when to crab?
 

I always go crabbin in the morning. Like fishing, I find the best time to catch is early in the morning. I have never been in the afternoon. Have any of y'all gone in the afternoons and done any good? Maybe during the afternoon outgoing tide?

I never go crabbing real early because I normally do good at any time of the day. Some [most] places you will catch much better when the water is moving.

Dont think it really matters about time... But if ur goin off the bank somewhere u gotta go early to get a decent spot.

Samsung Galaxy S3 (Android dominating the world!)

I don't think you have to go in the morning. Last June during the full moon I had to bring my son to work with me in Cameron. I left work at around two and we went down Rutherford Beach Rd which is normally pretty slow. We had six crabs before we even put bait in the water and we left after 20 mins of crabbing with two dozen pretty nice crabs. During a full moon a good time to hunt deer is sometimes from noon unitl 2 or 3. Maybe crabbing is the same way. I think most people go in the morning to get a spot, beat the heat, and catch them and have time to get back home and boil them and eat them.

Before I bought a boat me and the wife used to go to rockefella crabbing and we always went in the afternoon around 2 or 3. If they caught in the morning we caught in the afternoon. Beats waking up at 4 in the morning. We boiled them the next day.

Tide movement plays the largest part of crabbing. In my opinion the bottom 1/2 of a falling tide (the 1-2 hr period where the tides going to be still moving but it is lowest) is the best possible time to crab.

2nd best is the top 1/2 of a rising tide.

good luck

Crab vs. Tide catching story

I was having a slow day catching crabs at Rockefeller with no tide movement. I had 2 or 3 dozen crabs and it was getting late. The tide just started going out and I stopped at a cut in the rocks not far from JH boat landing. I anchored so I was out of the current but could throw my bait [with ~ 3 oz. weight] up in the opening about 15' away.

I took up slack in the line as it quickly floated pasted me. When the line got tight, the crab would come up to the surface and "water ski" until I got in the net. I caught about 15 big crabs before I had to leave swift moving water spot.

I tried spots near the moving water.....but did much better in the strong current.

I have, and noticed no difference in how full they were.