Best Blue Crab Spots

[GregRuder]

Originally Posted by swamp snorkler

Put the poles 100' to 150' apart.

String a main line between the two of them'

Off the main tie a 10-12' string with a piece of leg quarter on it you may want to attach an old nut to help weigh it down.

Walk the main line, when you get to one of your bait lines pull it in slow, have the net in the water and scoop the crabs.

I may make a trip to grand isle in a few weeks to get some. When the giving good you can load the truck and there is no limit that I know of. I dont keep more than my family can eat so once I fill an ice chest I stop.

One thing not mentioned is female crab with the eggs showing...... throw them back you can NOT posses them.

This is awesome information. Thanks for all your help, everyone. I think we've decided on Holly Beach...saves us the expense of fishing licenses and allows us to catch more. I'm gonna run over to Academy (best I can do in San Antonio) and buy some gear to set up a trot line.

[Armand16]

Originally Posted by GregRuder

This is awesome information. Thanks for all your help, everyone. I think we've decided on Holly Beach...saves us the expense of fishing licenses and allows us to catch more. I'm gonna run over to Academy (best I can do in San Antonio) and buy some gear to set up a trot line.

I know the grass was really bad on the beach this year. It would be tough crabbing if thats still the case. Maybe somone can chime in on the current grass conditions.

[Gerald]

Originally Posted by GregRuder

This is awesome information. Thanks for all your help, everyone. I think we've decided on Holly Beach...saves us the expense of fishing licenses and allows us to catch more. I'm gonna run over to Academy (best I can do in San Antonio) and buy some gear to set up a trot line.

Also, go to Walmart and get some shower curtain holders. Tie these onto the end of your string and use them to hold your bait on the line. I sharpen the tip to make it easier to poke it through the bait.

Crabs will often cut the string if it is tied directly to the bait.

Bring a 5 gallon bucket or something to put the crabs in while catching them.

Also having something like a clothes basket to put the crabs in is good and having long "tongs" to grab the crabs makes handling them much easier.

It is going to be hot........get lots of ice and keep the ice chest in the shade. After you catch a dozen or so, quickly put them in an empty ice chest.......all crabs should be up-right. If they are upside down......they can die sometimes.

After you put the crabs in the ice chest, cover them with a wet towel and put some ice on top of the towel. As you add more crabs, move the towel first and put it back on top of the crabs. Add ice as needed to keep the crabs cold. The crabs will die if not kept cold...... and will be mushy after cooking them.

Drain water from the ice chest as needed to remove the water.

[keakar]

Originally Posted by Pull n Pray

So you are basically making a trot line for crabs. How deep. Do the bait lines sit on the bottom.

if its not "on" the bottom the crabs usually wont swim up after it unless they already know its there like if you pulled it away from them then they will swim back and sometimes catch it as it falls.

Originally Posted by swamp snorkler

The limit on the Point Aux Chene Reserve is 12 dozen per boat.

If you on a public beach there is no limit. Just go to Holley beach and fish them off a palon. get 2 poles about 8-10' long, string a piece of rope between the 2 of them and of that rope tie some string every 10-15 or so with piece of leg quarter on the end. Pull it in slow andand scoop the crabs off with a net. This time of year is killer for crabs on the beach in Grand Isle, I'm not familiar with Holley Beach but it's prbably close to the same.

are there any other special restrictions in PAC area for crabbing?
any restricted areas or zones to avoid going into?
anything besides a lifetime fishing license needed? like a gear license or anything (I don't think a trotline is considered having gear is it?)

thanks for the info, I plan to go try crabbing there this week.

im not using poles but I have anchors and floats on each end of the line so I idle along the line lifting and dipping as I go like they do up north for crab trotlines

[duckman1911]

If Holly doesn't work out try the canal on the north side of hwy27 between Holly and the ship channel. I have never crabbed there but have talked to several people crabbing there and doing good. I don't think it will be full of seaweed even if the beaches are. Good luck man

[ChaseB1991]

Originally Posted by Gerald

Also, go to Walmart and get some shower curtain holders. Tie these onto the end of your string and use them to hold your bait on the line. I sharpen the tip to make it easier to poke it through the bait.

Crabs will often cut the string if it is tied directly to the bait.

Bring a 5 gallon bucket or something to put the crabs in while catching them.

Also having something like a clothes basket to put the crabs in is good and having long "tongs" to grab the crabs makes handling them much easier.

It is going to be hot........get lots of ice and keep the ice chest in the shade. After you catch a dozen or so, quickly put them in an empty ice chest.......all crabs should be up-right. If they are upside down......they can die sometimes.

After you put the crabs in the ice chest, cover them with a wet towel and put some ice on top of the towel. As you add more crabs, move the towel first and put it back on top of the crabs. Add ice as needed to keep the crabs cold. The crabs will die if not kept cold...... and will be mushy after cooking them.

Drain water from the ice chest as needed to remove the water.

This is new to me. So your piece of wood with string, do you just hold the wood and wait or what? I've never been crabbing before. How long do you usually have to leave you line in the water before checking it? How deep of water?

[keakar]

Originally Posted by ChaseB1991

This is new to me. So your piece of wood with string, do you just hold the wood and wait or what? I've never been crabbing before. How long do you usually have to leave you line in the water before checking it? How deep of water?

if the crabs are within a few feet it can be as soon as it hits the bottom, if they are outside the 6 ft circle then the smell attracts them so it could take a minute or two or as much time as the current spreads the scent trail.

after a scent trail is in the water its like chum and any crab passing it will follow the scent to your baits

[Gerald]

Originally Posted by ChaseB1991

This is new to me. So your piece of wood with string, do you just hold the wood and wait or what? I've never been crabbing before. How long do you usually have to leave you line in the water before checking it? How deep of water?

