commercial crabbers

[motorace]

a typical commercial crabber on the bay, how many crabs, max, average, and least,  come out of a pot and how long do they soak?  just curious after watching deadliest catch  anybody know?

[motorace]

so, out of 95 views, none of you know?  or is it b/c i'm not a cool regular poster that knows everybody here, i dont own a boat and i handline from piers?  i must be scorned!

[R D]

not at all,it might just be that nobody who has viewed this thread really knows, and I can't tell you what they are doing up there, down here i am catching anywhere between 1 and 35 to the pot on a 3 day soak, in places i average 8 to 10 lbs to the pot in other places it's 3 to 5 lbs, even most of the Commercial crabbers on this forum run trotlines and not pots

[R D]

You are welcome, 

[Islander]

so, out of 95 views, none of you know? or is it b/c i'm not a cool regular poster that knows everybody here, i dont own a boat and i handline from piers? i must be scorned!

motorace,

I doubt your scorned, most members here are recreational crabbers and I'm sure they account for most of the viewers to this post. As far as the commerical crabbers on the forum I'd have to say that most, including myself, are trotliners and do not run pots. If you want a guess on the number of crabs per pot and the soak time here you go. I'd say the on avg. most pots soak 2-3days and yield on avg. 8-12 crabs per pot. Now if you want accurate numbers try sending Procrabber a bmail. He's a commerical potter and is usually happy to help out with crabbing related questions. 

[motorace]

thanks for the reply's guys.  i just see so many pots out on the bay and have always wondered how many crabs come out of them. curious to see if it were 100 or 10.  seems to be the latter.

another question i may ask.  why are the bouys for the pots so small and half the time plainted black or some other dark color?  wouldnt something bigger and more visable be better with so many boats running around?
i went fishing for the first time ont he boat and it seems a pain int he [arse] to fish anywhere near shore b/c pots everywhere and it's seems like they could just pop up out of know where when a wave would unfold...

but i guess captains have experience wiht that...

[fisheyed]

I am just a rec but I will try to field the last one.  They need to be pretty small so that they will fit in the pot for storage along with the line.  Also at night a black object actually has better contrast against the water, when the moon shines on the water it creates a silver sheen.  But they are not supposed to be in the cannels so if you follow the markers and lights in and out of channels then you should be fine.

[got crab]

right now im catching a half bushel to the pot but to bad there all females     on 1 day soak.

[masspi]

I am a recreational crabber with a Massachusetts license.......only ten traps allowed.

I soak on average of 24 to 48 hours depending on how they are running during the season.  I get anywhere between none and 30 per trap.  So many factors come to play that it is tough to give you exact figures.  Bait also plays into the formula........I use fish 99.9% of the time with the occasional chicken or turkey neck thrown in.........I am convinced I could put anything into the trap and would catch crab.

Massachusetts mandates the type of float used (no more wood floats, now must be regular lobster type floats) painted in a distinctive color combo selected by the licensee.

Always make sure you do the right thing and follow your state rules to the "T".........the fines are usually tough and in the long run the best advice you can get is.............do it legal !!!!

Hope that was helpful and remember a slow responce to a question does not mean you are being ignored..........not everyone just sits here ready to respond to the hundreds of questions asked.  Also you should always hit the search button before asking any question as it has most likely already been asked on this forum.  And while I am on the soap box.............hit that donation button and send Steve a couple of bucks so this great forum can continue.............become a member and enjoy the friendship of crabbers from all over........you couldn't buy the info you can get here.

I have attached a photo of the type of trap I use on the product recommendation section of the forum, made by Ketcham Traps in New Bedford, MA.........good luck brother.........go get your share 

Dave (Masspi)

[R D]

thanks for the reply's guys.  i just see so many pots out on the bay and have always wondered how many crabs come out of them. curious to see if it were 100 or 10.  seems to be the latter.

another question i may ask.  why are the bouys for the pots so small and half the time plainted black or some other dark color?  wouldnt something bigger and more visable be better with so many boats running around?
i went fishing for the first time ont he boat and it seems a pain int he [arse] to fish anywhere near shore b/c pots everywhere and it's seems like they could just pop up out of know where when a wave would unfold...

but i guess captains have experience wiht that...

We all have different colors on our floats I like dark green for a top color/orange bottom the orange i more easly seen when its white capping. if the floats get too big then the pot will drift in wind and tide, and the more visable they are, the more Rec. fishermen tend to use them for channel markers

[masspi]

Here is my old style buoys.........hand made by me from PT and painted my colors..........new change in the law for next year, must be made of plastic so it won't poke a hole in some boaters hull...............love that dayglow orange...........at my age, I am thinking of a strobe light at each float 

[LaEspion]

Looks like this question is following 2 threads - soory for the repost!

