Can You Teach Me How And Where To Crab???

[RPM]

Is there somewhere to go crabbing if you dont have a boat? specifically in the southern calvert county area. anywhere from st. leonard to solomons would be perfect.

also, i havent been crabbing since i was about 10 years old so I COULD SURE YOU SOME POINTERS. including the very basic stuff!!!

thanks in advance!~

 

[RPM]

also,

do you have to have a fishing liscence?

 

[baswm]

Re: also,

Originally posted by RPM
do you have to have a fishing liscence?

No But you do need a crabbing liscence. You can try down at solomons along the parking area near Solomons Pier. You would have to use a net and some chicken lines. I live in Port Republic and we have a community pier we fish and crab off. But no one has crabbed this year. Seems most people have better luck with a trot line and a boat. Just netting from a pier or pylon takes all day and you may not really get anything. Just my opinion.

 

[RPM]

i found this from the year 2001. is this still valid?

INDIVIDUAL CRABBING


A license is required of an individual who uses the following gear or takes the following quantity of crabs:
Trotline (1200 feet of baited line maximum allowed)
11 to 30 traps or rings
Up to 10 eel pots for own bait
More than 2 dozen with a limit of 1 bushel of hard crabs
More than 1 dozen with a limit of 2 dozen soft crabs or peelers
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
dipnets
handlines
No more than 2 dozen hard crabs
No more than 1 dozen soft crabs or peelers

 

[baswm]

STATE OF MARYLAND
DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
2004 FISHING LICENSE PRICE LIST
Licenses, Valid - January 1 through December 31

MINIMUM SIZE: Hard/Male 5-1/4 inches; Soft - 4 inches; Peeler - 3-1/2 inches
Mature Female no minimum size

Recreational crabbing license - Resident...............................$ 5.00


IT SHALL BE LAWFUL
FOR A NONCOMMERCIAL CRABBER WITH A LICENSE:

To crab using up to 1,200 feet of baited trotline, with a float of the same color, size, and shape attached to each end; or
To use more than a ten (10) but not more than thirty (30) or a combination of thirty (30) collapsible crab traps or crab net
rings; or both Per Boat
To use not more than ten (10) eel pots for catching your own crabbing bait.

License Required: See License Fees
Time Restriction: 1/2 Hour after sunrise to 5:00 pm. in the Chesapeake Bay and 1/2 Hour sunrise to sunset in rivers, creeks and tributaries. No crabbing on Wednesdays.

Daily Catch Limit: Individual Crabbing
1. With License: More than 2 dozen with a limit of 1 bushel of hard crabs
More than 1 dozen with a limit of 2 dozen soft crabs or peelers
2. Without License: No more than 2 dozen hard crabs
No more than 1 dozen soft crabs or peelers


IT SHALL BE UNLAWFUL
FOR A NONCOMMERCIAL CRABBER:

To sell crabs without a commercial license.
To possess an egg bearing (sponge) crab.
To set or fish a trotline or collapsible traps within one hundred (100) feet of a trotline.
To fish crab pots which belong to another person which is a Criminal Offense.
To fish eel pots without a license.
To use a collapsible crab trap with a bottom panel that exceeds one square foot.
To set, place or fish crabbing gear prior to or after the prescribed time restrictions.

Looks like the same as the 2001 rules.

 

[Pushrod]

Baswm wrote: "I did not see anything about being able to not have a liscence unless Residents and non-residents who are blind are exempt from the fee."

Look closely at your post....

"Daily Catch Limit: Individual Crabbing
1. With License: More than 2 dozen with a limit of 1 bushel of hard crabs
More than 1 dozen with a limit of 2 dozen soft crabs or peelers
2. Without License: No more than 2 dozen hard crabs
No more than 1 dozen soft crabs or peelers"

Looks like it says you can crab for up to 2 dozen without a license to me.

 

[baswm]

After cutting and pasting in and posting, I re read it more carefully and fixed it. You caught it before the fix.

 

[huntr1]

One thing you can try (without a large investment) is ring traps. They are $1.79 at boaters world. Buy a couple of those, plus a swimming pool noodle (color up to you) and 3/4" pvc pipe to cut up and turn into cheap floats. Put a float at the end of the string, and another small float (1") at the bottom of the string, right where the 3 strings from the top ring attatch to the long string that goes to the surface (it will keep the strings out of the trap so the crab is not on top of them when you go to check the trap).

Jeros Two Ring Crab Trap

This works better than using a chicken neck tied to a piece of string.

 

[Spoiled]

I always just tied a piece of chicken to a string and dropped it off of a dock and pulled it up with a fishnet ready and a basket on the dock to keep my crabs... mind you im not from maryland

 

[baswm]

That is how we netted the crabs as well. The metal crab traps are ok but very cumbersome.

 

[cattitude]

Originally posted by Spoiled
I always just tied a piece of chicken to a string and dropped it off of a dock and pulled it up with a fishnet ready and a basket on the dock to keep my crabs... mind you im not from maryland

That's what we've always done. My parents live on Battle Creek. Chicken necks..backs..legs... You have to be patient and pull the lines in slowly. We used to take the kids and have several lines going off the dock at one time. Just like with fishing, when the line gets tight, it generally means there a crab picking away at the chicken....or a turtle.

 

[SeaRide]

by dock, boat, or wading

I catch crabs off the trotline using chicken neck baits. Back in the old days before my Dad could afford a boat, my Dad would set up the trotline not far from the shore. He would catch the crabs by wading back and forth along the trotline.

When I was a kid, I would wade in the water and use my fishing rod and cast the chicken neck ( with little sinker). I just cast it not too far and wait for the crab "bite". When I feel the crab on, just reel it in slow and catch it.

• Crab baits:
• eels
• chicken necks
• gizzards
• fish parts

 

[Toxick]

Re: by dock, boat, or wading

My gear:

One spool of string - or - four 15-20' lengths of string.
Four Chicken Necks.


No license required if you keep under 2 doz.


And a driver's license for your beer.