Wye trip

[backfin05]

Was invited again by Dreampixels to go north of the 39th parallel. Got on the water around 6:30am, ran 19 traps and 1200 feet trot line.
By 9:30am had only 6 keepers, so we decided to try our luck further south at the Wye. After some heavy traffic around the Bay Bridge, we were on the water around 12:30pm.  Most people coming in said they had only a half bushel. Ran the same traps and line and ended around 5:30pm with 64 very nice crabs. For some reason the traps were doing much better than the trot line.
Thanks again to Dreampixels for the great time crabbing.

Pics coming soon.

[backfin05]

 Big boy.

[lreops]

Was invited again by Dreampixels to go north of the 39th parallel. Got on the water around 6:30am, ran 19 traps and 1200 feet trot line.
By 9:30am had only 6 keepers, so we decided to try our luck further south at the Wye. After some heavy traffic around the Bay Bridge, we were on the water around 12:30pm.  Most people coming in said they had only a half bushel. Ran the same traps and line and ended around 5:30pm with 64 very nice crabs. For some reason the traps were doing much better than the trot line.
Thanks again to Dreampixels for the great time crabbing.

Pics coming soon.

Ok....Ok.....What's going on here?? Did Dreampixels have that Time Machine out again giving it a test drive??

How did you finish up at 5:30 but was able to make your post at 5:27??

You've got some explaining to do there son!!

[backfin05]

Sorry, we went out Saturday.

Didn't have time to post last night.
Pics have the date.

[lreops]

Sorry, we went out Saturday.

I think I smell "Cover UP". Do don't have to feel obligated to protect Dreampixel and his time machine. We're all catching on to his shenanigans.           

[tattoo]

nice catch , thanks for the pictures. 

[Dreampixels]

A few more details - of the Wye Trip - surface temp of the water was a blistering 85 degrees - found most of the crabs in 6 to 9 feet of water and the slack tide seemed to have little effect on the crabs - I was expecting things to drop off but we never got skunked even on slack tide. Best run on the traps was 9 crabs in 19 traps - often times 5 and 6 per run.

Lay of the line was from 3 ft to over 18ft - got one crab out of 12 ft - moved the line to run 3 to 11 max - still did not do much better - without the traps we would not have gotten 1/2 of what we did.

What is your reasoning for things like this - Often times when crabbing with a trot line when I re-bait I find there will be baits which are totally destroyed while 10 or more baits on either side have not been touched. Even with traps there seem to be one or two that just get hammered. Of course one will assume those baits where laying in a hot spot - or was there something about the bait - or both - What do you think?

lreops - I did try the time machine - our first run of the traps yielded 9 crabs - so once we had finish the run I set the time machine to go back in time 15 minutes to make the same run again and sure enough we got another 9 crabs - however the original 9 were gone and we only had 9 total - I tried it 2 more times with the same results - can you believe that?  

[jack1747]

Who's in the pic? 

[Dreampixels]

Who's in the pic? 

That is a big crab...................oooooooooooo you mean the guy....?   Backfin05

[backfin05]

That's me in the picture.

I'm just trying to figure out why when we used the time machine the soda I just drank wasn't full and back in the cooler.

[lefty87]

Was invited again by Dreampixels to go north of the 39th parallel. Got on the water around 6:30am, ran 19 traps and 1200 feet trot line.
By 9:30am had only 6 keepers, so we decided to try our luck further south at the Wye. After some heavy traffic around the Bay Bridge, we were on the water around 12:30pm.  Most people coming in said they had only a half bushel. Ran the same traps and line and ended around 5:30pm with 64 very nice crabs. For some reason the traps were doing much better than the trot line.
Thanks again to Dreampixels for the great time crabbing.

Pics coming soon.

been there 6x so far this year, and thought of bringing the trotline there with us, but we have gotten over a bushel to two every time minus one at the honey well spot, except for one day we got little over half due to being too choppy and rain..... i think that river is too clean (clarity) and makes it hard for trotlines.

[bellringer]

 Nice catch  how big was that crab in the pic.

[backfin05]

He was just a hair shy of 8 inches, but very heavy.
His shell was super thick, and packed full of meat.

