northwest chesapeake crabbing

[mz]

what a great website. i have been itching to go crabbing (which i havent done for 10 years) and i now live in the bel air, md area. i dont really have the time to drive to southern md/bay area. what im wondering is if anyone knows if there are crabs up this far in the bay. i have quick access to the havre de grace area and susquhenna outlet area. should i just experiment? i fish the area alot and rumor says there are crabs out there but i have yeat to see anyone crabbing. i feel self consious being out there on a public pier (im usually go by myself). i guess i need to get over that. any help or spots would be appriciated.

~mz

[Crabpop]

Mz, I just don't think that salinity levels are high enough in the north bay for crabbing, and especially pier crabbing.  If you had access to a boat and could move around in the shoreline shallows (4-8') you might catch a few, but from a pier it would be pretty much skunk time.  Took a look at the Chesapeake Bay Observing System (CBOS) North Bay Bouy, which is up in your neck of the woods.  Salinity levels are still way low compared to last year.  Every time it rains up river you can just watch the salinity level drop from the fresh water outflow from the Sesquehanna.  I've posted a graphic of the CBOS North Bay salinity readout for the past 12 months.  August 2002 is on the left and present is on the right.  Quite a difference isn't there?  If you want to go crabbin', drive down to Sandy Point State Park (western short of Chesapeake Bay Bridge) and rent one of their skiffs with a motor.  Go out into the bay, cross under the two bridges, and crab the western shoreline.  It'll cost you some $$ for an all-day boat rental and an hour's driving time, but your chances of catching crabs will be vastly improved.  Good
luck.

Crabpop

[Crabbeer]

Most people I know who crab close to Bel Air are crabbing the Bush River.  I don't suspect they are catching any there yet this year, but this year isn't a typical year.  I also don't know if they have a place to crab from shore.  I do know that they have caught some good crabs there.  A guy I work with caught a 10" crab there a few years ago.  Hope this helps....

[mz]

thanks. i guess ill have to travel a bit then. im going to probably have a small boat for next year. fishing holes are quite limited too without one. ill read the forums a bit more but are there andy good piers within an hour drive or so from harford county?

~mz

[R Emery]

I've done o.k. in late August - early September on the Gunpowder.