Best crab bait?

[Redstorm]

when i go crabbing i use fluke heads from when i go fishing and was wondering if i would be better off using a diffenrent type of bait?

[Steve]

Menhaden (bunker) is excellent if you're using crabpots.

Chicken drumsticks (not necks) are best when using handlines.

Salted eel is best for a trotline.

[Crabbyboy]

i do very well with perch!! just cut it into 3 pieces... i use it for everything(eccept trot line)

[CRABGUY]

DRUMSTICKS,DRUMSTICKS,DRUMSTICKS

[lindaP]

My husband and I caught some blue fish over here in the del. bay.  brought them home and cut them up to put in the freezer to use for crab bait.   Does anyone know if crabs in maryland will bite on blue fish?   if not , it's back to chicken

[mr_sky_531a]

ok here goes, try this at your own risk!
i normall take a pack of chicken necks or thighs and put them out in the sun the day before i go out and let them get nice and ripe the concentration of the oils in the skin seem to drive the crabs nuts.

[Crabpop]

One day last year I grabbed a bag of crabbin' chicken from our fridge in the garage, hooked up the trailer and headed for Crab Alley.  Was afraid I didn't have enough chicken, so stopped at a well known grocery chain store in Annapolis and bought another tray of chicken.  Began baiting the traps using the crabbin' chicken from home.  Store-bought chicken remained on ice in the cooler.  Later that day the chicken in some of the traps was getting kinda ratty looking, so I opened the store-bought stuff to rebait.  Mind you this was on a hot, humid day with absolutely no wind to speak of. Well, let me tell you, that store-bought stuff was some really foul fowl!!  Stunk to high heaven!!  Was gaggin' the whole time I was rebaiting!!! Brought along a couple sanwiches for lunch.  Couldn't eat 'em...couldn't even look at 'em.  But, hey, foul fowl worked and worked well.  The rebaited traps definitely caught more crabs than the others.  I managed to bushel-out that day.  Now, I'm not opposed to gettin' a jug of fresh apple cider, loosening the cap and putting it out in the afternoon sun, then back in the fridge, and repeating this process for several days.  Tastes pretty darn good.  Ripe chicken, on the other hand, is another matter.  I'd rather be skunked......than "skunked."

Crabpop

[cblu]

I've never been one to mess with the stinky stuff, but some people swear by it. From what I've read, crabs prefer fresh bait, but I can't say I've ever had a head to head competition with fresh and rank chicken. I even take the skin off my bait, it seems to get rancid quicker. Maybe now that  I'm transitioning from a trotline to traps, skin might add some more oil to the water. I've always left it off trotlines, because I've been told it floats the line a bit, plus it's a mess getting it out of the slipknots after a long day in warm water.
     I once debaited a trotline that had been sitting outside for a couple of days in the basement of a girlfriend's townhouse. Talk about foul fowl, we couldn't get the smell out for 3 days. I think that was the last time I reused bait. It always comes off, on the boat, now.

[lindaP]

Once again, has anyone used blue fish for crab bait in the maryland waters?   I know the crabs are picky and I don't want to load blue fish if the bites are not there.   Thank you

[Crabbyboy]

    Hey it can't hurt to give it a shot, but bring some bait that u regularly use incase the bluefish isn't working at all.  And i do know people that use it so give it a shot.     tell us how it works!!

[cblu]

I've never used Bluefish, but I would think it would work well. It's oily, and it's food, that's all the crabs are interested in. I would think all fish would work well, oily fish probably even attracts them better. Most people just use chicken, because it works, it's cheap, and it plentiful . You know there probably aren't  too many chickens walking around on the bottom of the Bay. Except "chicken of the sea", which again is an oily fish.

[eelfisher]

cblu, i think your right on the money. i've been using bluefish because we catch the [curd] out of 'em and theyre free. i dont think them crabs are all that picky. when i was a kid, i used to catch them using duck gizzards from that mornings duck hunt. since when do crabs know what duck gizzards taste like?

[Tom123321]

Ive had a lot of luck with chicken legs. I usually slice the meat a little bit and also cut into the bone to expose the marrow. I think the crabs love the smell and taste! Make sure you dont cut it up too much or it wont last very long.

[Disco]

I bought a 24x24x14 pot at a bait shop for $23.00.  Its a pretty good one; vinyl coated.  But I would like to get 4 more at a better price.  I live in central Florida and fish the Indian River Lagoon.  Where can I get 'em.
Thanks for your support!

[lindaP]

Tried out the bluefish, will definitely stick to chicken.   Didn't catch one crab with it plus it STINKS.  This was the first time we had the boat out this year so we were just testing the waters over by St.Michaels.   Caught 14 nice crabs, which was plenty for us for a meal. Nothing beats catching, cooking and eating fresh crabs.

[Crabpop]

Linda, thanks for lettin' everyone know about the bluefish.  Stinkin' bluefish gotta rank right below stinkin' chicken.  Hey, when a $8-9 large tray of Perdue's fresh, sweet smellin' drumsticks or thighs can be used to catch up to $200 worth of crabs, that's a good tradeoff in my book!

Crabpop

[Sponge Dave]

I once heard that clams drove the crabs nuts.
I have no idea how you would use them in collapsables or on a trotline.

Spong Dave.

[jack1747]

Clams are for early spring.  Then only bunker......

[bettedemarco]

I've always used bunker... but i want to try chicken legs... hubby is afraid of handling the raw chicken and risk of salmonella - anyone hear of such a story?

[jack1747]

Gloves?  You actually crab with bear hands.  

[Crabpop]

BlueCrabGirl, yup, tell your hubbie to wear gloves when handling the chicken.  You can get the disposable kind at pharmacies, hardware stores, etc., either rubber (without the powder coating) or loose, thin plastic slip on type.  On the other hand, I've forgotten to restock the boat with these and have baited without gloves a few times.  No salmonella.  Just remember not to lick your fingers afterwards...

Crabpop

[jack1747]

I ment heavy leather gloves.  Reaching under the boat to grab a pot in heavy chop can get ya a squished finger them dang crabs are nasty.  

[cblu]

I've been baiting a trotline with chicken for over 20 years and have never worn gloves. Maybe the alcohol in the beer wards off them nasty germs!

[Crabbyboy]

  yeah, i've never worn gloves while handling chicken when crabbing.  

[CRABGUY]

ITS NOT THE FINGER LICKIN GOOD TYPE OF CHICKEN
EVEN AFTER THE SECOND OR THIRD TRIP
AND LEAVING IT IN THE SUN ON THE WAY BACK FROM THE RAMP