"I've come to Ocean City to go to the beach, and it's cloudy and overcast!  I have a bunch of kids with nothing to do

and thought we'd try crabbing! Where do we go from the shore, and how do we do it?"

Crabbing is fun, easy, and inexpensive. It gives the kids something to do, and even if you just catch little crabs and

throw them back, it is entertaining. All bait and tackle stores carry crabbing equipment as well as fishing equipment.

When you go to the tackle store to purchase crabbing equipment you have to make one major decision. Do you want to use

hand lines or collapsible traps?  Traps are necessary if the water is deep or the water is swift.  Hand lines work

better in shallow-water areas where there is little current. Hand lines are also best for young children as it gives

them more to do and keeps them occupied.

 If you decide to crab with a hand line, the most convenient item to buy is a "crab throw line." This triangle of wire

with a weight molded into it is wrapped with 25 feet of nylon string and works like a big safety pin.  Unwrap the line

to the desired depth, run the chicken neck onto the wire, and tie the line to the boat or bulkhead.  When you are

finished for the day, simply wind the line back on, and save the hand line for another day!

When you use a hand line, you need a long handled crab net that should be lowered into the water only after the crab is

seen.  The most common mistake is to accidentally hit the crab with the rim of the net, scaring it away.  If there is a

tide running, position the net slightly "down current" so that if the crab lets go, it will fall into the net.  Crabs

get spooked by noise, a shadow of a net hanging over the water, and by crabbers pulling the hand line up too fast. (Tell

the children to whisper and encourage them to pull in the line very, very slowly. If the crab lets go, put the line back

in the water and the crab will usually come back.)

 What is the best bait for lines?

Crabbers use chicken necks, chicken legs, salted eel, fish heads, or whole small squids (California brand.)  If you

decide to go with traps you can also use whole bunker fish, chicken backs or fish carcasses (the oilier the better). It

is good to change your crab bait periodically during the day when it gets muddy or washes out.

If I decide to use traps, what kind should I buy?

 For the crabber on a budget, the tidewater crab trap is the answer.  Also call a "two ring crab net," this crab trap is

effective and inexpensive. The crabber simply ties the crab bait in the center of this cloth net, along with a two to

four ounce sinker, and throws it into the water.  Every five to 10 minutes, the net is quickly pulled up.  These traps,

which have the advantage of no assembly and no foul-ups, are also available in wire. (If you are in an area where there

are lots of horseshoe crabs, you are better off using the wire ones.)

Collapsible traps work best in deep water where the current is running.  Two kinds of wire traps can be purchased:

pyramid or square. Though the pyramid traps are already assembled, their spring-loaded mechanisms can easily foul up.

There are several brands of square traps that I would recommend.  The American made "Foxy Mate " is a good trap. It is

one of the few traps available with 4 doors. The disadvantage is that the crabber must assemble it.

 The locally made "Sure Catch" crab trap is nice because it comes assembled and it has a "bait holder" which makes

crabbing extremely easy.  Traps with bait holders also make it convenient for anglers using bait that is hard to tie in

like bunker.

The "Crabbie Mate," also called the "Chesapeake Crab Trap" is an American made collapsible crab trap.  It can be stored

completely flat.

 The F.J. Neil Co. makes a crab trap called a "Snap Trap."  These very affordable crab traps are already assembled and

also can be stored completely flat.  They are not as heavy duty as some, but work fine.

What tide is best for crabbing?  Crabbing is best on the higher tides.  Three hours before high tide and two to three

hours after high tide is the best time to go.  Low tide sees smaller crabs.

 In the early spring, creek areas are best.  The water is warmer here, and this is where the crabs come out of the mud

first. Crabbing is best spring through early August. In mid- to late- August, the crabs sometimes pull a disappearing

act, coming back again in September and October.  More male crabs are found in creeks or close to green marshes. More

females are found in deep moving waters closer to sandy bars or channels.

 If you are crabbing in a boat, crab in the upper reaches of the bays such as the green marshes near the Rt. 90 Bridge,

the wide area just behind Convention Hall around 41st Street, north of the Thorofare, and the bay behind Assateague.

Ever since rocks were put around the pilings of the Rt. 50 Bridge, crabbing has not been good close to the inlet.

 Here is a list of other equipment the crabber will need:

1) Crab ruler to measure your crabs.  Measure crabs from the tip to tip of their shell.

2) Crab tongs

3) Container for the crabs (a cooler, box, bucket, or bushel basket.  Crabs should be kept away from the direct

sunlight, and protected from the wind.  Their shells should be kept moist, but the crabs should not be submerged in

water.  Position the crabs "dark side up." Crabs lying upside down (white side up) become stressed.

4)Extra string, rope for the crab traps, and sinkers.

Where are the public crabbing locations?

· 127TH Street and the bay-- a public pier behind the Recreational Center.  One can crab from the pier or in the

saltwater pond.

· 41st Street and the bay-- a small public pier behind the Convention Center. Vacationers can also clam here.

· Assateague-cross the U.S. Route 50 Bridge going west. Make a left on Route 611.  Travel this road until you see the

bridge going to the island.  To the left, you will see a public pier.  This is best on the higher tide.

· Assateague National Park-cross over the bridge going into Assateague and take a right at the sign for the National

Park.  Travel down this road a few miles and follow the signs.  There are several crabbing and clamming areas.  There is

a small fee to get into the National Park.

· South Point Public Boat Ramp-- Take a left on Rt. 611 as if you are going to Assateague.  Rather than veering left to

go to Assateague, follow the signs and go straight to South Point.  There is a public boat ramp that is excellent for

crabbing.

· Ayres Creek-As you travel Route 611 towards Assateague, make a right on Route 376.  A few miles down this road, you

will come to a small bridge crossing Ayres Creek.

·  Herring Creek-Go west across the U.S. Route 50 Bridge.  A few miles out of town you will see a small bridge crossing

Herring Creek.

· Public Landing-Going South on Rt. 113 just past Snow Hill, take a left at the sign for Public Landing.  (About 27

miles from Ocean City.)  Very nice crabbing pier.

· Derrickson Creek-Traveling north through Ocean City, you will see a sign for Route 54.  (Where Ocean City ends and

Fenwick Island, Delaware begins.)  Make a left on Route 54 and travel approximately five miles out of town.  Make a

right on road 381 (there is a sign pointing the way to "Camp Barnes") and you will come to Derrickson Creek.

Unfortunately, you cannot park here, so you'd have to have someone let you off.

· Camp Barnes-Continue to follow the signs for Camp Barnes and there are crabbing piers there.

· Holt's Landing-Going North on Rt. 1 towards Bethany Beach, take a left on Route 26 and go west. You will go through

Ocean View and Millville. Just past Clarksville, you will see a sign for Holt's Landing.  Follow the signs.  It is part

of the Delaware Seashore State Park.  There is a crabbing and fishing pier there and it is also a good area to clam

· Another famous crabbing place in Delaware is Love Creek Bridge. From Rt. 1 in Rehoboth, go west on Rt. 24 (McDonalds

intersection) approximately 5 miles.  Also, at the end of the same road is the Oak Orchard (pay) crabbing pier.