Crabbing 101,

[deniseO30]

When sitting on the hook?

Is it generally true there are crab everywhere you may anchor on the Bay?

Legal issues?

from dinghy or mother ship?

Lines, floats, traps, trap types?

[kd3pc]

chicken necking from a dock is the best way, you will need a piece of twine, chicken parts and a dip net with a long handle..

Generally there are crab almost anywhere you would anchor.

Either dink or boat,

Be careful with trot lines and pots as there are limits to how many and where, you the recreational person, can put them

enjoy!...steamed in beer water and old bay, some corn on the cob thrown in and likely one of the finest meals, ever

[rockDAWG]

1. You must get a crabbing permit.
2. Must use trot line no more than 600 ft.
3. No crab pot unless your are property owner
4. Get up early before dawn when crab is feeding. After sun goes up, the crabs will release the bait long before you have a chance to net them.
5. Some spots are better than other. No one will give away their spot. Hints. Go where the most the watermen go,
6. Marina? No crabs.
7. I used to fetch 1 bushel in two hr from 5:30 am to 7:30 am.

[bjung]

rockdawg,
Are there a limited number of permits available, or does anyone get one who applies?
Are the permits given to the vessel or an individual?
I can see the kids having fun getting up early for a change....

[rockDAWG]

For recreation permit, there is no limit. For commercial watermen there are a fixed licenses per year pending on the health of the bay.

Permit is issued to individual adults. One bushel per permit per day. Kids need no license. If you are serious about crabbing and intend to feed the family, need to invest 50 to 75 dollars to get the gear up.

Do a search on the net to get the trot line ready? It was a lot fun when the kids were young, I recall. The crabs are the sweetest you can find because they are fresh.

[bjung]

I don't intend to feed the family, but it would add a lot of fun to being on the hook, esp. for the nintendo generation.
Thanks for the tips.

[jrd22]

OK, I've got to ask what is a trot line and how do you catch crab with it? I've never heard the term before. We in the PNW use traps, each license is allowed two and you can put them anywhere you want. Ours are commercial sized pots and measure about 36" in diameter. Our record is over 20 keepers (over 6.25", male, approx. 2 lbs ea) in a single pot.

[Gladrags1]

You can get a license for the boat which we apply on our dinghy. This enables us to put out about 18 pots or so. We use these collapseable pots called "dip pots" i believe. Alternatively you can put out a trot line which is a long line with bait attached to it every so many feet. You install a guide on the boat and the line runs over the guide. When the crabs grab ahold of the bait you scoop them up with a net as they come out of the water as you travel down the line. We find chicken necks being easy and effective. Line can easily and tightly be tied around them making it difficult for the bait to be "stolen." it's best to fish the shallower waters, say 9' or less. We just returned from the Wye River where we fished for crabs and got a bushel of really large, meaty crabs that were cooked to perfection by my wife. Crabbing can be fun but it also can be tedious. Have fun!

You must get a license to crab in MD. They are available to anyone living in or outside of the state. The boat license is $15 for the year and the individual is less. The individual is for crabbing from piers or docks.

[deniseO30]

Very informative discussion! I'm going to give it a try when (if) I take a slip for a month or so at Worton Creek.

[arknoah]

Originally Posted by deniseO30

Very informative discussion! I'm going to give it a try when (if) I take a slip for a month or so at Worton Creek.

I took my sailing classes last year at Green Point Landing -- nice area for sailing except for needing to know where not to go because of Aberdeen.

Enjoy!