Can we crab off of any pier?

buddscreekman

buddscreekman

New Member
I'd like to catch some crabs with the kids,with just a small triangle trap. Can we use any pier that is a rec area/not privately owned? Such as St.Georges Island,that little park off Beachville Rd. etc. And do we need any sort of license or permit to catch recreationally?

And while I'm at it - is the beach behind the St Georges Island post office public or private? There's always tons of people there on the weekends,but I'd like to go during the week. What about that nice beach area just over the SGI side of the bridge? There's no sign for the beach itself,just one for the path near the road.
 
Gilligan

Gilligan

#*! boat!
PREMO Member
You will need one recreational fishing license ($15) plus the added crab license ($2), or you can buy "crab only" license for $5. If its only the kids and they are under 16 years of age, they could fish/crab without a license but you might be hard pressed to convince a DNR officer that you were only standing in the background watching them do that.

All property on the island side of the bridge is posted and off limits. Sad that it came to that but when it was open to the public, the public trashed the daylights out of the area and I, and others, got sick and tired of donning hazmat suits to go clean up the soiled diapers, spoiled food and literally tons of trash that was always left behind. There is a publicly-owned service pier on Thomas Rd but it only serves the commercial fisherman for loading/unloading.

Camp Merrylande, at the end of the island, used to sell day-passes for fishing and crabbing.

On the mainland side of the bridge, fishing and crabbling area allowed from the park property on both sides of the road, including the pier. But that is the extent of the public access; the people who are using the "beach" north of the west park, all the way to the Post Office, are trespassing and do get chased off from time to time when a deputy happens to cruise through.
 
buddscreekman

buddscreekman

New Member
Thanks,very thorough answer and just what I was looking for! That is a shame about the beach on the island side,because I remember going there as a kid. Since you seem to be very familiar with the area,I also seem to remember my dad taking us to a nice beach a LONG time ago - 30 years or so - and he simply referred to it as Tall Timbers. Any idea if that is still around?
 
Gilligan

Gilligan

#*! boat!
PREMO Member
buddscreekman said:
Thanks,very thorough answer and just what I was looking for! That is a shame about the beach on the island side,because I remember going there as a kid. Since you seem to be very familiar with the area,I also seem to remember my dad taking us to a nice beach a LONG time ago - 30 years or so - and he simply referred to it as Tall Timbers. Any idea if that is still around?
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Tall Timbers beach...the only piece that remains (that I know of) is at the end of the Tall Timbers marina property, alongside the breakwater. It is not open to the public although if you came in with a couple of youngsters and told your story, I doubt that Rick would tell you anything other than to go enjoy it. (I live on St. George's..keep my cruiser in a slip at Tall Timbers. Although I'm a 7D refugee, I've been on SGI for 22 years.:buddies:)
 
buddscreekman

buddscreekman

New Member
It looks like our best bet location wise is the pier right before the SGI bridge. I looked into getting a license but it sounds like we don't need one since we are using only 1 or 2 small traps. I saw a sign at the end of someone's road in Piney Point advertising "crustacean traps",and inquired and he's charging 8.00 per small square trap. Might check with Tackle Box,I'd like something a little bigger.
 
DoWhat

DoWhat

Deplorable
PREMO Member
buddscreekman said:
It looks like our best bet location wise is the pier right before the SGI bridge. I looked into getting a license but it sounds like we don't need one since we are using only 1 or 2 small traps. I saw a sign at the end of someone's road in Piney Point advertising "crustacean traps",and inquired and he's charging 8.00 per small square trap. Might check with Tackle Box,I'd like something a little bigger.
Click to expand...

Best thing to do is use some fishing line and chicken necks.
And a net.
 
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itsbob

itsbob

I bowl overhand
Gilligan said:
You will need one recreational fishing license ($15) plus the added crab license ($2), or you can buy "crab only" license for $5. If its only the kids and they are under 16 years of age, they could fish/crab without a license but you might be hard pressed to convince a DNR officer that you were only standing in the background watching them do that.

All property on the island side of the bridge is posted and off limits. Sad that it came to that but when it was open to the public, the public trashed the daylights out of the area and I, and others, got sick and tired of donning hazmat suits to go clean up the soiled diapers, spoiled food and literally tons of trash that was always left behind. There is a publicly-owned service pier on Thomas Rd but it only serves the commercial fisherman for loading/unloading.

Camp Merrylande, at the end of the island, used to sell day-passes for fishing and crabbing.

