I see this topic came up on the Soft Bait thread. Well I have become a kinda expert at catching Crab.I use them on long lines I set. Nope I don't use a motorized Kontiki, I dry set at low tide,let the line soak over High tide, return at low tide and get my fish. Not as sporting as Surf casting, but puts fish in my freezer. I target Rig, on a local west coast beach that is very rough and very tidal and not really suited to Surf Casting. I only set when I have run out of fish in the freezer.
I have developed an even better method, than dry setting, involves a bit of preparation and a deserted beach, that does not have vehicles running up and down on it. Nor has thieves or nosey parkers lol.
Anyway back to Crabs, I can get them down the local estuary by turning rocks. That's if I want the small mud crabs. As I intend to put a 25 hook longline together, to target flounder,using the dry set method or the other method I have developed. But I have found the easy way to catch them is use a Yabbie/Crab Pot. The Yabbie ones have very small mesh, hence you will capture the little buggars. A bonus is you also catch a good amount of fresh yems, so its a bit of a winner.
When I want paddle crabs, well I just head out to beach at low tide, and set in the holes. Plenty of bait size paddle crabs, hang out in them. Come summer I will be targeting the larger Paddle Crabs, as they are great eating. Wade out, when sea is calm, and drop a few pots, wait half an hour, then go retrieve.
I use Farm Electric Fence Stakes. To anchor my pots too, they do an excellent job. All your have to do is remove the foot at the bottom. And then you can push them as far into the mud or sand as you like. And of course I have a float attached with my name etc as required by fishing regs.
The traps/pots are not that expensive and easy to find to purchase. I have also made some of my own. Used plastic mesh from Mitre 10. No frame work required, they are cylindrical pots. Have a funnel entrance way and a walk in. Held together by plastic zip ties. Cheap and simple if you want to build your own. Also your pots will need weight added to stop them rolling around. I use left over garden mesh, make a small cage, add some rocks, and zip tie that to the bottom. I use the same method as a bait holder. Most of the purchased pots/traps come with a bait holder.
As for bait, crabs being crabs will eat anything as we all well know. Including soft baits, they just love them. I use chicken frames/necks. Cheap as to buy. Sometimes I bang a squished up Yem in. I usually set about four pots in a small area. Now if you want to bring those crabs and Yems in, bang in a tin of cheap supermarket sardines,that works a treat. Just half open the tin, and that lovely oil slick and bits of sardines floating off does the trick.
When I get back into surf casting, I reckon I will be mainly using crab as bait. How more natural can you get. Bet snapper love em too.
Have attacked a couple of pics of my home built ones, on these I added a length of dowel to give them a bit more rigidity, zip tied on of course. There is a larger one and a smaller one. I will be adding another entrance way at the other end as it will then fish better. One entrance cone is only half zip tied, I just lace it with a bit of mono. Which I can undo to bait the pot and get my crabs out. To make the entrance cone, just google making a cone.. I will be using the plastic ones also to set out on the rocky ground overnight to catch red rock crab, they are better eating than crayfish, and should make mighty bait.
Now have fun, go catch some crabs.
Cheers Trev aka "Hardy"
Time to go fishing again
Re: Crabs For Bait
Posted by Hardy on 19/7/2016, 3:48 pm, in reply to "Crabs For Bait"
Hi All
Sorry about the pic size, in my haste I forget to downsize them.Time to go fishing again
Great stuff, loved it? Where do you go from here? Are they frozen? and used as required, or do you only collect enough for your long line set? I'd want to use them for surfcasting.
I put them in a zip lock bag with sea water. Then freeze them. That way so far they haven't gone black or mushy. Thats an old tip I learn't from an old whitebaiter, who always froze his whitebait in fresh water, that way they never turned yellow or got freezer burn. For my longline set, I put in 25 per bag, thats small one's as they are just the right size for the longline hooks.
If you ever freeze crayfish. There is a similar treatment. Wrap the crayfish in newspaper soaked in salted water. Then into a large zip lock bag. I would assume you could do the same with larger paddle crabs. The crayfish thaw as good as the day they were frozen. And taste just as good. There will be a little shrinkage in the smaller leg bits. Of course the taste won't worry GK, the silly bugga just uses them for bait. But then he doesnt eat fish either. Amazing one of New Zealands best anglers (well in his day lol) and he don't eat fish.
Happy Crabbing.
