GatorzBack2Back
Seaman Apprentice
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2009
- Messages
- 37
After reading an old thread on here a week or so ago about Blue Crab fishing, it got me thinking back to growing up at my dad's on Matanzas Bay when we used to keep a crab trap wet at all times. How great it was to pull in 20 or so crabs on a saturday and have a crag boil that night.
So, I decided that it was time for my 7 yr old son to learn how to crab fish. We got my 3 old traps down from the rafters of my dad's boat house, and went out yesterday to drop them. Since it had been 15 years or so since I had been on the water in that bay, my '30 minute trip' turned into a 3 hour tour. Literally. He lives on the SW side of the bay, and the WSW winds yesterday blew all the water out, and the tide was at dead low, and what is normally a foot of water at dead low tide turned into 6 inches or so. And I forgot my pole when I launched. So I got 100 yards out and the motor started to hit bottom. I then had to get out and walk us back towards shore. In knee deep mud and oysters. In shorts and tennis shoes. Against the wind. NOT fun....
So I got back in, got a paddle and pole, and headed back out. Dropped 3 traps with chicken thighs in there (I couldn't find chicken necks at Walmart. Any help?) and headed back in (again, against the wind) to let them soak overnight.
This morning at 11am, we went back out at high tide, with 2-3 feet of water in the shallows. All motor, all the time today, baby!!! First trap, 3 crabs. I decide to let it sit a while longer while we go check the others around the island. Second trap, 15 or so Hermit Crabs. If I were fishing today, that would have been great, as reds LOVE Hermit Crabs. But I wasn't, so I dumped them back in and pulled the trap. On the way to our third trap, my son and his keen eye spots a fairly new crab trap sitting up in the marsh grass where a storm had deposited it a while back. So I pull up to the shore and let him get out to get it. No name on it, so he now has his first crab trap of his own. On to the third trap, where we pulled 6 LARGE crabs. He was happy as could be! So we toss them in the bucket and pull the trap. Head back to the first trap, and one more had crawled in.
So, first day crab fishing in 15 or so years, and we get 10 crabs. All keepers. No females. Not bad for a 19 hour soak in January! My son had the best time out there watching his dad walk, row, and pole the boat, and replace a shear pin too! He can't wait until friday after school when we go put them back in to soak until sunday.
So, anybody else Blue Crab fishing? Got any tips for us? Is it better to go into the ICW channel, or stay in the back waters of Matanzas Bay? If you want to see where I am talking about, Google Earth "Princess Place, Flagler County, FL" and you'll see Matanzas Bay where Pelicer Creek flows into it. Any suggestions would be great, but bear in mind that we are doing this in a 14' jon boat with a 5hp kicker until the parts come in for our 16' Bonita, so no jetty or inlet fishing tips, please. Also, how does the weather and water temps effect the crabs? Is there a time of year that is better than another?
As always, thanks in advance!!!
So, I decided that it was time for my 7 yr old son to learn how to crab fish. We got my 3 old traps down from the rafters of my dad's boat house, and went out yesterday to drop them. Since it had been 15 years or so since I had been on the water in that bay, my '30 minute trip' turned into a 3 hour tour. Literally. He lives on the SW side of the bay, and the WSW winds yesterday blew all the water out, and the tide was at dead low, and what is normally a foot of water at dead low tide turned into 6 inches or so. And I forgot my pole when I launched. So I got 100 yards out and the motor started to hit bottom. I then had to get out and walk us back towards shore. In knee deep mud and oysters. In shorts and tennis shoes. Against the wind. NOT fun....
So I got back in, got a paddle and pole, and headed back out. Dropped 3 traps with chicken thighs in there (I couldn't find chicken necks at Walmart. Any help?) and headed back in (again, against the wind) to let them soak overnight.
This morning at 11am, we went back out at high tide, with 2-3 feet of water in the shallows. All motor, all the time today, baby!!! First trap, 3 crabs. I decide to let it sit a while longer while we go check the others around the island. Second trap, 15 or so Hermit Crabs. If I were fishing today, that would have been great, as reds LOVE Hermit Crabs. But I wasn't, so I dumped them back in and pulled the trap. On the way to our third trap, my son and his keen eye spots a fairly new crab trap sitting up in the marsh grass where a storm had deposited it a while back. So I pull up to the shore and let him get out to get it. No name on it, so he now has his first crab trap of his own. On to the third trap, where we pulled 6 LARGE crabs. He was happy as could be! So we toss them in the bucket and pull the trap. Head back to the first trap, and one more had crawled in.
So, first day crab fishing in 15 or so years, and we get 10 crabs. All keepers. No females. Not bad for a 19 hour soak in January! My son had the best time out there watching his dad walk, row, and pole the boat, and replace a shear pin too! He can't wait until friday after school when we go put them back in to soak until sunday.
So, anybody else Blue Crab fishing? Got any tips for us? Is it better to go into the ICW channel, or stay in the back waters of Matanzas Bay? If you want to see where I am talking about, Google Earth "Princess Place, Flagler County, FL" and you'll see Matanzas Bay where Pelicer Creek flows into it. Any suggestions would be great, but bear in mind that we are doing this in a 14' jon boat with a 5hp kicker until the parts come in for our 16' Bonita, so no jetty or inlet fishing tips, please. Also, how does the weather and water temps effect the crabs? Is there a time of year that is better than another?
As always, thanks in advance!!!