In order to keep your crab in mint condition ready for use as bait, crabs should be kept refrigerated and checked daily. If the two crabs are facing the same way, the lower crab has yet to peel and is therefore a peeler or a popper, if they are facing in toward each other then it has just peeled and is a softie. This guarantees the lower crab to be a peeler, popper or a softie. Should you find a crab underneath another, the crab on top is a male or “cock” crab and is waiting for the other to peel in order to mate, or actually mating. "Softies or Jellies" are crabs that have peeled on the last tide, these are generally found on the surface, under weed or rocks, again these are perfect for immediate use. If there is a new soft leg underneath then you have a peeler, if you just get a white sinew then you have a hard back crab.Īlternatively, on examination you may see that the rear part of the top of the shell is lifting away from the main crab, this is generally called a "popper" and is perfect for immediate use. If you are going to walk along the beach and collect crab from the rocks etc, then it is a good idea to take a small hand held garden fork with the ends bent downwards, this will assist you in locating the crab (by gently raking through the mud and water beneath the rock) as they can be as far down as 3 inches and where there is one crab there are probably many more as they tend to live in colonies.īefore collecting any form of bait or laying traps, be sure to check local byelaws and area specific ecological management plans to ensure these actions aren’t prohibited, check out the Intertidal Fisheries Code of Conduct and do always follow the bait collector’s code.īreak away a small segment of the crabs 2nd to last leg, do not do this to the crab’s last leg as this is its "swimming" leg and is important to it. It is important that you replace any rocks that you move back to their original position to ensure that the smaller creatures attached to the rocks survive and weed is not trapped underneath as this will rot and kill the habitat in addition to becoming unsightly and smelly.
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