Virginia Beach

[armycrabber]

I went crabbing 2 weeks ago at Rudee Inlet and was quite successful (30 plus in 3 hours).  Even caught a large seahorse (which I am wondering if that is rare?).  Looking for someplace close to Fort lee to take the family for a crabbing day.  Had a great time and am looking forward to another trip soon.

[tattoo]

Nice report WTG,

[Ronster]

Please put the date in the subject line of your crabbing reports.

[jimmy on chicken]

Males or mixed?

[ROCK ON]

30 CRABS FOR THE FAMILY
THIS TIME OF YEAR = A
GREAT DAY ON THE WATER..
DONT GET BETTER THAN
THAT! HOPE YOU ENJOYED
ROCK ON

[armycrabber]

Thanks for the great feedback.  I will ensure I fix the errors on next report which will be tmr.  I am headed down to Norfolk area and hopefully having a great night and day.  Love the dedication and feedback from all.  Looking forward to being a new weekly blogger.  Have a great Easter weekend.

[Deckworks1]

I caught 48 crabs just hanging traps off my boat in Rudee on 4-3-12. 3 hours. All females. No jimmies.

[armycrabber]

OK here's my delayed report from this weekends crabbing trip.  Started Friday (6 April) at the Norfolk Naval Base Pier with no crabs and a heck of a mess with my string going over the pier.  (250 feet) UGH..    Then traveled to the other side of the bay to the parking lot right off 64.  Caught one crab after 2 hrs.  Moved to Rudee Inlet at 12pm and crabbed till 5 AM and caught around 75 (59 keepers, -52 females - 7 jimmies) Caught one with eggs and returned her of course.  Oh and yet again another sea horse... Renting boat next weekend as I am tired of losing too many crabs trying to bring the baskets in from the bank.  Also starting out early and finishing late.  Not the other way around as the drive home is not easy when eyes are closed.  Weather was decent till wind picked up and then became a bit chilly. 
Whats the easiest way to clean and prepare crabs for the freezer? 

[armycrabber]

Rudee Inlet was a great day for crabbing on the kayak on Saturday .  Caught over 150. Too many to count really..  Keepers consisted of 38 jimmies (largest was 7 inches)(finally enough to keep and eat.).  100 sooks, with over 70 carrying eggs( a few that were around 7-7 1/2 inches) and then rest were too small.  Hot day and became a lobster myself when I got burnt...  Tried a little at Norfolk and on the other side of the bay at 13th Street off I64 but nothing except a lost trap.  Also tried up at cheatham annex but nothing there either.  Hoping I can soon stop driving the 2 hours just to catch abunch of females and come home with no dinner..

[Tom Powers]

Here is my approach for freezing crabs.

1.  While they are live.  Break off the claws and throw them (claws) in steamer pot.

2.  Pull the back off and clean out the gills, etc.  Hose them out is even better.

3.  Throw it in the steamer pot.

4.  Repeat until you get a layer in the steamer pot.

4.  Every layer, apply old bay spice on the crabs.

5.  When pot is full steam them;  cool them off; bag them and freeze them.

What ever you do cook them before you freeze them.

Option 2.  cook them pick them and freeze the meat for crab cakes.

[jimmy on chicken]

Nice work armycrabber... hearing that is making me itch to get out there.


 I recommend cooking and picking the crabs then vacuum packing the meat. Thats the best way to save meat in my opinion with out compromising the taste. If you dont have a vacuum sealer, ziploc makes some bags that include an small, bicycle like handpump that will removed the air from their special bags. I recommend using this.

[armycrabber]

Thanks for the information.  I did end up breaking the legs off then the back, then steaming them with the old bay layers.  Worked perfect for eating then freezing.  I eat lots of seafood and I always boiled my crabs and shrimp in beer, oldbay and more beer.  I love making cakes, soups, and everything else out of seafood, but I just wanted a easy way to freeze till later.  This method worked perfect. 

Looking forward to another weekend of crabbing soon.  I have 30 days of leave that I am taking so I am so ready for crabbing.  I have a huge question that I cannot truly understand the answer after reading the legal jargon on regulations.  So do I a small time crabber needing a license for open top crab nets.  I hate the "i was told" answer or the "I thought" answer.  Here's my setup..  I have 2 extra large, 2 large and 2 small open top traps where the sides fold down on all four.  Then I have 2 traps where they fold up into a triangle.  and lastly I have 4 simple ring nets.  I would like to also get a trot line in the length of 300'.  Oh it's me and my wife when we always go crabbing.  Any simple, plain text is greatly apprecaited.  Thanks,

[CRABGUY]

"TRAPS"  (NOT AN ENCLOSED DEVICE) TOPLESS/RINGNETS /TRIANGLE  AS MANY AS YOU WANT CONSIDERED A HANDLINE
"POTS" (ENCLOSED DEVICE SUCH AS A COMMERCIAL CRAB POT) 2 PER PERSON NO LICENSE REQUIRED, OWNER OF POT MUST BE THERE WHEN POTS ARE PULLED,
300' TROT LINE LICENSE REQUIRED (VIRGINIA MEASURES THE LINE FROM FLOAT TO FLOAT) YOU MUST ALSO REPORT CATCH AND THE END OF THE YEAR
HOPE THIS HELPS

[CRABGUY]

FRTOM THE VMRC WEBSITE
http://www.mrc.state.va.us/regulations/recfish&crabrules.shtm

[armycrabber]

Crabguy thanks for the awesome detailed reply.  That makes sense.  That makes me excited and want to get a few more traps and even try a pot or two.  The trotline on the other hand seems like a lot of work.  I'm in no hurry (as of now) and enjoy a full day of crabbing.  Looking forward to a trip tmr back down toward Rudee, and Norfolk.  Hoping the crabs start moving north.  Thanks again for the feedback.

