Best Ways to Catch Crabs

Crab fishing has been one of the most fun activities for bonding and leisure time across the globe. All types of crabs are waited upon when the best season arrives. Catching crabs is not only a creative and fun activity, but it also ensures that you get your stomach full of tasty food. Crab meat is very delicious and is used in many world cousins.
In this post I will discuss methods and hacks to catch crabs effectively. But first, let’s see what crabs are?

What are crabs?

Crabs are crustaceans that belong to the order Decapoda in phylum Arthropoda. They have around 10,000 species and can be found in all oceans, freshwater, and land.
Crabs are omnivorous and can act as scavengers, predators, or vegetarians. As crustaceans, they lack a backbone, and their bodies are covered with a hard shell. The upper body shield is usually broad, and the first pair of legs is modified into pincers.

Best time and season to catch crabs

The best time to catch crabs is when the water is moving during the high tide. The best season to catch crabs is from late spring to early summer or from late summer to early fall. The best temperature range for crabs is 70- 75 degrees Fahrenheit, which means that water should be warm but not too warm.

Now let’s see what are the famous methods to catch crabs?

Hand lining

Hand lining is the easiest and most popular method as you don’t need special license equipment to catch crabs. All we need is a crab bait, a net, and a ball of string. Simply tie the bait to one end of the string and drop the bait from any pier or dock. Add some fishing weights to the line to get your bait to the bottom. You can make this method economical by setting out multiple lines at the same time. When you notice a stretch in the line, it’s time to pull the bait and make sure that you pull very slowly so that the animal is not scared.

Crab traps

Crab traps are used to lower bait and catch crabs for recreational or commercial use. You can choose the best crab trap depending on the type of crab being targeted, personal preference, or the geographic location, and of course other users’ reviews.
Some of the types of crab traps are:

• West Coast crab pots
• Pyramid crab traps
• Ring crab traps
• Box crab traps
• Trotline crab fishing
• Maryland crab pot

Trot-lining

This method to catch crabs is beneficial, but it requires gear investment, practice, skill, a lot of bait, and preparation. If you have a tort line of 1200 feet, you have to place the bait every six feet. You must also have anchors, floats, and rig the boat with a protruding U-shaped arm out to the side. Once you have set the line, move the motor very slowly so that crabs cannot notice the line being pulled. The truth is that if you have no experience of this technique, it’s better to get a seat on a crabbing charter.