Blue Crab: Recreational crab fisherman

I'm calling it the expedition because it's the only trip I'll need. I have all the crab I can handle. No seriously, bring a bib.. we've got to eat these things.

I threw my pots back in the usual spot somewhere along the maritime creeks of Cape Fear. I baited three with turkey necks and sent them to the bottom. I let them soak for six days and returned to collect my crabby goodness. The first pot hit 14 crab with five keepers. The second was packed with 25 but only ten were of legal size. The final batch contained 29 crab and other 10 keepers. The total haul was 68 total with 25 keepers.

This trip I also added a new piece of equipment, a 7 ponder anchor for the Whitehall Spirit. The anchor worked like a champ and kept the boat from drifting while I sorted the many crab in every pot.

Cleaning the crab took several hours but was well worth it. When I was done I had frozen five freezer bags full of crab halves ready for a future low country boil. The only question is how and who I'm going to enjoy these crab with.

Way hey and away we go.. crab fishing returns next weekend to the sunny and now cold island. Sadly I still haven't eaten the crab I caught last time. I strongly suspect a seafood themed meal either around Christmas or New Years Day.

In other seafaring news I believe I *almost* have my maritime themed music channel on Pandora configured to perfection. It's an eclectic mix of Great Big Sea, Stan Rogers, The Pogues, The Dubliners, Flogging Molly, etc. I'm still exercising veto power over a few fringe Gordon Lightfoot and Garnet Rogers tunes that pop up from time to time, but overall it's a station that I can listen to for hours without hitting the "fast forward button".

Check out Great Big Folk

The weekend brought a welcome relief from work but also a promising result for a new bait technique. Friday I acquired some turkey necks from the local grocery store and that evening slipped out into the water to set gear. High tide was forecast for 8:40pm so I launched the Whitehall Spirit around 7:30 despite an impending rain storm and heavy cloud cover. As I scouted my crab spot I noticed that night was rolling in a bit early because of the storm and made a rapid deployment of my gear before heading back to the dock. By the time I pulled the boat from the water it was completely dark but I was satisfied that my crab pots were in the water.

Saturday afternoon I ventured out to check the bait and was extremely happy to find many crab in all three pots. The turkey neck held up nicely though it smelled quite foul. I knew that I'd be busy the next evening when I returned and was anxious to count my crab but I nonetheless returned home and patiently waited for the next day's haul. Sunday was a perfect day and when I pulled the pots with the help of my trusty brother-in-law first mate I managed to gather 26 total with 5 undersized and 21 keepers.

Later that evening I iced down the catch in a cooler to make them dormant and then processed the catch. Each half crab piece was carefully placed on a baking sheet and frozen for easier storage in a few large freezer bags. Each of the bags made the long trip home and I now have a nice store of fresh crab meat at the ready. Now all that's left is to find a few stout souls who'll enjoy the crab extravaganza with me.

The photo tour begins here

At long last the crabbing crew returns to the backwaters of the Cape Fear River.

The RCGL has been renewed and there are several new items for the expedition most importantly a pair of "homemade" crabbing gloves. For the past year I've struggled with how to protect my hands and to still keep them dry. A typical set of work gloves protect fairly well but easily absorb water and become soaked rather quickly. Alternatively a set of rubber gloves provide little protection but will repel water and more importantly the muck that clings to the bottom of the pot. My answer was to double up the gloves by buying a pair of tight fitting cloth gloves and to wear a thick pair of rubber ones over top.

Another key item on my list was a crab gauge. The gauge is nothing more than a plastic stick for measuring legal "keepers" and I've even fashion my own in the past. This nifty red one comes directly from a marine retailer and features a 5", 5 1/2" and smaller measuring section. I've also opted to strengthen my cordage with 25' worth of 3/8" sinking line. The line along with two stout bricks should prevent any pot loss especially in the shallow branches of Bald Head creek.

My last addition for this trip is a pack of Turkey necks which I'll use as bait. The meat is considered scrap but is still useful to crabbers because it's tough and will last when submerged in the ocean. Professional crabbers may scoff at the proposition of using such bait but it's one of the few options for recreational fishers who don't have a stock of fish heads lying around. Hopefully the new bait will attract a lot of crabs and will last throughout the weekend. No loss if it doesn't since the bait is cheap and readily available.