Crabbing

[winenut]

This happened about 20 years ago in Cape May NJ.

We were on a family vacation in Cape May Courthouse, sometime during the summer months. My now-husband's family rented a house there for 2 weeks every year, right across the road from the beach. There were jetties along the beach, and the weather was perfect for crabbing. We left our flip-flops on the beach with the chairs, umbrella, and the rest of his family, and Joe and I went out on the jetty with our crab traps.

We were out there quite a long time, and we had caught dozens of crabs. We threw back the small ones and the pregnant ones, tossing them over our shoulders to the other side of the jetty.

The tide started to come in, and with it the direction of the waves shifted t to our backs. Needless to say, the crabs we had tossed began washing up at our feet, bent on revenge. We danced around a bit to avoid the claws, and decided to move inland along the jetty. Just about this time, as we counted ourselves lucky to escape with just minor scrapes, we heard a commotion on the beach.

We looked over in time to see a large crab run up out of the surf, grab one of Joe's flip flops, defiantly hold it high over its head like a trophy, and scurry back into the ocean.

We never saw that flip flop again...but we did have a delicious crab dinner that night.

I wish I had had a video camera!

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Crabbing

The one crab got a flip flop .... you ate a bunch of his buddies .... sounds to me like you won!

 

[winenut]

Re: Crabbing

Absolutely. Very tasty, too.

 

[mthieme]

Re: Crabbing

Sounds like he needed a life preserver?
He didn't submerge with it, did he?

 

[winenut]

Re: Crabbing

I can't remember...lol. All I know is that we thought that the flip flop would wash back up on the beach, and it never did.

 

[mthieme]

Re: Crabbing

Lol

 

[Nandy]

Re: Crabbing

I shall avenge my friends!! Uhhh, lets take his flipflop!

 

[JoeCrow]

Re: Crabbing

Crabs probably ate the flip-flop
I hear when seasoned properly with Old Bay Seasoning they're quite tender

 

[david_r]

Re: Crabbing

maybe next time put the culls in a seperate trap on the jetty beside you..............when you get done then you release the culls to attack someone else

that was great!!!!

 

[Winner74]

Re: Crabbing

When I was growing up my sister lived in Louisiana and we would go visit her several times a year. Me and my dad along with my sister and brother went crabbing, and drove Dad's motor home down to the ocean. After several hours we had alot of crabs, and Dad had put them in big metal pots and set the pots in the camper. I was sitting in the back, and only being about 5 or 6 had no idea the danger he had created, because when he took a turn at a fairly high speed, the pots turned over in the camper and crabs went everywhere. He got more than one bite trying to catch them all, and I watched it from the top of the table. Needless to say next time we drove my sister's truck, and he secured the tops to the pots.

 

[bowman316]

Re: Crabbing

I always heard that you are not supposed to eat dead crabs, but I think you can. The crab was perfectly healthy, it just died from being out of the water too long. does anyone know if you can eat a dead crab or not?

 

[mthieme]

Re: Crabbing

Generally you do not want to eat dead crabs - if you buy them. You don't know how long they've been dead. If you catch them and they died on the way in to the steamer, they're still fresh and you're okay.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Crabbing

I agree with mthieme. I have an open air fish/shrimp/crab market close to my home, and sometimes buy crabs there. I won't buy dead crabs from someone else, and to their credit, every vendor that I have ever dealt with at this market, won't sell a dead crab.

On the other hand, I have a recreational crabbing license that allows me to set up to ten crab traps. I usually leave them set for anywhere from a few days to a week. When I pull the traps, I toss any crabs that are found dead because I have no way of knowing how long they have been dead. The live ones go home and any that die before I "burl" them (we don't "boil" stuff in Loooooooziana!), still hit the pot because I cook them right away.

 

[mthieme]

Re: Crabbing

The competition in the crabbing market is fierce around here (in Maryland). Every vendor I've ever dealt with will take back dead crabs. Also, if you buy them steamed and have a problem, they will make good.

They only allow 10 pots in LA ??? Bummer. Must take forever to get your bushel. They allow 30 here with a license.

 

[bowman316]

Re: Crabbing

they allow 30 crab TRAPS here in Md. You have to be a commercial guy to have any crab POTS. They traps catch one at a time, the pots catch many at a time.

I just went crabbing yesterday in the wye river and only caught 12 keepers, with a trot line. i wonder if the crabs are starting to leave for the winter. I heard some other people caught a bushel, but you can catch 2 bushels. Kinda sounds like the crabbing is cooling down.

 

[bowman316]

Re: Crabbing

I usually leave them set for anywhere from a few days to a week. .

You let your traps sit for a week without pulling them? Are your sure your not talking about pots? You are supposted to check traps every 30 mins. They would just eat your bait and move on if you didn't.

 

[luv2b0at]

Re: Crabbing

All that little guy needs is 7 more flip flips and he'll have enough to wear for himself.

 

[David Greer]

Re: Crabbing

I empty my pots every day and a half. Letting them sit longer, you get poor crabs and then dead ones. A week is illegal, and should be.

 

[pinkham89]

Re: Crabbing

heck up here in maine we get so many damn crabs in our lobster pots we dont know what to do with them. usually just chuck 'em overboard by the dozen

 

[hubbard53]

Re: Crabbing

unfortunately, here in Ohio, there is only one easily caught species of crabs and they are not desireable at all