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Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Crabbing |
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After the first big “shed” it takes about a week for the crabs to be
strong enough to eat once again. The most simple way to go crabbing is
to buy a “ready-to-go” crab hand line called a crab throw line. Simply
unravel the string to the desired length, tie it off with a half hitch
or other knot so it doesn’t unravel anymore. Then pierce a chicken neck
or other chicken part onto the pin. Secure the pin. It’s like a big
safety pin. Throw the line out into the water and tie it off onto a
piling, stick, or board. And wait. When a crab comes to the bait it
will try to carry the chicken away and you will see the line tugging.
Slowly pull the line towards you and position the net beneath the crab
when you see it. Be sure not to hit the crab with the rim of the crab
net. If there is a current of any kind position the net so if the crab
suddenly lets go, the current will take it into the net.
Hint: The bigger the crab the spookier the crab will be. When I feel
the weight of a really big crab I pull the line in extremely slow! If
it lets go before you net it, immediately drop the line back into the
water. That
crab will stay around!
“What kind of crab net should I buy?”
A basic 4-foot vacationer’s crab net is quite inexpensive. You can buy
one for around $5. Longer ones will cost a few dollars more. All wire
ones cost around $20. You don’t need to invest in the wire net unless
you plan to go
crabbing often and want to save it for several years. A basic net has
a wooden handle and green mesh. Some vacationers buy a more expensive
shrimp net with fine mesh for crabbing. This is not really a crab net
but is multi-purpose in that the kids can catch bait with it, or take
it on the beach and scoop shells with it. If you are just going
crabbing, I would stick to a regular crab net with the larger holed
green mesh. The larger holes scoop through the water faster because
there is less resistance than if you use a net with small mesh. Hint:
Flip the crab into a cooler or
bucket immediately, so the crab does not tangle in the net.
“What about traps?”
Traps are good if you are really after crabs for dinner. If you are
just entertaining the kids, then lines give the kids more to do. A
combination of lines and traps can be fun. That way, the family can
decide what they like to do better! Traps are necessary in places that
are too far off the water where you cannot reach the crabs with a net.
The least expensive crab trap is called a Double Ring Crab Net. It
only costs around $3 so the vacationer can simply throw them away at
the end of the vacation if the family doesn’t want to keep them. They
are simple to use. Tie your chicken pieces in the bottom of the net
with some string. (Or buy a shower curtain hanger and hook it in the
bottom of the net, or use an old “crab throw line” and fasten the
chicken in so the crab cannot carry it away.
Tie a heavier piece of cord to the crab net. One can buy “crab trap
line” at any tackle store when you buy the crab nets. (One 48-foot
piece of line will do several traps or nets.) Lower the net straight
down or toss in out a few feet. Pull the net up quickly every 10 or 15
minutes to see if you have a crab. The force of pulling in the net
keeps the crab in the bottom. But if you pull it up too slowly, the
crab could escape!
“What else do I need?”
Crabs can bite, and unless you are really good at picking up crabs from
the backside, I would invest in a pair of crab tongs. (Or grab any kind
of long handled tongs out of the kitchen.) You can buy metal or plastic
ones. That
way, you can pick up the crabs to measure them to make sure they are
5-inches tip to tip of their shells (In the Coastal Bays of Maryland.)
Be sure to carry a measurer or mark off 5-inches on your cooler or
bucket before you go.
And then, of course, you need a container to put your crabs in. On a
cool, cloudy day, you can put them in a 5-gallon bucket with a wet rag
over the top. You can also use a bushel or peach basket with a lid if
you can get
your hands on one. But if it’s a hot, sunny day, the crabs are better
off in a cooler. DO NOT EVER put crabs in a bucket of water. They will
use up the oxygen and drown! Take a cooler and put ice in the bottom.
Cover the ice with newspaper, and put the crabs on top of the
newspaper, with their bellies down on the newspaper. When you look at
your crabs in the cooler you should be looking at the dark shell. If
any of your crabs get “belly up” turn them over. Don’t let the crabs
fall into the melting ice or it can kill them.
Crabs bite best when the tide is moving. The larger crabs bite best
when the tide is higher. Low tide often produces mostly small crabs.
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