The Joys of Catching Blue Claw Crabs

The very first time I went crabbing I guess I was about 9 years old. Our dad had decided that I was now old enough to go out on the boat with him, my older brothers and one of our neighbors. This was a big day for me and I could not wait for the day to go crabbing.

 Up to this point I could only rely on hearing stories about it from my brothers. Of course as long as I can remember I was always old enough to enjoy eating them. But, I was about to have a graduation of sorts, and participate in being able to catch them.

Crabbing is similar to fishing in that good fishing knives are needed. Me and my brothers all carried pocket knives so this was not a problem. And we all preferred Buck Knives.

The night before we were going to go out we spent a few hours loading up the car with everything needed for the trip. The excitement was incredible. For bait my dad preferred chicken necks, because in water they are oily and greasy which really attracts the crabs.

Also the necks are very hard to pull apart by the crabs and therefore last a long time. We all had our Buck Knives type pocket knives and had other types of fishing knives in the tackle box because having a good sharp knife truly was essential.

We would have a small fishing boat with an outboard motor reserved in advance and could arrive as early as we chose that day. My dad would like to be on the boat loaded up and ready to go at sun up.

Our method of crabbing was both with a hand line and a couple of small traps. To use a hand line this is where sharp pocket knives are essential. I have been carrying a Buck Knife, pocket knife for as long as I can remember, and for the trip I brought along a nice multiple bladed one.

First a piece of rope or cord was cut at the desired length (usually 15 feet was plenty long enough.) Next I would take a chicken neck and cut a "slit" in it to allow the rope to go through so that you could tie it (this is where your sharp pocket knives really come in handy). Tie on a sinker to make sure it stays on the bottom and that's all there is to it.

Each person on the boat has their own "hand line." Every 5 to 10 minutes you check your line for crabs. By doing this you pull the line up very slowly, hand over hand (the water is usually not more than 10 feet deep for this method of crabbing).  When the baiting line becomes visible at this point you can see if there is a crab on the line.

If you are skilled enough, while holding the hand line with one hand, take a net in you other hand and by going underneath of the bait and crab you scoop up in one motion without alerting the crab. It takes a little skill to get the hang of it. Just lose a few crabs and you will soon see how fast you can learn.

If the crab is of a legal size (this varies state-to-state) then just throw it in the bushel. To catch your first crab is as much fun as you could ever have. Soon the day ends and you wonder where the time goes. This is truly a moment where the statement "time flies when you’re having fun" applies.

This is truly a lot of fun, but guess what? The fun has just begun. Upon arriving home the job of "steaming" the crabs is now at hand. As I was only 9, this job was left up to my dad. However, he insisted that my brothers and I be "helpers" so that we would learn for ourselves.

This is also a lot of fun and tricky. (They are actually called crabs for a reason) Never the less I am grateful for this experience because I can "steam" crabs on my own. After all of the crabs are 'steamed' every one sits around the table and cleans and eats crabs.

I cannot describe to you how good they are. I can only recommend you give them a try!