Cheers Trev aka " Hardy" Time to go fishing again
Re: Crabs For Bait
Posted by Jasmine on 20/7/2016, 1:47 pm, in reply to "Crabs For Bait"
Hardy, you mention that the larger paddle crabs are good eating. What is the method used for extracting the meat out of these? I have heard the one should use a rolling pin to squeeze the meat out, but that sounds a bit messy with bits of shell getting mixed up with the flesh. It seems as if it would be a very fiddly job, but I presume it must be worth it otherwise people would not be bothered. Up till now I have been cutting the larger crabs in half & using for bait. But if they are tasty (the poor mans crayfish) the fish can go without. Anyway, I am going to give it a go at eating them. 'Pay back' it's called for the times they have cleaned my bait out. So it's just a case of finding the best way to extract the meat. Jasmine.
The method I saw on Country Calendar a year or two back. And this was by a licensed Paddle Crab Fisher who supplied Restaurants. Now I cannot remember the exact whole process, I think they snapped the legs off at the middle joint. As that is where the meat pops out. The secret is to give them a quick blanch in boiling water, this I assumes sets the flesh just that little bit firmer. Then you do the rolling pin/bottle trick and out the meat pops, no shell etc,just crab meat. I saw them doing it, and it looked so easy.
I haven't tried it myself, I like the pliers and picking method. But this summer when I hope to come home with my fifty large Paddlecrabs, it will be the rolling pin for them.
Crab fish cakes seem very popular in the US. I'm gunna cook some up and see how they go.
Keep us informed as to how you go. Until then.
Happy Crabbing and squishing.
Cheers Trev aka " Hardy"
Time to go fishing again
Re: Crabs For Bait
Posted by Hangler on 20/7/2016, 5:22 pm, in reply to "Re: Crabs For Bait"
If anyone is interested in the way to extract the meat from a paddle crab using the rolling pin method, beg, steel or borrow a copy of 'Hunger for the Wild. You want Series 2, episode 5.
Al Brown shows how easy this method is to use and the flesh completely separates from the shell. He also shows how to make the crab cakes mentioned in an earlier post. This was filmed at Waikanai, on the Kapati Coast.
I saw that series Hangles, and they used the same method as I described. The only thing I am not sure about is the legs, do you snap them off at the middle join, or at the body. The majority of the meat is in their pelvis joints, much like when you crack up a crayfish body. As soon as our sea settles, I will go try catch some and give it a go. But with the weather we are having, that is gunna be some time.
Always partial to a feed of crabs, picture is of a potful caught in 2012 off a local beach. Unfortunately crab numbers and size have fallen off in the last couple of years. Dear I say, use my torpedo to tow out the pot about 50m off the beach.
Re: Crabs For Bait
Posted by Hangler on 20/7/2016, 7:36 pm, in reply to "Re: Crabs For Bait"
Hardy, my man. You cook the crab first, then the rolling pin comes into it's own.
Best small bait net is known as an OPERAHOUSE net. Se Racepics photo. The snapper don't know where the car park is! Sometimes it is better to travel than to arrive.
Yep you are right(again) Hangler. Been zooming around Fishmaster Google, and as I see it. Cook zee crab. Break off the legs, take of top shell,remove gills,(deadmans fingers) remove guts. Snap crab in half, then roll towards where legs were sticking out and out pops the crabmeat.
Well done there Jeep, like your pot, good design esp the walk in. I intend to tow a few of my pots out also.
Well hullo Gary, you off the bite mate, you are getting more like a Hawkes Bay Snapper as every day goes by. Yep the Opera Net is a goodie, but a little light for any kind of surf running. I have purchased some heavier ones that will do the trick. And of course I have a couple of the Opera Style.
There are many options out there. Marine Deals have a good assortment, and there are quite a few sorts on TM.
I went kinda overboard, like I usually do, and now have 10 pots/traps including a collapsible cray pot that will catch crabs.
Perhaps I had better change my name to Crabit instead of Hardy.
Oh, I also intend to have a go at Freshwater Crawlies, as they are good eating to, and I reckon would make good bait
Cheers Trev aka " Hardy Crabit"Time to go fishing again
Re: Crabs For Bait
Posted by Jasmine on 21/7/2016, 1:55 pm, in reply to "Re: Crabs For Bait"
Freshwater crawlies (koura), are they a good or acceptable substitute for crayfish as bait for snapper, moki, smoothhound etc? I imagine the small ones could be fished whole and the bigger ones break in half. Has anyone had experience with these? I suppose they could also be frozen separately in water to negate freezer burn. (either little yoghurt containers or plastic bags)
Better get your whitebait net out too. They are running now. The snapper don't know where the car park is! Sometimes it is better to travel than to arrive.
on 19/7/2016, 3:46 pm
