Requesting Advice on Catching Tautog Bait

[RetroYellow]

Hello Folks,

I'm getting ready for my first fishing trip of the year and I'd like to request advice from anyone kind enough to offer it.  My friend and I will be targeting Tautog (Blackfish) in the Ocean City, MD area (and maybe the Indian River Inlet, DE) and would like to make an attempt to catch our own bait this time around.  I'm thinking it might be fun or at least interesting enough to pass the time before the bite starts during the day.

So,  can I please get some advice (and possibly some good spots) to catch the "greenies", "whiteleggers", and any other crabs that will entice the tog to bite?  I have a dozen topless traps I bought last season;  will those be useful or do we have to go and crawl over rocks to find the crabs?  Hopefully, the greenies and whiteleggers can be caught with the traps, if so, what is best used as bait to catch that bait?  Thanks in advance!

Regards,

RY.

[69Camaro]

      You can also use mole crabs (sand fleas, sand crabs).  They are found under the sand where the waves break onto the beach.  When a wave comes in just take a shovel and scoop up some sand as the wave recedes back into the ocean.  You should be able to get about 10 to 20 sand crabs of all sizes in each scoop.  I usually keep the big ones and throw the little ones back.  They are not very hardy though and are usually only good for a few hours. 
      Some of the best spots to fish are along the rocks, however, you must anchor if you are fishing from a boat, as drifting will not yield many tog.  The southern wall of the Ocean City Inlet will be lined with fisherman when the bite is on, but you need a boat to access it.  You can also fish the parking lot side but it gets crowded at times. Also, try the bulkhead in Ocean City from 1st to 4th Streets.  This time of year you want to fish the outgoing tide which tends to be warmer draining from the shallows. 

[jack1747]

i have had good results just using blue crab 

[Pinchy]

...can I please get some advice (and possibly some good spots) to catch the "greenies", "whiteleggers", and any other crabs that will entice the tog to bite? 

In my recent experience, it is very easy to catch green crabs in colder, saltier water than where you would normally find blue crabs. Whenever I crab closer to ocean inlets, using the usual blue crab bait like chicken or bunker, I also catch a lot of green crabs (which I save and give to local baitsellers). Any trap, including topless, works well (much too well, if you are trying to get only blue crabs!)

[anchor]

you will have a problem finding white leggers anywhere in del or maryland, mole crabs or sand fleas wont be in the surf till the water gets warmer. i would just buy them from a local bait shop. in know clyde at old inlet at indian river sells them for about 12-13 dollars a gallon and since you cut them in half a gallon is alot of baits...... god luck, tearem-up

[flounderpounder]

i used to catch alot of rock crabs in a weighted crab trap of the rt. 50 bridge. close to the drawbridge...when i was a kid

[horsefly]

      You can also use mole crabs (sand fleas, sand crabs).  They are found under the sand where the waves break onto the beach.  When a wave comes in just take a shovel and scoop up some sand as the wave recedes back into the ocean.  You should be able to get about 10 to 20 sand crabs of all sizes in each scoop.  I usually keep the big ones and throw the little ones back.  They are not very hardy though and are usually only good for a few hours. 
      

If ya get some softies, they make killer bait!!! I use them hard and soft fleas when hardhead and/or drum fishing in the surf. Also work great using small hooks to catch Pompano. GOOD LUCK

[RetroYellow]

Thanks for your input to all who responded!  I forgot that I posted this question a while back here on this board and only discovered it recently while checking for early season crabbing reports.

I usually buy sand fleas with the greenies from the bait stores when I go tog'in, so I'm aware of them as reliable tog bait.  But thanks for suggesting them.  I understand that tog can be finicky about thier diet from day to day and from one spot to another.  For example, one day you can kill em on halfed green crabs with legs cut off and another day the tog will only take them whole on a snafu rig and wont touch a divided crab.  Or for whatever reason, they will have a preferrence for white leggers or speckled crabs instead of sand fleas at another spot.  So, I figured it would be best to take a variety of different crabs for tog bait so that I had all my bases covered.

So, I know how to catch blue crabs and sand fleas; but where and how do you catch white leggers, speckled crabs, shore crabs, rock crabs, etc?    Can they be caught in the same places and in the same manner as catching blue crabs?  I.e., with topless crab traps baited with chicken necks?  Or is there some other method to catching these "other" crabs?

TIA for your follow up responses.

Regards,

RY.

[Feddog82]

Retro,
     I don't know if you are familiar with West OCMD but there is a beach on the bay at the end of Old Bridge Rd.  I believe the publuc beach is called Grudelski Park now.  There are new large homes on the shore front and a buch of rip-rap as a shore break.  If you go there at low tide (hip boots or waders this time of year) you can flip over some of the rip rap and or rocks.  Bring gloves and a small net b/c there are all kinds small crabs there.  I ussually do pretty well here getting tog bait.  Another spot is at the end of the street next to the Coast Guard Station.  Remember to go at low tide.  The water goes down but the crabs stay under the rocks.

P.S.  Don't take all of them