Nature Coast

Blues breakdown

Blue crabs are abundant in the area. Here are hints for finding and catching them.

By DAVID A. BROWN
Published July 14, 2007

Frank Squillace was in a crabby mood, so he left his home in Spring Hill to spend an afternoon at the Bayport fishing pier.

Now, hand-lining is no rarity, but Squillace was tugging on a white cord instead of the usual monofilament. Moreover, his line was secured to the pier railing. Hand lines usually wrap around a plastic ring or a piece of wood.

The explanation's simple: He wasn't soaking cut shrimp for the resident sheepshead and snapper - he was after blue crabs.

Top tactics

Abundant throughout the North Suncoast, blue crabs hide around seawalls, oyster bars, piers and bridges. They also settle into patches of sea grass, such as the ones flanking the Bayport pier.

Commercial crabbers set long strings of wire mesh traps over promising bottom and mark them with Styrofoam floats. Recreational crabbers are allowed to set five traps a day as long as they mark their floats with the letter "R" and manually pull traps during daylight hours.

This offers a highly efficient method of crab collection, but options are many. Squillace uses a fold-up wire trap comprised of four hinged sides attached to a rigid base. When deployed, the sides fall flat to expose the bait - chicken parts or frozen sardines.

Squillace said the traps must have a small interior cage to protect the bait.

"The cormorants and otters will come in a steal your bait if you don't have that mesh to protect it," he said.

The trap line splits into four branches, each tied to a side panel. Upon retrieval, the branches pull up the sides to entrap any crabs that have wandered inside.

"You just throw it out there, wait 10 to 15 minutes and then pick it up to close the four doors, and hopefully you'll have a nice crab in there," he said. "On sunny days, you can see right into your traps, and with polarized glasses, you can just look out and tell when you need to pull your trap."

This is mostly a visual game, but "blind" crabbing in deeper water may be worth a soak to test new areas.

Other methods of recreational crabbing include:

DIP NETTING: Wade through shallow sea grass and scoop crabs as they flush. Dip netting at night with spotlights is a popular warm-season activity.

DROP NETTING: Lower a weighted net ring to capture crabs drifting past docks, piers and bridges (best on strong tides).

HOOK AND LINE: A baited treble hook with a weighted neck is tied to a pier or dock. When you spot or feel a crab tugging, smoothly retrieve your catch. (Crabs generally grip their meals fiercely, so the hook is often just a bait holder.)

When and where to go

Squillace also crabs upriver near Simmons Park. He finds good numbers of blues during the summer months, and a half dozen usually satisfies his dinner plans. Boiling with various seafood seasoning mixes is the usual blue crab preparation.

Generally, crabbers favor incoming tides, as the rising water moves more crustaceans closer to shore. Spots with cleaning tables see loads of crabs moving in to dine on carcasses as the water rises.

However, as Squillace notes, docks and piers adjacent to marshy creeks and rivers will benefit from outgoing tides. Crabs riding the outgoing water often cluster near these structures.

Avoid the pinch

At some point in the operation, you may have to handle a live blue crab, and the creature's aggressive nature can make this a tense moment. Squillace demonstrated the blue crab sleeper hold by gripping the shell of his catch, turning it upside down and stroking its belly.

"Whatever you do, you can't keep your hands near them for too long, because they'll wake up quick and nail you," he said.

Actually, the trick is probably more akin to the one performed by alligator handlers, who seemingly put the big creatures down for a nap by rubbing their undersides. What really happens is that the animal gets a big head rush and passes out for a few seconds.

With crabs or gators, the rubbing part is just for show. Nevertheless, keep hands, fingers and anything else you value clear of a blue's long, limber claws.

Note: Waders should also keep watch for blue crabs. They'll usually scoot away when disturbed, but if you corner one, you might see a little blue-and-white fury lunging with dual pincers raised for assault.

A blue crab attack is far from fatal, but it's a painful pinch, and remember - they don't let go easily.

Legal limits

Recreational crabbers can keep 10 gallons of whole blue crabs per person, per day. There is no size limit, but females with eggs (clutched beneath rear flippers) must be released alive.

[Last modified July 13, 2007, 23:19:16]