[Tom Powers]

Just an FYI  . . . .No setting crab pots in channels.  Virginia Beach has declared all of Rudee Inlet a channel.  The good news is that it never gets covered up with crab pots and there are usually lots to catch.  The bad news is that you can not put them out even just for a few hours.

I don't know how this impacts using traps with floats, but I would bet that the VB marine police would give you a hard time.

[bklynmike]

I don't know if it makes a difference but since my dad started taking me crabbing in the 1970's we would remove the backs , clean out the crab innards and put in zip lock bags , a doz. each, and into freezer. they tasted fine in the winter. Mom stuffed and baked as you would clams, and also cooked in a tomato sauce , italian style.  just a thought.  Mike F.

[armycrabber]

I went to Ocean View Pier and caught only a few Sponge crabs.  I could not believe how many were keeping them.  One guy alone had a whole cooler full.  I thought the limit was 10 per bushel.  Caught a stingray and a puffer off the pier.  Really not much luck though.  Stopped at Norfolk later in afternoon and caught a few more sponge and then the croaker started biting on the fishing pole. 

Headed to Rudee tmr. morning on the Kayak and hope to catch a few jimmies.  Thanks again for all your feedback.  I will ask about laws before I head out though.

[jack1747]

I went to Ocean View Pier and caught only a few Sponge crabs.  I could not believe how many were keeping them.  One guy alone had a whole cooler full.  I thought the limit was 10 per bushel.  Caught a stingray and a puffer off the pier.  Really not much luck though.  Stopped at Norfolk later in afternoon and caught a few more sponge and then the croaker started biting on the fishing pole.  

Headed to Rudee tmr. morning on the Kayak and hope to catch a few jimmies.  Thanks again for all your feedback.  I will ask about laws before I head out though.

Sponge crabs are legal in VA.  Until they reach the brown to black color stage. Those have to be released.

Look here for a great pic of the sponge stages -> http://www.bluecrab.info/spongers.html

[armycrabber]

Awesome, thanks for the link.  I was thinking on the more of a moral level of keeping females that are going to be producing the crabs we will catch in the future.  I just can't seem to think of why I would want to keep them.  Unless we are trying to thin the heard?  Thanks again.

[jack1747]

Awesome, thanks for the link.  I was thinking on the more of a moral level of keeping females that are going to be producing the crabs we will catch in the future.  I just can't seem to think of why I would want to keep them.  Unless we are trying to thin the heard?  Thanks again.

They use the eggs to make She-Crab Soup.

[armycrabber]

What a day of crabbing it was.(8 may 2012)  The catch was very plentiful, well that is of sponge crabs in every stage.  Total catch was well over 300 crabs, but keepers only consisted of 20 jimmies.  Nice jimmies though (6"-7").  Headed to a new area this weekend to see what my luck is on jimmies.  Tired of those sponge crabs already.  Kayak is doing very well and its been great weather.  Seems I've been doing better during low tides too.  Looking forward to early mornings but its such a pain getting up early to drive the 2 hrs down.  More to come this weekend.  Looking forward to a nice catch so I can have a mothers day picnic crab feast. Anyone catching jimmies around lynnhaven??

[crab_clam]

Hi Armycrabber,

Do you have any brackish rivers near by? That is where you might find more jimmies. They seek fresher water than females do. I hope it helps.

JP

[armycrabber]

Well yet another long Saturday on the water.  Learning so much each time out.  Also so glad to do so much research on this awesome forum.  Like the little blue crab at the bottom.  Genius!  Well I realized all morning after catching 95% Sponge in the later stages that it was time to move onto somewhere further north.  So off to Portsmouth I went.  What a change it was too.  NOTHING but Jimmies.  !!!!! YAY for that.... But the problem was not many of much larger size than 4".  BUT when I did catch a large jimmie he was LARGE.  Caught two jumbo's.  One at 7.5 and the other 8.5.  Awesome catches.  Could not believe my eyes when I pulled the topless traps up.  So interested in getting two pots soon so I can drop till I am done for the day.  Wanted to go with others but I checked the messages too late.  Heading out with my four year old daughter this weekend and hope to have a great time catching a lot of keepers. Anyone think a jon boat may be a bad idea on the rudee inlet then on up to Lynnhaven inlet or portsmouth.  Been forever on a jon boat let alone on the bay.  I'm thinking the boat should take the waves.  But good enough for 3 total on the boat??   Thanks for all the help to everyone who posts to mine and elsewhere.  Great team effort!  

[home grown crabber]

Where at in portsmouth did you go? I have been crabbing out of my kayak for the past two years and i live in Portsmouth.I generally go near Portsmouth city park.I havnt been out yet this year but am looking foward to it really soon ;DAnyways hi everybody and happy crabbing this year i think its going to be a good summer!