The Hudson River: 2012 Crabbing Season

[Pok.ColtsFan]

Hopefully in a couple more weeks.

[Pok.ColtsFan]

My friends buddy was killing em again the other day. Had a sink full. Lots of nice crabs. Somewhere in the beacon area I believe.

[Willowemoc]

dude give more info im crabbing a bit south and across the river, im looking at beacon as i crab and catching nothing!!!

[ourtwobeans]

Hey Pok...Get some particulars if you can....where and how long with how many traps

[Pok.ColtsFan]

About 20 keepers today at CSP for a few hours, as well as some shorts.

Not sure on specifics with the beacon catches.

Willowmoc- are you using fresh bait? That seems to be the key. If you're using fish, catch it the day of, or the day before your going out. Don't freeze it. Same for chicken. Buy it on the way to location if possible. Other than that, ya just gotta get out there and play the tides and see what works best for your crabbing in particular, until it starts to really pick up, and the crabs are everywhere. Good luck. Have fun. Also, if you're not crabbing from a pier or something of that sort, make sure your traps are very sturdy, and the doors are all working, with no flaws. Make sure they're landing straight everytime with all doors open. Try to get them out pretty far so that the whole trap is well submerged in water, and if possible, not on a super-rocky bottom. Also make sure to let your traps sit long enough before pulling, but also not too long. How long really depends on how the crabs are hitting. If I'm not getting anything, I'll wait 15 minutes between pulls. If they're hitting real good, sometimes I'll pull every few minutes.

[mako20cc]

Bear Mountian should be good now. Crab off the TRAIN TRACKS. If you get there early just before sun-up. You should kill'em. Good Luck.  MAKO.

[MichaelD]

Tried Peekskill early before the storm...1 Jimmy first pull, then the skies opened..
China pier (Flieshman's) is closed for repairs. City is in the bidding process.
Unless it's decking and railings only, it won't likely be open this summer. 

[Willowemoc]

piermont 6/24

1 crab, nice size.

family there from very early in the morning, had a beast set up customized traps.

piermont's currents wouldnt really allow for my traps to work properly.

ill relocate and beef up my traps if i return

they started to get some crab when i left but they only had 12 after about 8 hours of crabbing, and i gave them mine.

[Pok.ColtsFan]

only 10 this morning in cold spring. Definetly seeing an increase in size however.

[TunaCans]

Bear Mountian should be good now. Crab off the TRAIN TRACKS. If you get there early just before sun-up. You should kill'em. Good Luck.  MAKO.

With lines right? That current will rip the traps to shreds.

[MichaelD]

Bear Mountain Pier. 6-10 am. 30 yesterday, 18 today. All jimmies. Some shorts. Bigger ones yesterday
Used bait boxes with chicken, eel, perch, sunnies and trout heads...so I don't
really know what works!! Used 4 traps and had some fun with a hand line.
Both days best time was 1-2 hours into the dropping tide. Then dead.

[Pok.ColtsFan]

Bear Mountain Pier. 6-10 am. 30 yesterday, 18 today. All jimmies. Some shorts. Bigger ones yesterday
Used bait boxes with chicken, eel, perch, sunnies and trout heads...so I don't
really know what works!! Used 4 traps and had some fun with a hand line.
Both days best time was 1-2 hours into the dropping tide. Then dead.

Be careful using trout heads. Not legal to use any part of a "game fish" as bait.

Nice report.

Brian

[MichaelD]

Be careful using trout heads. Not legal to use any part of a "game fish" as bait.

Nice report.

Brian

Wow! So that would include any fish with a creel limit? The DEC showed up by boat yesterday and checked buckets. If I had been baiting a trap, it could have gotten very embarrassing, and expensive. Regs are regs. Thanks for the heads up.

[fbear2]

Hi guys. I am brand new to crabbing but want to try this afternoon some where around Newburgh NY. just a couple questions: How do you guys and gals transport crabs that you have caught? and when do you prepair them? If I have luck today and catch some how do I keep them fresh to eat tomorrow night? or do you cook them right away. Thanks for the help.
Fbear

[Pok.ColtsFan]

Wow! So that would include any fish with a creel limit? The DEC showed up by boat yesterday and checked buckets. If I had been baiting a trap, it could have gotten very embarrassing, and expensive. Regs are regs. Thanks for the heads up.

