oily fish like menhaden or eel make the best bait for enticing crabs into traps.
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Traps – Cylindrical wire traps with inner bait compartments work best. Collapsible traps are convenient.
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Line/string – 50 lb test line is ideal for lowering and retrieving crab traps. Cotton rope also works.
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Bait bag – Mesh bait bags prevent crabs from eating the bait before traps are set.
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Net – Use a sturdy dip net to scoop up caught crabs quickly.
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Cooler – Have a cooler stocked with ice ready to transport your catch.
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Gloves – Protect your hands from pincers with thick fishing or work gloves.
Tips for Crabbing Success
Outsmarting crabs takes skill, but these tips will help you get the hang of it:
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Add weight to your traps so they sink quickly to the bottom.
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Bait traps heavily and re-bait frequently to keep scent trail strong.
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Set traps in shallow water around 5-15 feet deep. Look for sandy/muddy areas away from vegetation.
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Leave space between traps so competing scent trails don’t overlap.
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Check traps regularly and remove any undersized or female crabs.
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To handle crabs safely, approach them from behind and pick up by the backfin.
Keeping It Simple with Bait Fishing
If you want to try crabbing without buying traps and other gear, basic bait fishing can work well from piers and beaches. Simply use raw chicken legs on a fish finder rig and wait for crabs to take the bait. You can also attach bait to the end of a chicken neck tied to a string. Either way, use a dip net to bring crabs up once they’re feasting on your bait.
Scouting Your Own Backyard
You may be surprised to find you can catch crabs without even leaving home if you live along brackish tidal rivers or marshes. There are small freshwater crabs like blue claw fiddler crabs that thrive in neighborhood creeks and rivers with a mix of salt and freshwater. Look for burrows in sandy banks and try your hand at catching these backyard crabs for fun.
Crabbing is a classic outdoor pastime that’s easy to get started with. Now that you know what gear, bait, locations and techniques help lead to success, get out there and discover some top crabbing spots near home! Just be sure to brush up on local regulations so you have a legal and enjoyable time crabbing.
To catch a blue crab in Florida
You can catch blue crabs in Florida all year, but the warmer months are when you’ll find the most of them. The crustaceans seeming willingness to climb into your trap renders the sport equally popular among locals and visitors. (In fact, enthusiasts bill crabbing as a great activity for kids. ) Im looking forward to a low-key day ending with the crabs succulent, spicy/sweet taste. First, I need to gear up. Which brings me to Wal-Mart. All the articles Ive read on crabbing have said you catch with traps or nets. You only need fishing weights (to keep nets in place on the Gulf or Atlantic floor), fishing gloves (to avoid pinching the crabs), and rope to attach your nets or traps to the dock. Of all these bits of gear, the only one I can picture fully is “rope. ” So I feel a little unnerved asking the Wal-Mart greeter where the mega-chain keeps its “crabbing stuff. ” It seems as exotic as asking, “Hey, can I grab an infusion of lambs blood here?”. “Over in sporting goods,” she says in a friendly but casual way that makes me feel like a fool. After a few confused moments in that department, I find myself surprised. I couldn’t believe I could find everything I need and how cheap it is—less than $35 to outfit two people. I called Dad immediately. “I got the nets!” I said excitedly. “I got the traps! I got the fishing gloves!” “Did you get the beer?” he asked. My dad grew up outside of Boston crabbing with his brothers. They were, in his word, crazy. The Atlantic was so cold that they would jump in and take off their T-shirts. Then they would use the shirts to pick up blue crabs. This outing is a bit more sophisticated. Ive purchased two crab nets and two pre-assembled traps. All that’s left is to tie chicken necks to the bottom of each, throw them over the dock, and tie them to the same thing. Then I’ll wait for a tug. As my quickly numbing fingers fumble with the chicken necks, I wonder whether scalloping would have been easier.
In the middle of Florida’s Big Bend, Steinhatchee is a town on the coast that doesn’t have long stretches of white-sand beaches. This has kept rampant tourism at bay, and left Steinhatchee a mecca for fishermen. During the scallop season in Florida, fishermen can be found in the brown waters of the Steinhatchee River, where they catch largemouth bass, cobia, grouper, and red snapper. Steinhatchee is best known, though, for its scallops. Where the Steinhatchee River meets the Gulf of Mexico is called Apalachee Bay, and you can buy scallops by the gallon. The meat is tender and white. July is the start of the scallop season in Florida, which runs through early September. The sport is particularly popular with families; any child who can swim can catch these creatures. Scallops usually live in water that is only three to four feet deep, but you can find them in water that is six inches to six feet deep. Still, you may find it best to hire a charter boat. Your captain will take you to the edges of turtle grass beds or to places where different kinds of grass grow together. These areas are scallop havens. Upon arrival, all you need is a net or bucket, and snorkel. Dive into the grasses, and as soon as you see the scallops—their shape is a lot like a seashell, and their brown color is striped—start grabbing them. The Steinhatchee Landing Resort has 30 Victorian- and Conch-style vacation cottages set on 35 acres of riverfront land. When you get back to the resort, you can cook your catch. (Each vacation home has a grill and an oven. ) Cleaning can be a bit tricky. Youre stuck cutting off the top shell, removing the innards and, finally, harvesting the meat. Trimming a bunch of black innards from brown-shelled mollusks isnt really for me. If I were scalloping in Steinhatchee, I would hire the kids at Sea Hag Marina to clean the scallops because they see it as a great summer job. Still, the thought of putting on a mask and snorkel and doing something to catch my dinner sounds better to me than crabbing, where all I have to do is wait for the tug on the line that means a crab has taken my chicken-neck lure. Once in a while, Dad walks from trap to trap and looks into the water to see if there is a crab caught. Sometimes, he yanks on the rope, pulling the traps out of the water for a closer look. I’m happy to yell at the seagulls, “Don’t take my chicken necks, you [expletives deleted]!” and sometimes re-bait them. I worry that the chicken necks lose their efficacy after a spell in the Gulf. I have no basis for this idea. I just believe it.
Find Your Favorite Beach
By Laura Spinale Scabbarding and scalloping
It was a very windy afternoon in Florida—the first cold snap of the fall—and my dad and I were freezing on the pier at Crystal Beach near St. Petersburg. A lot of my fathers buddies crab here, so I thought wed try our luck. Crabbing – in this case blue crabbing – is one way to catch your dinner in Florida. You can also fish, or go scalloping. People who think seafood tastes better when you catch it yourself will find a lot of it in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. I choose to start with crabs because I’ve heard and read many how-to guides that say anyone can catch a blue crab in Florida. Any idiot at all.
Blue Crab Fishing: How To Catch Blue Crabs From Shore Without A Trap – Catching Blue Crabs | SFSC
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