Little green Crabs

[Orest]

Are they good for bait and for what fish?

Was at Cape Henlopen pier Sat. and some guy was using a small circular hoop with a net and some bait in the the middle and he was getting these small greenish crabs.

Fishing was not that good all skates, but I has great time; nice day to be out after the wind died down. There was another guy out there too.

I hope to try the surf around Ocean City next weekend, since I got my Tice 12' 4-10 oz. Sat., now I got 2 surf rods. Got to make another rod tube now.

[Anthony]

What did they look like? I hope that they weren't the green crabs that are used for togging since they are not native to this area. I would assume that they would work for tog.

[Orest]

They were about 2 " across and maybe about 1 - 1 1/2 " from head to back.

[Anthony]

http://www.wa.gov/wdfw/fish/ans/graphics/figure2.jpg check out this link and see if this is the crab that you saw

[Orest]

Nope.

[Anthony]

how about this http://www-bioc.rice.edu/precollege/k12resources/images/crabs/01calico_crab.jpg

[Orest]

I don't think so.

The ones I saw were definitely more greenish.

I'll keep looking on the net for a pic.

[Orest]

I just called Cape Henlopen state park and they said they are Peeler crabs , used for tog.

You can use them for Stripers too???

[Anthony]

They shouldn't be peeler crabs, they have left a while ago. Peeler crabs are small blue crabs that are gonna shed their shells. They usually range from 3-5 inches. It is way too cold for peeler crabs to be in this area but I have seen stranger things. Let us know if you find a pic.

[wizardude]

Sounds like what we call Fiddler Crabs, we used to dig out of the marsh.

[Orest]

Looked like this.

http://www.castandcatch.com/crabsquid.htm

[sand flea]

Green crab. Non-native species, great tog and drum bait. Bait shops from Md. north stock them. You don't find them further south, where everyone relies on blue and calico crabs.

[FL FISHERMAN]

Well orest that is definitely a pic of a peeler but I am with wizardude, when you first said it I was thinking fiddler crab all the way. Hmmm... almost as weird as the monster fish Anthony and I had break the line a couple months back.:eek:

[Orest]

It's the best pic I could find. The guy spoke with a heavy Asian accent and he called them green crabs. Said they were good bait.

Since the only crab I've seen is a cooked blue crab, you folks might be right about the fiddler crab.

I'll have to catch one and take a pic.:) I guess you can but those hoop nets at the Walmart.

[FL FISHERMAN]

Are you sure he was catching them with his net and not using them to attract fish into his net? Just wondering.

[Orest]

Yes.

He was using fish head and pieces of skin for bait.

[TunaFish]

Yeah, I was there last month and spoke to some guy with 1/2 bucket full of those crabs. He would go to IRI with'em and catch Togs.

[cocoflea]

Those pics look like the green crabs we us North here for Togs.

[TRIGGERFISH]

But the fiddler has one claw larger then the other, right!

[nnj surfcaster]

small green crabs great for blackfish or togs whatever you call them.