Hey Moto:

I'm a commercial potter/trotliner in the North Bay.  Typically, when things are running good, I'll get 8-15 good crabs in a pot after soaking for 4 -6 days.  Sometimes I check them once a week, sometimes 2 times a week, all depends on what else is going on, the weather, tides, etc.

All in all, potting is a much different game from trotlining, but it is fun to pull them, up and see what you got.  It is a lot of work, and a lot of culling, but I like it.  Procrabber is a big potter, and he has great luck with it, so you may want to talk to him.  I'm a newer potter, and a longtime trotliner but this year has been good.  You have the headaches, like sharecrabbers (people who steal from your pots and are summarily sunk to the bottom of the bay if caught) as well as the power boaters who cut you lines.  Depening on where you are, there is a lot of loss.  Mine averages 9-25% depending on location and time of year.

In the north bay, you gets lots of big Jimmys, but in the south Bay at the right time, you can see 25 sooks (mature females) in one basket as was the case last weekend.  Some guys fish their pots more often, but I find that I let them soak and have great results myself.  My mortality is near zero even after a week.  You get some lost claws the longer you leave them in, but that is a small price to pay.  The crabs get pissed and start fighting after awhile.  You need some heavy equipment to pot, and it is hard on your boat, winch, etc. but the payoff can be pretty nice.

Thank God for heavy duty diesel engines!

[mrscharms]

I also agree..there are more rec crabbers on here than you hearty watermen...don't know how you do it, but I applaud you!  One comment to make is about the turkey necks...I tried them and they do not work!!!  Got zero bites on them as a rec crabber!

Janice

[Crab A Lot]

I also agree..there are more rec crabbers on here than you hearty watermen...don't know how you do it, but I applaud you!  One comment to make is about the turkey necks...I tried them and they do not work!!!  Got zero bites on them as a rec crabber!

Janice

        Did you remove the turkey from the neck

        Just kidding the crabs only eat turkey in November on thanksgiving

[rivercrab]

Looks like this question is following 2 threads - soory for the repost!

Hey Moto:

I'm a commercial potter/trotliner in the North Bay.  Typically, when things are running good, I'll get 8-15 good crabs in a pot after soaking for 4 -6 days.  Sometimes I check them once a week, sometimes 2 times a week, all depends on what else is going on, the weather, tides, etc.

All in all, potting is a much different game from trotlining, but it is fun to pull them, up and see what you got.  It is a lot of work, and a lot of culling, but I like it.  Procrabber is a big potter, and he has great luck with it, so you may want to talk to him.  I'm a newer potter, and a longtime trotliner but this year has been good.  You have the headaches, like sharecrabbers (people who steal from your pots and are summarily sunk to the bottom of the bay if caught) as well as the power boaters who cut you lines.  Depening on where you are, there is a lot of loss.  Mine averages 9-25% depending on location and time of year.

In the north bay, you gets lots of big Jimmys, but in the south Bay at the right time, you can see 25 sooks (mature females) in one basket as was the case last weekend.  Some guys fish their pots more often, but I find that I let them soak and have great results myself.  My mortality is near zero even after a week.  You get some lost claws the longer you leave them in, but that is a small price to pay.  The crabs get pissed and start fighting after awhile.  You need some heavy equipment to pot, and it is hard on your boat, winch, etc. but the payoff can be pretty nice.

Thank God for heavy duty diesel engines!

Anyone tell you that are full of [curd]. How long have you been crabbing comm now? A week at the most. You where looking for a license about two weeks ago and trying to line up some pots last week. Not trying to cause a stir but dont feed people BS brother. Oh by the way nice whiteys. Tell your buyer to give me a call..Ill give him all my whiteys for 10 bucks a bushel.

[procrabber]

id say you will get between 0-60 crabs a pot, with an average of 3-35.... really not trying to be a smartass      it just depends where you are and when.  for instance,  we had some pots with about 1/3 bushel per pot last weekend... and the next pot would have 10 crabs.. the average in the main part of the bay from the bridge to md state line will yield about 25 bushel per hundred pots for those that are doing a 2 day set.   mid summer, you are lucky if they average 10 per pot. 

interseting that many of the pots had 50 crabs each last weekend, and the bait wasnt touched    spent all that time makin dinner and the [dang] kids didnt eat it 

 