[SeaMonkey]

Nice catch! I myself noticed the same kind of behavior while crabbing, I had guys set a trotline 50' away from my traps and they weren't catching as many as me. Seems like some days the crabs just don't want to come off the bottom, maybe the bright sunlight causes them to let go! I always use traps, I set a couple traps in 8' then 10' and 12'. I always seem to get more at one depth. So if I get a couple at 10' and nothing at 8' or 12' I move my traps to 10'. and if your in a little cove you can set traps in a half circle at 10' something you cant do with a trotline! I have no idea either why they hammer one trap more than another? I have seen this also, I even set two traps around the most productive one and nothing changed. Must have just been a sweet piece of meat. How far south down the Wye did you go, close to the shaw? I'm heading down next Monday, its exactly 115 miles one way for me to get to the landing. And if I don't get at least a few dozen my wife says it would have been cheaper to go buy a dozen, she dosent get it.the crabbing and being out on the boat. Any ways any extra info would be appreciated.

[CrabbyLAD]

you might want to check the fuel cell on that time machine....
I had the same problem last week.... might just need more ice....
 thanks for the report!

[CrabmanC27C]

you might want to check the fuel cell on that time machine....
I had the same problem last week.... might just need more ice....
 thanks for the report!

lol,so whats the plan,go bk in time?>>>catchy

[backfin05]

Nice catch! I myself noticed the same kind of behavior while crabbing, I had guys set a trotline 50' away from my traps and they weren't catching as many as me. Seems like some days the crabs just don't want to come off the bottom, maybe the bright sunlight causes them to let go! I always use traps, I set a couple traps in 8' then 10' and 12'. I always seem to get more at one depth. So if I get a couple at 10' and nothing at 8' or 12' I move my traps to 10'. and if your in a little cove you can set traps in a half circle at 10' something you cant do with a trotline! I have no idea either why they hammer one trap more than another? I have seen this also, I even set two traps around the most productive one and nothing changed. Must have just been a sweet piece of meat. How far south down the Wye did you go, close to the shaw? I'm heading down next Monday, its exactly 115 miles one way for me to get to the landing. And if I don't get at least a few dozen my wife says it would have been cheaper to go buy a dozen, she dosent get it.the crabbing and being out on the boat. Any ways any extra info would be appreciated.

We could see the dock from where we were crabbing. Our drive was about the same distance, but worth the extra time.

[bowman]

hey back fin, I think I talked to you areound 5:30 at the wye landing boat ramp.  I was retriving my boat, when I asked you how you did.  I had an old thompson runabout, towing it with a white F-150.  You said your were in the patpsco and then came down the the wye, and got 64 on traps.  I said I only got 16.  I can't figure out how you got 64 on traps, and i only had 16 over 8 hours, in the same river. In my experince traps never catch that much.  I will use 2 600 ft lines, and have 10 traps, and catch only a few in the traps, but get 30 on the lines. 

[Dreampixels]

hey back fin, I think I talked to you areound 5:30 at the wye landing boat ramp.  I was retriving my boat, when I asked you how you did.  I had an old thompson runabout, towing it with a white F-150.  You said your were in the patpsco and then came down the the wye, and got 64 on traps.  I said I only got 16.  I can't figure out how you got 64 on traps, and i only had 16 over 8 hours, in the same river. In my experince traps never catch that much.  I will use 2 600 ft lines, and have 10 traps, and catch only a few in the traps, but get 30 on the lines. 

You may have been talking to me Dreampixels as I remember our conversation - you were out the river farther to wards Shaw Bay - you got there about 8:30 am - I was the round guy - big and fat - or as I see it pleasing plump - we actually did most in traps as the line did not produce for us - we were located in sight of the launch most of the time - our total for the day was 64 - sorry if I miss lead you as 9 of those came from the Middle Branch Area.

Your experience with the line might well  be true to your experience - but what I have stated to you has been the truth and I shall no longer contiinue this conversation. I have to prove nothing to you as my word it true.

[backfin05]

I second that.

[German82407]

I'm with you guys!  Well done!

[TAJcrabs]

Oh snap, the age old question traps or line? which is better?  The world may never know

[city crabber]

I like the line, I bait it every 3 ft. That is a lot of bait and I find slaming them with that much bait works. I found that on the line that shadows are a huge problem also if the waves are hitting the boat and splashing they let go much sooner. As for the bait. I find if it has skin or is musciley they avoid it... The huge chicken necks seem to do the worse...

[zfatdaddy]

I agree no fat at all on your chicken necks and they will avoid the big necks. I use about a 2 1/2 inch neck on my snoods line and use a bunch of small peices in my traps.

Phil 

[backfin05]

Funny you say that, because that's exactly what happened this past weekend. The necks on the trot line that had lots of skin hanging off never brought up the crabs, and the neck in the trap that wasn't touched was the biggest neck.
I'll have to remember that.