Home | Tournaments | Calendar | Weather | Merchandise | Sponsors |
|
Mid-Atlantic States A forum for the states of New York and New Jersey to better define the highly populated eastern US coast |
|
Thread Tools | Rate Thread | Display Modes |
07-07-2019, 11:12 PM | #1 |
Live Action!
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Camden County, NJ
Posts: 10
|
Blue claw crabs
Do standard regulations apply while diving? I have been seeing hundreds of big blue claws lately. If so, does anyone make a basket I could tie to my float?
|
07-08-2019, 05:18 AM | #2 |
Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Sj
Posts: 536
|
Re: Blue claw crabs
The ones you are seeing are most likely females. Mostly with eggs. You can keep them if they have no eggs. Same regs. Its tough depending where you dive and if shore or boat. Dragging a bag of crabs is like a sea anchor plus in my experience towing them in current kills them by end of dive. Get them at end of day if ur gonna drag them around shore diving. Jmo.
|
07-08-2019, 02:53 PM | #3 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: South jersey
Posts: 369
|
Re: Blue claw crabs
I use a mesh laundry bag and hook it to my stringer. They are almost all females but after they’ve laid their eggs they don’t do so again in their life cycle so don’t feel bad about taking females.
|
07-08-2019, 06:53 PM | #4 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Ocean City, NJ & Islamorada, Fl
Posts: 179
|
Re: Blue claw crabs
I run the Fun Time Crabbing charters outside of Ocean City, NJ
( FunTimeCrabbing.com )The only reg for crabs is the 4.5 inch possession limit. While I have never picked them up while diving, what you may want to do is sink a bucket with a bunch of holes drilled in it (and a lid) and keep it near you. The crabs will always head for the bottom of the bucket so you can get it 3/4 full by they time they can crawl out. That would be about 4 gallons of crabs which is half a bushel (bushel being 8.8 gallons).
__________________
You can't stop stupid; you have to work really hard just to contain it. |
07-08-2019, 08:02 PM | #5 |
Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Sj
Posts: 536
|
Re: Blue claw crabs
I thought they cant have eggs also?
Last edited by jersymudsniper; 07-08-2019 at 08:40 PM. |
07-09-2019, 05:28 AM | #6 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Ocean City, NJ & Islamorada, Fl
Posts: 179
|
Re: Blue claw crabs
You are correct on the eggs. I was responding to what I thought was a question about limitations on harvesting methods. Long and short, no eggs, 4.5 inches point to point and no one cares how you came to possess them (whether by diving, or using traps from the surface or catch them from seagulls dropping them in the parking lot).
I am more amazed that the poster can catch a significant number by diving at all. Usually the vis in NJ not good and even a big crab is fairly small and blends well with the bottom. In the brackish water where we work we cannot even see the bottom of the boat from a full arms length away to scrape it when we are underneath.
__________________
You can't stop stupid; you have to work really hard just to contain it. |
07-09-2019, 08:01 AM | #7 | |
Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: North East US
Posts: 370
|
Re: Blue claw crabs
Quote:
|
|
07-09-2019, 08:11 AM | #8 | |
Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Sj
Posts: 536
|
Re: Blue claw crabs
Quote:
|
|
07-09-2019, 08:56 PM | #9 |
The Trigger Whisperer
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Atlantic Highlands NJ
Posts: 1,290
|
Re: Blue claw crabs
Once in a blue moon when the bay gets way to hot and dissolved oxygen plummets I've seen a certain inlet fill up with big males to the point of carpeting. I've only seen it twice but it lasts a little while when it does. Other than that it's all females about to broadcast eggs or just finishing up. When those females are done broadcasting eggs they are typically not in the shape where you want to bother going through the work to sit and pick meat from them. I can't stand picking crabs anymore but on the rare occasion I sit there with them I'm only messing with the meatiest ones. I don't know how I used to sit there eating bits for hours as a kid.
__________________
Aqua Acupuncturist.....Stay Soggy |
07-12-2019, 10:24 AM | #10 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: South jersey
Posts: 369
|
Re: Blue claw crabs
|
Bookmarks |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | Rate This Thread |
|
|