Decided and went to Sea Isle today

[Ed29]

After reading some of the reports about the Maurice River area on this forum I decided to go out with the kids to Ludlham Bay at Sea Isle city NJ today. Got on the water at 6;15 tide just starting to come in. Beautiful weather, clean water, perfect day. Except we only got about 13 keepers. Also caught and threw back about a dozen and half of keeper size females. Keepers not real big but OK. Lots of small crabs. I don't know but crabbing seems to have really gone down hill in NJ these past few years. Still fun to get out on the water.

[luke at uscoach]

Hi Ed:
Sorry to hear about your poor CATCH!!!

But a day out with the kids, is the BEST DAY of your LIFE.  Trust me, We were blessed with 3 GREAT! kids, the youngest of which is 30 yrs. old today and I missed them growing up because I was working (and today they resent it!!!).  Now I have 2 Grand Kids, a boy & a girl and I am still working too many hours,  but if a weekend goes by that I do not see them, my week is not complete!!!

With regards to crabbing, I had hoped to go out with my business partener tomorrow to Beaver Dam, as last year we got skunked at Dividing Creek.  The incoming tide would be right for a good day, if they are there there, despite all the warnings!!!

There is much happening with regard to crabs, as I see it!!!

There has been a problem with water quality in many areas, we have Mother Nature with an abundance of Rain here in the N.E. this year, and we have "PIGS" who just take out of the water, whatever they catch and that is Commercial and Recreational folks.  If we think it can not make a diffrence, then we are wrong in our thinking.  Here in N.J., for example just look at the Striped bass and Flounder population and catch figures after limitations were instituted!!!

When I  posted last winter about baskets of females being available in the South N.J. area markets, there were posts that indicated that these crabs come from overseas.  Well I am here to tell you that I can take you to these same places today, and N.J. crabs are in season, and so are the females, and none them say "Made in Some Other Country", stamped on them.!!!

If we protect the resource of what we want to catch, then they will be there!!

And, Hopefully with our kids, they will be Leaders and Not Followers, and they will go on to be Productive Citizens, in the most wonderful country that GOD ever put on the Face of this Earth.  They will be Americans, in the USA!!

I wish all a Happy and SAFE Crabbin' Holiday Weekend!!

LUKE at US COACH

[Ed29]

I agree with you Luke on just about everything you said. Ther are many PIGS as you say . I was taught to never take the females but yet you see them for sale in most of the crab markets. And yes I have seen them seperated to all in the same bushel with signs on them that say great for soup. I wish they would make the minimum size bigger too. ONce in a while  I get to buy the gulf coast jumbo's which are a fantastic. I've seen colossal's  from down there so big that their claws get rounded. Now that's good eatin'. I wonder how long they 'll be around.