On the mainland side of the bridge, fishing and crabbling area allowed from the park property on both sides of the road, including the pier. But that is the extent of the public access; the people who are using the "beach" north of the west park, all the way to the Post Office, are trespassing and do get chased off from time to time when a deputy happens to cruise through.
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Since when do we have to buy a crabbing license for personal crabbing?
 
O

officeguy

Well-Known Member
itsbob said:
Since when do we have to buy a crabbing license for personal crabbing?
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You dont.


Crabbing Licenses
Crab season: April 1 to December 15

A recreational crabber may crab without a license 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week from docks, piers, bridges, boats and shorelines using dip nets and any number of handlines. A property owner may set a maximum of 2 crab pots per privately owned pier at their property.
Recreational Crabbing License

Recreational Crabbing License is required of persons catching crabs for recreational purposes in the waters of the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries using (a) trotline not to exceed 1,200 feet in length (baited portion), (b) 11 to 30 collapsible traps or rings, or (c) up to 10 eel pots for catching the individual’s own bait.
# Resident $5.00
# Holders of a Bay sport fishing license or a Resident Senior Consolidated fishing license $2.00
# Nonresident $10.00
Recreational Crabbing Boat License

The Recreational Crabbing Boat License allows everyone on board a vessel to catch crabs for recreational purposes anywhere in the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries, and is in lieu of individual licenses. The following limits on gear apply to the vessel: (a) trotline not to exceed 1,200 feet in length (baited portion), (b) maximum 30 collapsible traps or rings, or (c) any number of handlines and dip nets.
# $15.00 for residents and nonresidents
 
O

officeguy

Well-Known Member
Gilligan said:
You do....unless yr just messing about with a couple chicken necks or traps.

Oops, good catch on that. We trotline, so I have the rec crab license.
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If I read the DNR site right, you dont need a license to pull some crabs out of the water using a handline and a chicken neck. As pots are not covered by that paragraph, it would seem like you DO need a license to set pots off a doc.

$15 bucks is probably not too much to avoid any discussions with the DNR popo.
 
SoMDGirl42

SoMDGirl42

Well-Known Member
DoWhat said:
Best thing to do is use some fishing line and chicken necks.
And a net.
Click to expand...

a thin nylon string is better then the fishing line. Fishing line tends to be slippery when wet and it can cut your fingers and such. Don't have that problem with the nylon string. Oh, and I use legs instead of necks. They have more meat, they are easier to tie on the end of the string and don't slip off.

There, gave all my secrets away. Happy now??? :tantrum: :lol:
 
SoMDGirl42

SoMDGirl42

Well-Known Member
officeguy said:
If I read the DNR site right, you dont need a license to pull some crabs out of the water using a handline and a chicken neck. As pots are not covered by that paragraph, it would seem like you DO need a license to set pots off a doc.

$15 bucks is probably not too much to avoid any discussions with the DNR popo.
Click to expand...

2 pots per privately owned dock :whistle:

A recreational crabber may crab without a license 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week from docks, piers, bridges, boats and shorelines using dip nets and any number of handlines. A property owner may set a maximum of 2 crab pots per privately owned pier at their property.
Recreational Crabbing License
 
T

tipsymcgee

Active Member
The difference is in the type of pot. You can't set commercial style crab pots from a recreational pier or beach or just go out in a boat and set one in the river. Waterfront property owners are allowed 2 of those per property. What DNR refers to are the smaller black metal traps that close when you pull up, or crab rings. You can get 2 dozen per person using hand lines or small traps with no license, but no females.
 
T

tipsymcgee

Active Member
itsbob said:
Again, since when?

It used to be a bushel or 1/2 bushel.. you can't feed a family off of 2 dozen crabs.,.
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◦A license is NOT required of an individual who uses only the following gear and takes the following quantity of crabs:
■10 or fewer traps and rings or combination of traps and rings
■dipnets
■handlines
■Seine less than 50 ft in length
■No more than 2 dozen hard crabs
■No more than 1 dozen soft crabs or peelers
 
O

officeguy

Well-Known Member
SoMDGirl42 said:
2 pots per privately owned dock :whistle:

A recreational crabber may crab without a license 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week from docks, piers, bridges, boats and shorelines using dip nets and any number of handlines. A property owner may set a maximum of 2 crab pots per privately owned pier at their property.
Recreational Crabbing License
Click to expand...

The OP wishes to crab from a public pier.
 
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