Crabbing!

**ready for sun!** · 04-11-2006, 01:45 PM

Some of my friends and I have rented a condo at Beachside II for the first week of June. I use to live in Plant City Florida as a child but haven�t been to the beach in a Looooooong time and have never been to Seagrove. I�m excited.

I�m really interested in going crabbing. I�ve never done it before and won�t have a boat. Does anyone have any advise about places to crab or what to use. Has anyone ever heard of the Crabhawk? Is it very productive to crab from land? ~kathryn

**peapod1980** · 04-11-2006, 01:55 PM

Originally Posted by ready for sun!

Some of my friends and I have rented a condo at Beachside II for the first week of June. I use to live in Plant City Florida as a child but haven�t been to the beach in a Looooooong time and have never been to Seagrove. I�m excited.

I�m really interested in going crabbing. I�ve never done it before and won�t have a boat. Does anyone have any advise about places to crab or what to use. Has anyone ever heard of the Crabhawk? Is it very productive to crab from land? ~kathryn

Sorry, no crabbing info to share, but

!

**Johnrudy** · 04-11-2006, 03:20 PM

I think I've seen info on this board about crabbing. Do a search. Crabbing is fun - - we used to do it as kids too.

**Jdarg** · 04-11-2006, 03:20 PM

Kathryn!

It appears that any crabbing experts are not paying attention today. Be patient, you'll get a bite soon...

**OnMackBayou** · 04-11-2006, 04:24 PM

Maybe this will be of some help.
http://www.sowal.com/bb/showthread.p...light=crabbing

**30A Skunkape** · 04-12-2006, 05:50 PM

I used to barehand nice blue crabs where the lake outlet met the Gulf on Grayton Beach. This would be much more efficient with a net. That said, I do not know if this is still possible after the outlet was affected during the storms.

**Smiling JOe** · 04-12-2006, 08:27 PM

Originally Posted by ready for sun!

Some of my friends and I have rented a condo at Beachside II for the first week of June. I use to live in Plant City Florida as a child but haven�t been to the beach in a Looooooong time and have never been to Seagrove. I�m excited.

I�m really interested in going crabbing. I�ve never done it before and won�t have a boat. Does anyone have any advise about places to crab or what to use. Has anyone ever heard of the Crabhawk? Is it very productive to crab from land? ~kathryn

Before you go crabbing, take a moment to learn the difference between male and female crabs. I believe it is illegal to take the females. More than that, I will open a can of whoop @ss on anyone I see taking tomorrow's harvest, ie- the females.

One easy way to tell the females from the males is that the females have red colored claws (think nail polish as a reminder) while the males have blue claws. Also, if you flip the crabs over look for the Washington Monument shape on the abdomen of the males (that one should be easy to remember), and more of a blunt triangle shape on the females.

Also remember that you may need a fishing license.

**30A Skunkape** · 04-13-2006, 11:39 AM

SJ, I might be wrong, but I think taking the ladies is OK as long as they are not carrying eggs on their underside (Berry Crabs).

**Smiling JOe** · 04-13-2006, 12:19 PM

Originally Posted by 30A Skunkape

SJ, I might be wrong, but I think taking the ladies is OK as long as they are not carrying eggs on their underside (Berry Crabs).

You may be right. I cannot recall, so I just leave the females alone.

**pgurney** · 04-13-2006, 12:21 PM

http://myfwc.com/marine/recreational/recbluecrab.htm

Can female blue crabs be harvested? Female blue crabs may be harvested lawfully if they are not bearing eggs. Although it is lawful to keep non-egg bearing female blue crabs, it is a conservation practice to release them unharmed. There has been evidence that the females support the population of the species. Male crabs are capable of mating several times, but females are only able to mate once, after they mature. If a juvenile female is harvested, there will be no chance that she will be able to reproduce. Additionally, mature females may store sperm in their bodies for several months after mating in order to spawn at a later date. If a mature female is harvested, though she may not exhibit eggs, there is no certainty that she has spawned. Releasing female blue crabs enhances reproductive capacity and population renewal.

**Smiling JOe** · 04-13-2006, 12:28 PM

Originally Posted by pgurney

http://myfwc.com/marine/recreational/recbluecrab.htm

Thanks, pgurney!

**whilmena** · 05-16-2006, 03:06 PM

You can just walk through thr water and scoop them up with a net. Or you can get a peace of Chicken (Rotten is better) and tie a piece of string to it and sit and wait. Then pull the chicken back in SLOWLY and scoop the Crab up. We caught about 50 in crab traps this weekend but someone stole all but 5 of them. We're watching for you!!!!!

**Miss Kitty** · 05-16-2006, 04:19 PM

Originally Posted by whilmena

You can just walk through thr water and scoop them up with a net. Or you can get a peace of Chicken (Rotten is better) and tie a piece of string to it and sit and wait. Then pull the chicken back in SLOWLY and scoop the Crab up. We caught about 50 in crab traps this weekend but someone stole all but 5 of them. We're watching for you!!!!!

That's how we did it in the "olden" days...tie a chicken neck to a string!!!