Yeah, you got it man. I doubt they would bother anyone using sunfish, even though some of them have limits, because thats what most people use. haha. I think it's more for trout, bass, yellow perch, and other fish like that.

[Pok.ColtsFan]

Hi guys. I am brand new to crabbing but want to try this afternoon some where around Newburgh NY. just a couple questions: How do you guys and gals transport crabs that you have caught? and when do you prepair them? If I have luck today and catch some how do I keep them fresh to eat tomorrow night? or do you cook them right away. Thanks for the help.
Fbear

Throw em in a cooler, bucket, or anything like that, but make sure you cover it either with a loose lid or a cloth. Sun will dry them out. Do NOT put any water, they will actually drown. If you can easily find some, throw some "seaweed" in with them. When you get home, make sure there is no water with them, and leave them in a dark cool place. They should be fine overnight. The next day, a few minutes before you want to clean em, throw a little bit of ice on them. This will calm them down, and make it so they are almost asleep, and you they can be easily handled. From there, clean and cook them however you wish.

Good Luck!!

[fbear2]

Throw em in a cooler, bucket, or anything like that, but make sure you cover it either with a loose lid or a cloth. Sun will dry them out. Do NOT put any water, they will actually drown. If you can easily find some, throw some "seaweed" in with them. When you get home, make sure there is no water with them, and leave them in a dark cool place. They should be fine overnight. The next day, a few minutes before you want to clean em, throw a little bit of ice on them. This will calm them down, and make it so they are almost asleep, and you they can be easily handled. From there, clean and cook them however you wish.

Good Luck!!

Thank you! Good luck to you too.

[Coldspringcrabber]

July 4 2012.

4 mesh traps.  6 crabs.  Dropped with bunker 3 pm at annsville circle and near train station in Coldspring.  2 in each spot.  First pot had three nice crabs.  Each other pot had 1.  Six total.  Very nice sized.

Re baited and will update.

CSC

[hurleycrab]

hello and thanks to all who been reporting on the river, that said, wife and i went down to csp at 5am with 9 low profile traps and 1 overnighter, last of low tide 2 hrs trapped 7 kept 5. after tide started moving again 8 more all nice sizes 6 to 6.5   herring that i vacuum sealed from the spring run, seemed to get more action had some chicken necks to  another crabber showed up at 10am,  he said last weekend they were bringing up 2 at a time at same spot.  well we left at 11am and were happy to bring home 13 decent crabs   this is a great start for us   lets just hope no storms ruin it this year oh the overniter produced 1  6.25 '' wife could not resist checking it every hr   hope I'm not in trouble being long winded on this report oh this was wed 7/4
 Hurley

[flounderpounder]

Yeah, you got it man. I doubt they would bother anyone using sunfish, even though some of them have limits, because thats what most people use. haha. I think it's more for trout, bass, yellow perch, and other fish like that.

if you can use sunfish.....then you can use trout   just sayin

[cedar999]

Yeah, you got it man. I doubt they would bother anyone using sunfish, even though some of them have limits, because thats what most people use. haha. I think it's more for trout, bass, yellow perch, and other fish like that.

I agree, Sunfish are like flies, you could never kill them all even if you tried.

[Coldspringcrabber]

JULY 5

4 mesh pots.  Bunker. 

Annsville circle and cold spring river side of constitution marsh. @ in each spot.


Caught 8.

Nice sized.

Hope photo attaches.

[Pok.ColtsFan]

if you can use sunfish.....then you can use trout   just sayin

Not really. Although it may technically be illegal to use them both, I can guarentee no ECO will ever bother anyone for using sunfish, while if they saw someone using trout as bait, they would do something.

Brian

[flounderpounder]

Not really. Although it may technically be illegal to use them both, I can guarentee no ECO will ever bother anyone for using sunfish, while if they saw someone using trout as bait, they would do something.

Brian

no they cant...they are both gamefish. how can they make an exception for just one? whats your law book say ?  heck we use year old trout fillets down here...if it was caught legal you use it how you want ;0

[Pok.ColtsFan]

no they cant...they are both gamefish. how can they make an exception for just one? whats your law book say ?  heck we use year old trout fillets down here...if it was caught legal you use it how you want ;0

You may be right, I'm just going by what I was told when I asked a DEC officer.