HUDSON RIVER 2009

[Coldspringcrabber]

http://ny.water.usgs.gov/projects/dialer_plots/hsfloc.gif

[mr.crabbs]

im goin in rockland saturday will be sure to give the report when i come home and hopefully ill be reportin after a crab lunch but we will see what happens

[Coldspringcrabber]

Talked to a guy at DEC.  Said they pulled 40 pots (1 week soak)  yesterday and had 38 crabs.  Said a handful were keepers.  Fished out of newburgh bay. Said that was normal for this time of year.  Suggested fishing further south toward Haverstraw.  So get those traps down and lets hear what everyone's got.  CSC

[mr.crabbs]

well heres my report from friday night i went to peekskill was on the water from 8:30pm till 1:00am i used 6 traps cought 31 crabs all were about 3 inches not one keeper cought 1 white perch in the trap had something pull out a whole chicken thigh bone and all right out the trap and i rebaited the trap had it out in about the same spot about 15 min later i pulled up just a bone picked clean so my night didnt go to well

[Coldspringcrabber]

those are good catch numbers.  theyll run bigger soon.  glad you got out there.  which side of the river?  CSC

[SHELLFISH]

Thanks for the report but sorry to hear they were all shorts.
Good news that they are there though! They will only get bigger!

[mr.crabbs]

i was on the rout9 side in peekskill just up from the annsville bridge theres a park there you can get under the bridgE from there also

[Coldspringcrabber]

Was at Coldspring pier.  Caught 1 4.5 long.  threw him back.  3 traps bunker.  CSC

[pufire1]

last night sundown coldspring-2 crabs both small. and china pier caught a few all small from 4 1/2 down. hopefully we'll get good numbers this year...its looking good so far. (and the size of last year)  Coldspring crabber were you the in the morning or evening?

[Coldspringcrabber]

i was 11:30 -1:30.  CSC

[yeah. i got crabs]

are these small ones the same ones that were going to be keeping later in the season? what im trying to ask is -do we have to wait for these short crabs to grow? or D o we have to wait for the bigger crabs to wake up or swim up the hudson?

[Coldspringcrabber]

Hard to say.  But some larger crabs will start running. Keep throwing bacvk the shorts.  theyll be big a t some point for you to catch.  theyll be catchable in october

[Big Blue 13]

Howdy folks!!! Hope you all had a good winter.  Last year I caught my first crabs off China Pier on June 17.  9 big keeper males. As the season progressed I noticed larger size than usual but very few numbers. A fellow at the DEC this March confirmed that seemed to be the general consensus along the Hudson but with no explanation as to why. The salt line hovered up around Beacon-Newburg most of the time. As of today it is up around West Point. I haven't started crabbing yet due to the amount of June rain and the water temps. I figure it will be a late start this year. Normal start in this area is usually the second week of July. Both my cages and big overnight hotels are still in dry dock. 

I work off a fishing boat in New Rochelle. Started noticing big blues on the pilings also in mid June of last year. None around yet. Just came back from 4 days on Long Beach in New Jersey. Crabbed from our canoe around some of the small marsh islands for a few hours one day with drop lines. Got about 6 dozen in the 3 inch range, no keepers. Local reports down there are the same. No real crabbing yet. Now keep in mind that they are saying folks going out for a full day are coming back with an average of 3 dozen, but I think they are in the minimum 4 1/2 inch range for NJ. Not really what I consider to be "keepers".

On a side note, when I was speaking to the DEC in March the fellow said they went out with a dredger out of Raritan Bay who was working around NY Harbor and he pulled up a pregnant female mitten crab. so.... keep your eyes peeled!

Anyway, good to be back here again for another season and wishing you all the best in your endeavors for the tasty blue devils. Talk with you all soon.

Big Blue 

[yeah. i got crabs]

got my first dozen the other day... threw back at least another 15 too

[yeah. i got crabs]

oh.. so now since everyones catching no one wants to write and give away anything.i see how it is... crab clamped your lips

[mr.crabbs]

dont sound to me like you need to hear anything from us cuz from what i seen here you are the only one who has had any keepers

[kpenguin11]

Hey everyone.  New to this site.  Anyone know how the season is going around Kingston?  Any crabs caught yet?  When is prime around here for the buggers?   

[yeah. i got crabs]

Nah.. cant be true. i know these guys are out there catchin them.they just dont wanna talk about it.and give away anything.im trying again soon.ill post a pic this time though. ....new guy-i dont believe there not up by kingston yet. try there much later end of aug prob. try further south.
This pick is last weeks catch about.(more came after the pic)

[kpenguin11]

Thanks for the tip.  I will keep trying my luck up this way and keep everyone posted.  By the way, I may be the "new kid on the block" but, I'm not a "guy"...LOL...

[Coldspringcrabber]

No one except Big Blue ever seems to say too muc h about where they go and how they did.  Doesnt matter does it?   Its good to get accurate reprots.  that is for sure

[johnnyutah]

Hello Everyone,

New to the site, after seeing "yeahI got"'s post decided to take the boat and 15 traps to George's Island Park.  Set the traps by the Veteran's Hospital and got over 100 rabs in 4 hrs. most throw backs but managed to pick through for about 40, 5 inch crabs. Most of the crabs were empty, claw shells crumbled in my hands when I was eating them but they still were delicious, anyway probably goin to give it a few weeks and try again.

[Coldspringcrabber]

nice report.  not bad.  csc

[Coldspringcrabber]

7/29 Verplanck pier. 615 am -1030 am  7 crabs 1 keeper.  guy at other end of pier had 3 keepers.  CSC

[Big Blue 13]

My brother-in-law-to-be called last night saying the crabs are now in the Hudson and he wants to come get his overnight hotels out of storage in my yard and get them in the water by this weekend.

When I asked him his "source" he said he saw a picture of a girl in the local fishing magazine standing at Steamboat Pier in Verplank holding a large crab. Good thing he couldn't see me roll my eyes over the phone.   Anyway, I got 6 hefty bluefish racks and 2 striper racks from the boat after work today and threw them in the freezer and will help him set the traps in the next few days. I'm still not even seeing crabs in Long Island Sound either swimming or on the pilings. Even the fishing has been real spotty lately. I don't hold out much hope just yet. They are going to be late here this year and that's all there is to it.

Anyhow, i will let you all know what results we see. Until the Jimmies come a-swimmin back home, good luck and have patience folks. Happy crabbing! 

[Coldspringcrabber]

7 at coldspring pier 2 keepers.  12:30-2:00 pm.  my daughter 2.5 years helped bait the traps.  Had to leave cause of the rain but it seemed like we could have pulled a few more keepers.  DEC guy said they got 73 crabs in last weeks haul so they are around.  bigger numbers and smaller size so far this year. Gonna see how am goes but who knows with this rain.  CSC