Best Bait To Catch Blue Crabs – If you’ve ever accidentally hooked one of these fish deep in the throat, you may have heard a grinding and pulsing sound as these are the pharyngeal teeth, or “crushers”, at the back of the fish’s mouth that crush your hook.
When I first started shore fishing, I remember thinking “how in the world do you rig crabs for bait?”
Best Bait To Catch Blue Crabs
However, very large bull redfish (40+ inch fish) can easily catch blue crabs that are 3 to 4 inches in diameter.
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It is even recommended to leave the claws on full-sized crabs if you are using them for bait.
If you like to have fingers like me, it’s best to break your nails with some pliers. Makes crab handling easier! Also, having a pair of tongs to grab them from your bucket comes in handy.
Makes crab handling easier! Also, having a pair of tongs to grab them from your bucket comes in handy.
I prefer to leave the skin on as this helps keep the smaller fish clean rather than picking the flesh – at least for a while.
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You can use scissors or a knife to cut the crab if the skin is on. If the shell is removed, you can easily break the crab open by hand.
If targeting black drum, you’ll want to use half of the crab or a quarter of it.
Black drum have much smaller mouths than their redfish cousins so you’ll have more fun with a smaller presentation.
As with any cut bait you use, the fresher (or dead) your bait is, the better it is.
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Once it melts, the meat will fall out of the shell when it hits the water, or when you throw it away.
It also becomes very mushy and gives off a foul smell that is far different from fresh crab, and the fish can tell the difference.
If you have a live blue crab with you and it starts to die, throw the dead one on ice to keep it fresh as long as possible.
In the following video, I will show you various ways to break and rig blue crabs as bait to target redfish and black drum (for both big bull redfish and small drum)
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If you want to catch BIG bull redfish, then you better use BIG bait…
Full blue crabs are one of the best baits out there to attract bull redfish (or big black drum).
Of course, if you are in an area with smaller redfish, it can also pay to cut the crab into smaller pieces.
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In December 2014, these two brothers surprised their clients, friends and family by quitting their 6-figure jobs to start their dream focused on helping saltwater anglers:
You will be emailed a personal link to download your PDF, plus you will be added to the Salt Strong Newsletter. Crabbing is a popular pastime for many people and the best way to catch crabs is to use the right bait. Growing up in Annapolis, MD, catching blue crabs was one of the most popular summer activities.
Whether it was my dad and I running the trotline or my neighborhood friend and I tying chicken necks to the dock, we often succeeded, followed by naps and crab feasts.
In this blog post, I will discuss the best crab baits and how to use them to get better results. We will also talk about the different types of crab traps and how to use them.
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If you want to catch more crabs, you need to use the best crab bait. So, read on and learn everything you need to know about the best crab bait! Best Crab Bait – My Top 4 Recommendations
Although I’ve heard of people using over a dozen crab baits around Annapolis, I’ve narrowed it down to just 4, with my number one choice being the clear winner and what I’ve used 75% of the time. Chicken Necks – Best Crab Bait For Blue Crab
Chicken necks are, by far, the most popular crab bait around Annapolis and, I imagine, around the world. It’s easy to use, whether you’re tying it to a rope to float under a dock or setting up a 1000′ trotline to beat the sunrise.
Crab with chicken neck is quite easy. We’ll imagine that you’re searching from the dock to make it easy.
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Use a ball of string to tie the chicken’s neck, then find a 2×4 along the dock without much around the area below in the water. Tie a thread around the chicken’s neck and drop it into the water. Next, wait until the line is tight and slowly (inch by inch) pull the line towards you. Once you can see the slightest bit of crab nibbling on the bait, it’s time to go in with your crab net. Shrimp
The next best bait for crabs is shrimp. You can use live or dead shrimp as bait, but I find that dead shrimp work best and are easier to store and use.
You’ll want to use a simple rig when crabbing with shrimp as you would with chicken necks. You can also use a crab trap, which we will talk about later.
As far as execution goes, you can use the same simple process we discussed for using chicken necks.
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The only difference is that you will want to line up 4-5 shrimp instead of just one chicken neck.
Although not as popular as chicken necks or shrimp, using fish as crab bait can be effective. I find that smaller fish work well, such as herring, menhaden or anchovies.
If I had to pick just one fish to use, I would go with Bunker, Atlantic Menhaden, known as one of the best crab baits in the crabbing community.
Cut this whole fish into pieces to get the most out of your catch. Use a sharp knife to cut it wide for manageable chunk-sized pieces.
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Last on our list of the best crab baits is squid. Squid can be effective, but I find they are best used as scent attractors rather than actual bait.
If you are using squid, I would recommend using it along with one of the other baits on this list. For example, you can put a piece of shrimp on the rope and then put a small piece of squid near it to help attract the crab.
Now that we’ve discussed the best crab baits, let’s talk about what to use to get better results.
While this is not a requirement, using a crab puller only helps your chances of filling your bushel. Here are my picks for the best crab bait attractors. Pro-Cure Crab Puller
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A potent blend of fish oil, salmon roe oil, amino acids and a touch of anise, this blend is highly effective for both species.
This puller is my personal favorite and what I use most of the time. It’s easy to use – just pour a small amount of Pro-Cure into the container and let your chicken neck or other crab bait sit in it for at least a few hours for best results.
This is a gel based fish attractant that stays on the bait well. One application lasts up to several hours, taking the scent below the surface where it is. Works on all baits and lures. 200-300% Success Rate better than other plastics. Non-toxic odor, bio-safe very easy to use. Comes in 4 oz. tube.
Another good lure is the Stink Crab Jelly Puller. This is a better option if you don’t have the time or patience to soak the bait. This puller requires you to use it on the site.
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Just one application is all you need to last all day for this puller. It’s simple and easy to use but only comes in a 4 oz tube that goes fast.
If you want an easier way to catch crabs, you can consider using a crab trap. A crab trap is a cage that you put bait in and lower into the water. The crab will enter the trap to get the bait and then cannot escape.
Although crab traps make it easy to catch crabs, they also have some disadvantages. First, it is more expensive than just using chicken necks or shrimp. Second, you need to check the traps regularly, or the crabs will escape.
Finally, you are limited to the number of traps you can legally use. In Maryland, for example, you are only allowed to have 10 pots of crab per person.
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Commercial grade wire with two escape rings to meet regulations. 2 funnels to catch more crabs and comes with a 15ft (4.57m) rope with a 6″ white EVA float for easy pulling and releasing.
As the name suggests, this trap is best used for Blue Crabs, and no, you don’t have to be in Maryland to use it. Like many seafood restaurants that will advertise “Maryland Style Crabs,”
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