Blue Crabs Are Emerging

Everyone wants to know when are the crabs going to start moving around. The back bays and low water tidal areas are seeing crabs emerge from the mud. That would be the inland bays when I refer tot he back bays. Blue Claw crab season started on March first for pots, and year round you can use hand lines. Personally I like to wait for them to at least shed once, but some people like the flavor after along winters nap. Bunker are moving in the back bays too, and that is the best baits for crabs. Of course chicken works well, but not as good as a ripe old dead oily fish. The creel limit on blue crabs is one bushel per person. Hard shell crabs must be a minimum of 5 inches. Soft shell crab minimum is 3.5 inches, and peeler crabs are 3 inches. DNREC … “ Recreational crabbers may not use, place, set or tend more than two pots. The person claiming to own the pots must be the one to set and tend them. These pots must be marked with all white buoys with the owner’s full name and permanent mailing address inscribed either on the buoy or on a waterproof tag attached to the buoy. All crab pots must be tended at least once every 72 hours.” Friend of mine once said … “You get me a soft crab, I will make you a sandwich with legs.” The crabs that are being caught now are just under the size limit, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some keepers to be had.

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