[LaEspion]

id say you will get between 0-60 crabs a pot, with an average of 3-35.... really not trying to be a smartass      it just depends where you are and when.  for instance,  we had some pots with about 1/3 bushel per pot last weekend... and the next pot would have 10 crabs.. the average in the main part of the bay from the bridge to md state line will yield about 25 bushel per hundred pots for those that are doing a 2 day set.   mid summer, you are lucky if they average 10 per pot. 

interseting that many of the pots had 50 crabs each last weekend, and the bait wasnt touched    spent all that time makin dinner and the [dang] kids didnt eat it 

 

Hey Rivercrab:

You know what I don't get?  A newer guy (me) joins the board, actually pays to support it because he thinks it is a great thing, tries to write thoughtful, helpful articles and posts that others enjoy reading and can maybe benefit from, and somebody like you feels the need to call him out in front of the whole board instead of contributing to the answer yourself.  Now, since your post didn't contain one bit of helpful information for the gentlemen poseing the questions, maybe I can at least address you clear inability to read and understand mine.  Here's the Cliff notes version, there'll be a test later. . .

1) I don't see where in my message I am feeding anyone ANYTHING, least of all, B.S.
2) If you bothered to read it, you would clearly see in the second paragraph that I start out by saying I am newer at potting, but have been trotlineing for a long time, and I defer to procrabber who clearly has much more experience in the potting arena.
3) Since I own waterrights, I've been running pots for a little bit more than the "two weeks" your post suggests.  Maybe I'm not runing 200-900 like some of the big guys, but a pot is a pot.  My post was based on my experience with the limited pots I have.
4) I've delt with the same headaches as the bigger, older guys, see my other threads.  i.e. Sharecrabbers, loss, etc.

And finally, if your Whiteys are 7-9 inches like the ones I've been posting pictures of, I'll buy them all day long from you at $10/bushel.  [Sam Hill], I'd make more than catching & selling them myself.  Where are your pictures?  I think I see a beautiful business arangement in the works. . .

Sorry if you feel offended or get your feelings hurt, but I feel like you called me out unnecessarily.  Take a minute, go back and read my post, and then re-read yours.  Quid pro quo sucks, huh?  Next time I say something you don't like, maybe you could PM me first and save everyone else from having to be a part of it.

Respectfully,

-Chris

[mrscharms]

Uh oh..this isn't good.  I am sure there was just a little miscommunication here? 
I hate to see this.

Janice

PS..no I don't take the turkey off the neck lol.  Very funny!

[rivercrab]

Well pal here is what you wrote. 

I'm a commercial potter/trotliner in the North Bay.  Typically, when things are running good, I'll get 8-15 good crabs in a pot after soaking for 4 -6 days.

Another subject that bothers me is you leaving your pots in the water for days on end. Which is illegal. Running two pots and calling yourself a commercial is another false statement. Hey call yourself what you want. Just dont blow smoke up someone [arse] who knows. Most of the comms on here know you are full of BS. Dont post in the waterman section with BS. Another thing I will sell my whiteys to you for 10 bucks.. Because you must have one stupid buyer if he buys the [curd] you have been catching. I smell DNR here Tom..Whatcha think? Got another sting planned. Trying to get a license without the apprenticeship a few weeks ago..Looking to buy pots cheap.. Talking about your pots being raided..Hey if you only run 2 pots it shouldnt be hard to keep an eye on them.  Like I said dont BS. It will catch up with you. Oh by the way nice to have you on the site and thanks for becoming a supporting member.

[Seaweed]

id say you will get between 0-60 crabs a pot, with an average of 3-35.... really not trying to be a smartass      it just depends where you are and when.  for instance,  we had some pots with about 1/3 bushel per pot last weekend... and the next pot would have 10 crabs.. the average in the main part of the bay from the bridge to md state line will yield about 25 bushel per hundred pots for those that are doing a 2 day set.   mid summer, you are lucky if they average 10 per pot. 

interseting that many of the pots had 50 crabs each last weekend, and the bait wasnt touched    spent all that time makin dinner and the [dang] kids didnt eat it 

 

The ones with 50 each... yeah, those were definately the ones I baited!

[rivercrab]

The ones with 50 each... yeah, those were definately the ones I baited!

Im sure they where Weed..Didnt you bait em all brother

[Seaweed]

Im sure they where Weed..Didnt you bait em all brother

Most of them... fat boy baited up the first line if I remember correctly.

[LaEspion]

You know what River. . . I'm not even going to continue this here.  I'll PM you.  How's that?

-Chris

[rivercrab]

Thats fine..But your still full of [curd].

[LaEspion]

Fair enough.  We'll have to agree to disagree on this one I guess.  You think I am full of curd, and I think you are an award winning A-Hole.

So there it stands, may curds and A-Holes live happily every after.

-Chris