The Art of Catching Crabs

Crabbing is a fun, recreational activity which resides in the intermediate region between fishing and hunting. While a fishing trip could be somewhat uneventful to some, you'll rarely come home empty-handed with crabbing. If you’re living anywhere along the coast or a river outlet, then crabbing is an interesting option to consider. Crabbing is the term referring to the activity of gathering large, edible crustaceans from the ocean. A crabbing trip is usually action packed and more active than a fishing trip. For even greater entertainment, go with groups of friends and see what kinds of interesting results you will get.

Crabbing constitutes a high volume commercial industry in many coastal regions in the United States. It also a popular recreational activity that could be practiced by hobbyists looking for a free seafood dinner . When compared to fishing, crabbing usually yields more results on an hourly basis. It also quite economical; in the simplest form, crabbing could be practiced by holding a bait connected to a line while sitting on a wharf. A more pricy practice of crabbing would be to rent a fishing charter or by own a boat and scatter crab pots. Tourists can spend some excellent time crabbing when the season for crabs is right.

The equipments needed to go on a crabbing trip are few and simple to use. You'll never need anything more than a dip net and a couple of crab traps. In many situations, a dip net is all you need. Unlike fishing, there are not many essential key techniques to catch crabs, other than to use your ninja reflexes when scooping swimmers with the dip net. The right and best time for crabbing, is about an hour or two before high tide. The right time to make an exciting crabbing could be during the month of May throughout October.

Depending on where you live, there are different species of crabs you can catch, although they're not nearly as manifold as the species of fishes out there. Blue crabs are the most popular species along the east coast and coastal states in the South. These feisty crustaceans are renown for their delicate, sweet meat and fiery temper. Please beware of your hands when handling these guys. They will thrust their pincers at anything moving towards them from up above, and their pincers are barbed so you do not want them into your fingers. Usually however, thick leather gloves solve all your crab handling problems. From a dietary perspective, crab meat is high in protein and minerals while low in fat, and will work well in many forms of low-fat diets. Rock crabs are available almost anywhere. They do not look as nice as the other two species, but they're still edible, albeit a somewhat bony.

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