Conference wahoo::fishing-v2

    How about telling all there is to know about Blue Crabs?

       "We'll have seafood for supper, momma, poppa's coming home with
       the crabs!"

    
    My father-in-law owns a condo on Marco Island, Florida and when he
    makes his annual month long stay (Oct.) he fishes for Blue crabs.
    In his explanation to me a "local" taught him a few tricks. After
    setting out the number of lines leave a little slack in them and when
    the crab takes the bait the line will move and get tighten up. Then
    slowly bring the line in at one speed and prepare to net them when 
    in reach. He loves fishing for them and brings along some wine and
    other snacks to pass the time while waiting.
    
                                                        Guy
      

       My brother lives in Annapolis about 200 yards from the Bay. Those
    crabs are GREAT! but they're a lot of work for a little meat.
                                  Denny

    Blue Crabs (famous for the Chesapeake) are harvested in the Carolinas,
    Virginia,  and Florida as well as Maryland these days. I can speak for
    Maryland (and probably Virginia) as to customs and tecniques for
    catching them.
    
    In the "old" days, there was no rocket science at all. You could drag
    a "stiff" out of the harbor and the crabs "were just there". The
    population has dwindled however part by polution, part by increased
    demand and over fishing (crabbing). Today, Maryland crabs get imported
    to NY where they bring a higher price, Carolina and Floriday gets
    imported to MD, etc. All the while driving prices up.
    
    Simply watching the crab line to tighten worked when crabs were
    plentiful in this area but you've got to be far more aggressive than
    that these days. Tides, mating, water depth, and method are all
    variables these days. I went out in the dark a few nights ago with 4
    "hand lines" and brought back about 15 crabs which I steamed and left
    for the family the next day.
    
    Anyone going thru BWI airport in Maryland can't help but avoid t shirts
    touting our crabs. Fun to catch, great to eat.
    
    "Soft" crabs are yet another adventure.

    re: .4
    
    I'm about a 30 min trip by boat from Annapolis. I'm sure your brother has
    tried Cantrell's on Miles River. They serve several hundred people each
    night of the weekend in "traditional" style. A real treat is to visit
    their softcrab factory located at the water level in front. They catch
    all their own crabs (or at least used to). 

 When I was down in Virginia, the locals used to buy a turkey wing from
the supermarket and toss it outside by the fence for a couple of days to
let it ripen. Then they'd tie the nasty thing onto the crab trap, and
toss it into the water. The crabs would be all over it, and they'd just
pick them up and throw them into the bucket.

 I was catching crabs by accident while flounder fishing. They'd grab
a hold of the minnows I was using for bait, and then I'd see the line
moving sideways. They were a nuisance, they were so plentiful.

        Re .0
    
       My wife's from "Ball-mer", an her dad told me that when he was
    younger he used to get s skiff and go around to the various wooden
    docks in the harbor in the spring when the crabs were moulting and get
    the soft-shelled ones.... When they had just shed their hard shell,
    they'd hide somewhere until the new shell hardened up...and a lot of
    them would be found clinging to the wooden pilings.. 
    
       Ain't NUTHIN any better eating than a soft-shelled Blue crab
    sandwich... You take the crab, remove the gills, and fry the whole crab
    in a pan with butter, salt 'n pepper....then lay it on a slice of bread
    with lettuce, tomatoe and mayo....and have LOTS of paper towels or
    napkins handy...cause the ARE a bit juicy.... MMMMMMMMM!!!!!
    
       Also...a pound or two of backfin meat made into crabcakes with
    plenty of "Old Bay" seasoning... cut into pieces and put between two
    saltines while piping hot..one saltine spread with butter, the other
    with mustard.... Ummmm...
    
      John Mc
    
     (whose wife's goin to Ball-mer in a couple of weeks and had BETTER be
    bringing some crabmeat back in her suitcase!!)
    
     JM

    Crab  catching is scarce this year. Some say worst in 30 years. Went
    out today and came back empty handed. Key is to crab when the tide is
    moving and that's not when I went out.
    
    Excellent description of a softcrab sandwich earlier. I know of a place
    called Snyder's Willow Grove where they give you  2 of these on a
    sandwich. There's a place near Annapolis (Cantlers) that has a big soft
    crab "farm" out front. Interesting to watch.
    
    If anyone ever comes into the Balto/Wash area via BWI airport, the
    Marriot (not the Courtyard) near the airport has one of the best
    Maryland crab cakes I've ever had from a hotel.

    I guess crabbing is at its end. Went out yesterday and caught 10 on
    hand lines. They were all fat and heavy though. With the hundreds of
    boats out on/near the Chesapeake looking for Rockfish, I may have
    looked a little silly but I caught something :>)

    I was in New Orleans last week. Went on a Swamp Tour and I was told
    that the folks down there catch soft crabs by tying a bush to a line so
    that the crabs can "hide" while they change. Unfortunately, I was not
    able to see exactly what the bush looked like.
    
    Before I get strange stares this Spring, can anyone tell me more on
    what type of bush works? Here in Maryland, the trick has always been to
    run a net thru the sea grass but that's a little scarce these years.

    Crabs are running in Maryland! Been chicken-necking last couple of
    weekends and they are all big and fat. Some say it's the unusually hot
    weather that's persisted last couple of weeks.

    	If you get a chance (and haven't done it already), try the crab
    cake recipe on the side of the Old Bay tin. 
    
    	RAYJ