cswan
07-24-2008, 02:18 PM
Picked up a friend and former coworker that I hadn't seen for 10 years and headed out. Went to the right and up Crab Alley Creek. Started 25 traps baited with chicken necks right in front of the boats and laid them out on the right side of the creek down to about across from the second piling signifying the osyter bed. The depth always seems to be around 8-9ft. The first run started at 6:30 and the action was hot and heavy, expecially at the beginning of the run. Got lots of small ones. My former buddy who grew up on the Magathy, labeled them pea-shooters along with lip-stick crabs. These he described as the immature females that hadn't bred yet. We then set up a trot line (I'm not good at this.. usually I wrap it around the prop) well back in the cove where the second osyter piling was and ran the 650 ft past the piling and into the main body of the creek. After the beginning of the trap run slowed down, we transfered about 7 traps from the front end and sure enough the back end started to pick up. We finished up at 10:30 with a baker's 4.5 doz (55) nice size crabs with about 1.5 doz coming from the trot line. I did miss 'bubba'....literally 'knocked' him off the line. I could actually hear the 'thud' as the net hit him in the head. lol Oh well. This is the best I've done here...either by myself or with some one....so the friend was happy.
Now...I don't know much about crabbing and crab habits (although I've read about them..been crabbing 2 years now and I'm probablly older that all of you message- boarders out there)....so...when my friend said that he had never seen all the crabs with such white and shinny shells here's my explaination. I don't know about the Full Moon theory of molting...but the full moon was last week...so I'm thinkings that if they did 'all' molt or not, they all do have on there new shells...so they need time to grow into there new shells....that's why they are not that full but pretty good with a few paper shells thrown in. What do you think? And when will these new-bees fill up?... Just before the next full moon?
Craig
Now...I don't know much about crabbing and crab habits (although I've read about them..been crabbing 2 years now and I'm probablly older that all of you message- boarders out there)....so...when my friend said that he had never seen all the crabs with such white and shinny shells here's my explaination. I don't know about the Full Moon theory of molting...but the full moon was last week...so I'm thinkings that if they did 'all' molt or not, they all do have on there new shells...so they need time to grow into there new shells....that's why they are not that full but pretty good with a few paper shells thrown in. What do you think? And when will these new-bees fill up?... Just before the next full moon?
Craig