# Crabbing



## AnotherWVTourist (Jul 16, 2008)

Hopefully not too off topic, but I have read these forums the past couple of weeks and heard crabbing mentioned on a couple of occassions. 

I have three year old twins who I think my be a little young to actually fish but may have some interest in crabbing as something to do in the mornings. My questions are, how do you do this? And where do you do it? Can you do it anywhere on the beach?


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## bluefish1928 (Jun 9, 2007)

it is 100 percent pointless crabbing directly from the beach or beach- facing pier(there are heardly any crabs). go crabbing in the salt marsh. the cherry grove area has some decent spots for crabbing. at the end of 53 avenue north there is a small pier facing the marsh and thats a good spot for crabbing. get collaspable crab nets(look like a hoop) and use chicken or cut up fish for bait. if there are crabs, they will come within 5 minutes.


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## ledweightII (Apr 4, 2008)

hi, 
when crabbing there is a size limit that they have to be...scdnr will give this to you.
if you catch any with a wad of stuff up under the rear of the crab, those are females and those are the eggs.. you cannot keep them.
i lived in mobile alabama and the big thing there was to take the claws and pull the pincher back to break it off..and break the claw open. they would batter these and fry them..the first time i order them i thought they were going to be like snow crab claws, not...but they are good..this a gulf coast dish that i havent seen on the east coast.
i just recently learned how to open the crabs to get the meat out and it would almost be beneficial to have someone show you.
to catch crabs, you can buy the little nets from about anywhere but im sure you know who has the cheapest ones in the fishing isle. there about 3.00 each. tie some part of chicken to the bottom of the net and let it sit for awhile...good crabbin'!!!im sure the kids will like it.


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## theprynce (Jun 30, 2008)

I hope I'm not accused of spot burning, but here's a Google Map I was working on a few days ago for a co-worker on some spots to crab in the MB area.

-=The Prynce


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## dlp3988 (Jul 20, 2008)

*How to crab*

I was checking the posting because I am coming to myrtle beach in a few weeks. I saw you asking about how to crab. I'll tell you how we do it in the Chesapeake bay which should help you down SC. (Just for recreation not commercial)

Real easy. First thing is you don't want to crab from the beach side. You won't catch anything. You want to find a pier on the bay side or rent a small boat. We use chicken necks because they are cheap and they last in the water. You can also use eel or bull lips.

There are two methods when crabbing from a pier. The first method, hand lining, you simply tie a peice of chicken neck to a piece of twine. (like the kind you wrap newspapers up with. and drop it off of the of the pier. The important thing is that you get the chicken neck on the bottom. Most of the time the chicken neck will go right to the bottom, if it dosen't we tie a small half ounce sinker to get it there. I'll put out about ten of these on differen't sides of the pier.

You will actually see the hand line start to move or pull tight. You slowly pull the line up and dip the crab with what is called a dip net. Basically a net with chicken wire as opposed to mesh. A crab can tangled real easy in a mesh net.

Or for about $10 a piece you can buy several crab traps at a bait and tackle shop. But like the hand lines you will have to put out several if you want to catch enough crabs to each. You won't neet a dip net if you use traps. My brother and I use traps when we go out into the bay and we put out about 25 to give you and idea.

I do the hand line method with my 4 and 6 year old children and they have a blast.

The earlier in the morning you start the better. Often times crab travel with the water current and the key is finding what depth of water they are in. 

You also check what the local size limit is and restrictions are where you are crabbing. Every state is differen't.


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## bluefish1928 (Jun 9, 2007)

traps work very well if you leave it for hours at a time. anything works as bait but i prefer dead fish(pinfish mostly and mullet sometimes).


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## theprynce (Jun 30, 2008)

Totally forgot to post the link to the map that I made. My mistake. Sorry, lol.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=U...47975065370329.0004522d299d4d157070a&t=h&z=10

If you want a proactive experience then use hoop nets, star traps, or hand lines. If you're going off a pier down here then about all you can use is star traps or weighted hoop nets. You'd be best served trying hand lines and throwing hoop nets from the bank of an inlet in the MB area unless you're handlining from a very short bridge.

-=The Prynce


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## ledweightII (Apr 4, 2008)

i think pro-active is what WV is looking for. to entertain the twins....hoop nets with any bait tied to it.
NOW, my question is 'where is there access to get to water spots not on the beach side?' 
garden city seems like the first bed of water that i think you can do this...its been years since i lived there and im sure its grown..


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## saltandsand (Nov 29, 2007)

Be alert to your children. I took both of mine crabbing. We were catching them. One second of eyes not on them and my daughter has her finger being pinched very painfully by a crab. After tearing the claw off the crab it continued clamping down on her precious little finger...I was in agony watching her cry. She was 6 when that happened, she's almost a teenager now and still remembers it as if it was yesterday.


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## ledweightII (Apr 4, 2008)

*memories.....of suntan lotion.*



theprynce said:


> Totally forgot to post the link to the map that I made. My mistake. Sorry, lol.
> 
> http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=U...47975065370329.0004522d299d4d157070a&t=h&z=10
> 
> ...


this map is very helpful..
its been sooo long ago. folks still have a house in surfside but since i live in sav. i havent been back since '95..opcorn:
how's the song go..' I can see you, your brown skin shining in the sun, I see you walking real slow, smiling at everyone
I can tell you my love for you will still be strong, after the boys of summer have gone'


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## AnotherWVTourist (Jul 16, 2008)

Thanks for all your help. Very informative.


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## theprynce (Jun 30, 2008)

ledweightII said:


> i think pro-active is what WV is looking for. to entertain the twins....hoop nets with any bait tied to it.
> NOW, my question is 'where is there access to get to water spots not on the beach side?'
> garden city seems like the first bed of water that i think you can do this...its been years since i lived there and im sure its grown..


Garden City, the bridge near House of Blues in NMB, and the little swash near Damon's on Ocean Blvd in MB are what I think would be the best spots for kids. They're all on my map.

-=The Prynce


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## theprynce (Jun 30, 2008)

saltandsand said:


> Be alert to your children. I took both of mine crabbing. We were catching them. One second of eyes not on them and my daughter has her finger being pinched very painfully by a crab. After tearing the claw off the crab it continued clamping down on her precious little finger...I was in agony watching her cry. She was 6 when that happened, she's almost a teenager now and still remembers it as if it was yesterday.


My son's almost 4 and wants badly to go crabbing with me and that's pretty much the reason he hasn't yet, lol. I think he'd love it but between the water danger (though I think he's pretty respectful of the water) and the crab danger, I think I'm gonna give him a little while so I can teach him how they can hurt.

-=The Prynce


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