Anclote in Pasco County Fl

[keepmeinstitches]

Well I had hoped to catch a tons of crabs at the Anclote Pier on Saturday evening but it turned out I was the bait for all the misquito's out there without a legal size catch.  I caught the same spider crab 4 times and less then a dozen crabs that were way to small to keep.  One thing I will note at about 11 PM, two FWC police showed up to inspect everyone's catches for limits but no one that was fishing came close to their limit and I was the only one crabbing.  Come to think of it, I did catch one crab legal size and I am sorry I put it back into the water.  I was afraid to bring it home because if was full of fungus (or something like that) on the outer shell.  Probably my last time using that pier.

Another disturbing thing happen at the Power Plant near the pier.  They must have cleaned out some equipment because a lot of suds was floating by for an hour or more.


Happy Crabbing!!!!!

[tattoo]

Thanks for the report , hope you find a better spot. 

[horsefly]

Is that pier on Howard Park Causeway? Trying to picture in my mind a pier, because I looked, well not hard but looked from public pier on river. I never did and only crabbed from pier in safety harbor, had better luck fishing than crabbing Fungus on crabs ?    you meant like a moss or fuzzy like moss? If that is case that crab has just been hanging around not moving much since food for it must be plentiful. But anyway....better luck next time, oh and why crab so late at night? tides?

[keepmeinstitches]

Thank you and I did find a better spot in Bayport at the end of Cortez Blvd.  I ended up with a dozen large blue claw crabs in  about 2 hours at night.  Met some nice folks on the pier that were having equal luck.

[keepmeinstitches]

Sorry Horsefly I am not all that familiar with roads in the area, but I do not think it is Howard Park Causeway.  The way I get to it is off Alternate 19 near Holiday, heading south into Tarpon Springs.  There is a sign for county park and I follow the road all the way around.  The pier is actually after the park, you will go past the Power Plant (you cannot miss the towers) and shortly there after is the pier.  Another clue I can give you is at the entrance is a dog park.

[keepmeinstitches]

I started night crabbing in 1972 when a friend called me and asked if I wanted to go crabbing with him and his father.  They took me to a pier that had lights already on it but they also hung a lantern over the side of the pier.  We set up our equipment and I noticed the father brought along a bright hand held spot light and was surveying the water.  He spotted a crab swimming on top and directed the spot light just in front of the crab.  Slowly he moved the light toward the pier and the crab actually followed the light in and he was able to scoop it out of the water without bait.  We had to catch a dozen that way without using bait.  Oh we had bait in the traps and did ok that way too.  The other reason I like crabbing at night it is cooler and more breezy which helps keep the flies and mosquito's away from me.  I am so allergic to insect bites it takes the fun away from crabbing and I found night crabbing best suits me.

Happy crabbing to all of you.

[tattoo]

sounds like a fun time.