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| The Green Crab by Russell & Maureen
Albertson |
 |
Green Crabs are used to catch a variety of different fish, but most
often are used to catch Tautog(alias blackfish,slippery bass). Black Sea
Bass, Ling and Codfish can also be caught on crabs while fishing on wrecks
and artificial reefs. Stripers have been caught on green crabs in the fall,
although they are not commonly used as a striper bait. |
It is interesting
to note that many good catches of weakfish were made possible by using
shedder green crabs. OH!--Did you forget they shed, also?. Well,
they do, although they are much harder to identify as shedders, because
the same symptoms that are visible on a blue claw crab are hidden by the
green crab's darker colors.
Green crabs, like the bloodworms, are most often imported from the New
England states. They are indigenous to our area, but with the extreme tides
in the northern states the green crabs are much easier to trap. When fishing
Tautog, any live crab cut properly will work. Spotted ocean crabs, sand
fleas, calico crabs and fiddler crabs are part of a tautog's normal diet.
Green crabs are purchased by the fisherman who doesn't want to spend any
of his valuble fishing time catching bait, and are available almost year-round
in our store. The exception being during January - February, when they
sometimes become scarce. The weather gets so cold in Maine, that the harvesting
of the crabs kills them before they can be stored at temperatures above
freezing.
Uses and tips for fishing with Green crabs |
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Green crabs are used in various ways. Techniques differ depending on
the individual who is doing the fishing. A crab that is put on as bait
whole and intact will assure that the larger of the fish in any one school
will be on your line. Big bait catches big fish.{pounding fist!}However,
there is one drawback to this theory. |
If the fishing is slow, the water
cold, or the tautog are being picky, the other fishermen on the boat will
catch more fish with crabs that they have dressed up. This can be achieved
by doing any one or all of the following: 1) cutting them in half, 2) removing
the claws, 3) peeling off the back shells, 4) removing the swim fins.
Green crabs are usually bought by the dozen. One dozen crabs normally
means 2 dozen baits. Crabs can also be purchased in bulk: 1/8 bushel, 1/4
bushel, 1/2 bushel, full bushel. Charter boats purchase several bushels
of crabs at a time. During a real good fishing trip, two people could use
up 1/4 bushel of crabs. However, an 1/8 bushel of crabs will catch all
the fish that any two people care to spend hours cleaning. |
 |
If you have extra green crabs after fishing they can be stored in a
refrigerator for up to two weeks. It is recommended to put green crabs
in a spare refrigerator that's just for bait, because they stink. Green
crabs can also be stored in a bait box in salt water that has good circulation.
When the water warms up, sinking the bait box to a cooler water depth will
assure a better survival ratio. |
Feeding them is only necessary if you are
trying to hold them for long periods of time. Green crabs are ravenous
and they will consume any fish carcass. Try not to expose green crabs to
long periods of sun or heat, they will die.
All Green crabs
smell somewhat. DO NOT attempt to use dead smelly
rotten green crabs. If the bad scent gets on your cutting board, it will
ruin all the good crabs you cut next. So make sure the crabs are moving,
even if it is ever so slightly! Yes, this means that freezing your left-over
green crabs is not a good idea. |
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