The wood is only used to store the lines that I use.

I unwind the string, tie off the end, put bait on the shower hook and toss it out. String is long enough to have the bait 5' to 10' away from my boat. The water is usually 4' to 8' deep.

Like last poster said....... how long you leave it down, depends on how long it takes for the crabs to find the bait. One time, I put out one line and started getting a second line ready. I checked the first line after about a minute and caught a couple crabs. I put out the second line and then caught more crabs on the first line.

After about 30 minutes, I had been going back and forth between the 2 lines so fast, I did not have time to put out a 3 rd line.

I usually put out 4 or 5 line when crabbing from my boat.

[fishhawk]

crabbing in the surf only works when the surf is flat because the water will be dirty and you wont be able to see the crabs untill right on top of the water and more than likely a wave will ruin everything. Also most of the crabs you catch on the beach right now will be egg-ladden.Go to the refuge and get there early (very crowded).If the tide is running you will need weights.
Get you a clothes basket to put crabs in, keep 'em cool by placing a wet toe-sack,towel, etc on top of them when youre though and you will be good! Keep your eye on them and whenever one dies throw 'em on ice and they will be good.
When you leave hackberry there are no more stores! There are 3 people that sale ice at holly beach, but may not be open.
Respect the people at the refuge that are crabbing 'cuz most arent there for fun, thyre there for food!
It takes awhile to learn the ropes of the area, but once you do its a blast!

[Lil Silver]

Originally Posted by GregRuder

This is awesome information. Thanks for all your help, everyone. I think we've decided on Holly Beach...saves us the expense of fishing licenses and allows us to catch more. I'm gonna run over to Academy (best I can do in San Antonio) and buy some gear to set up a trot line.

Well Greg, how did you do? Update report?

[ChaseB1991]

How's the beach lookin for crabbing? Starting today I got two weeks of leave so I need to hit the coast on a day when I can try and scoop out some trout as well

[marty f]

Originally Posted by swamp snorkler

Put the poles 100' to 150' apart.

String a main line between the two of them'

Off the main tie a 10-12' string with a piece of leg quarter on it you may want to attach an old nut to help weigh it down.

Walk the main line, when you get to one of your bait lines pull it in slow, have the net in the water and scoop the crabs.

One thing not mentioned is female crab with the eggs showing...... throw them back you can NOT posses them.

Im assuming this is off the beach, holly beach. How deep of water do you set your poles as well I assume your setting your bait towards deeper water.

Originally Posted by Gerald

Also, go to Walmart and get some shower curtain holders. Tie these onto the end of your string and use them to hold your bait on the line. I sharpen the tip to make it easier to poke it through the bait.

Crabs will often cut the string if it is tied directly to the bait.

Bring a 5 gallon bucket or something to put the crabs in while catching them.

Also having something like a clothes basket to put the crabs in is good and having long "tongs" to grab the crabs makes handling them much easier.

It is going to be hot........get lots of ice and keep the ice chest in the shade. After you catch a dozen or so, quickly put them in an empty ice chest.......all crabs should be up-right. If they are upside down......they can die sometimes.

After you put the crabs in the ice chest, cover them with a wet towel and put some ice on top of the towel. As you add more crabs, move the towel first and put it back on top of the crabs. Add ice as needed to keep the crabs cold. The crabs will die if not kept cold...... and will be mushy after cooking them.

Drain water from the ice chest as needed to remove the water.

thank you Gerald!!

[marty f]

Originally Posted by swamp snorkler

Put the poles 100' to 150' apart.

String a main line between the two of them'

Off the main tie a 10-12' string with a piece of leg quarter on it you may want to attach an old nut to help weigh it down.

Walk the main line, when you get to one of your bait lines pull it in slow, have the net in the water and scoop the crabs.

I may make a trip to grand isle in a few weeks to get some. When the giving good you can load the truck and there is no limit that I know of. I dont keep more than my family can eat so once I fill an ice chest I stop.

One thing not mentioned is female crab with the eggs showing...... throw them back you can NOT posses them.

back on this, is there a good area I can use this method in the BL area and use my boat to set and access the lines. I really do not know where to fish for crabs. I found a site called bluecrab.info but didn't really have much luck getting INFO as to BL

[marty f]

Also, in doing my research, I see "Rockefeller" and "Hog Island" mentioned a lot

Where is this "Rockefeller" and "Hog Island"

[Gerald]

Originally Posted by marty f

Also, in doing my research, I see "Rockefeller" and "Hog Island" mentioned a lot

Where is this "Rockefeller" and "Hog Island"

Rockefeller Refuge..... is run by the LDWF and is on the Louisiana coast about 30 miles east of Cameron, LA on the south side of Hwy 82. Generally people catch a lot of crabs at the ROCK, but the crabs usually are more on the medium size...... IE. 4.5" to 5.5" with a few 6" or larger. Alligators are sometimes a problem there because they try to "steal" your crab bait.

Hog Island "GULLY"..... is one of the cannels in the Sabine NWR. It runs from Hwy 27 [south of Hackberry] and connects to the ship channel just a little [maybe a mile] north of the northern cut going into West Cove. There is a boat launch by Hwy 27.

[mallardhead]

Ok call me when u leave jennings

[mallardhead]

Kmsl how did this happen when I was reading the form and my buddy text me and my text ended up on here lmbo