Catching mud crabs is a popular past time for families who head out to the beach during the summer holidays. There’s nothing better than sitting out by the water eating freshly caught crab whilst sinking back a nice ice cold beer. But it’s not always as easy as just owning a crab pot. Our team at Campr are here to provide the best tips and tricks on how to catch crabs. As well as the best times and places to set your pots up.
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1. Round Crap Traps
In my experience, round mud crab traps are definitely the way to go. The round crab pots also one of the most popular traps as the crabs can easily find their way in through openings, but can’t get back out the way they came in.
2. Place your Pots around the time of a full moon
The theory is, the bigger the tide the more activity. A good rule of thumb is to set your pots around the full and new moons, as this is when the tide is at its highest.
3. Put your pots out in seasonal or rainy Weather
The other thing to look for is a creek or river flush, as seasonal or rainy weather encourages a shift in the crabs living quarters.
4. Fishy smelling foods are perfect crab bait
You can use fish frames, tinned catfish, chicken carcasses or pilchards to lure crabs into your net. I’ve seen any number of weird and wonderful baits over the years….and they’ve often worked! However, whilst these strong-smelling baits work, we advise that rotten bait will only leave you empty-handed.
5. Crabs love mud, not sand
One thing to remember is that crabs love mud so remember to drop your pots on muddy banks between the mangroves, not on sandy stretches.
6. Remember to tag your pots
Laying your pots near or in a drain is a popular place to drop them, so it’s important to tag all your pots to you and others out crabbing can uniquely identify your pots.
7. Know your tape limits
Before taking any crabs you have caught out on the water, it’s super important to read up on the tape limits for your local area. These days it can be a hefty fine for taking home the wrong sized crab. It’s also important to know the rules around taking home Jenny crabs (Females) as different states have different laws.
But there’s no point in catching crabs unless you know what to do with them once you’ve caught them. Head on over to our next article which discusses the best way to cook a crab. For more info on crab pots and crabbing equipment, head on over to BCF to find out about all the right equipment.
