blue crab season for florida

[bluecrab3524]

What is the season for blue crab in florida. and which bait should i use

1. chicken
2. eel
3. manhaden


                         thanks, Pat

[Maryland Crab]

You can catch em all year round down here, obviously you will have better luck in the spring and summer months.
Chicken necks or drumsticks will do fine, we used to leave them sit out a nite or so before we went so they would get nice and ripe.that always seemed to get em in the trap faster.

[Maryland Crab]

guess all those times going over to the GOM with warm 2 day old drumsticks and coming back with 3 dozen before noon was just dumb luck 

[captaincrab55]

guess all those times going over to the GOM with warm 2 day old drumsticks and coming back with 3 dozen before noon was just dumb luck 

If your happy with 3 dozen, fine....   Up my way, that's not a good day for most of us.   Take ST's advice and use fresh bait.    Most of us would perfer to eat crabs that ate fresh food/bait.

[kingcrabber]

3 dozen on the first run of your trot line.....  or 3 dozen of the first 2 runs of my traps.   Talk to Stevo about rotten bait.

ST...Johnnie and I were aboard that trip with Steve...we were using bull lips that had seen better days....everybody around us was hauling in a good # of crabs..we were gettin scnookered  besides havin rotten luck,we realized that bull lips smell awful when you first buy them... ...but [dang],we had used the ones we had that day for close to 3-4 previous trips  and if you smelled the "rotten" bull lips we had that day....whew..they were enough to gag a maggot  so yea...fresh bait from now on 

[tattoo]

NICE going SUMMERTOP, enjoy.

[Gregacy]

 I think the crabs are running good.

I switched my bait to spanish sardines and the crabs attack them something fierce. They hit the necks good but the fish seem to be getting more. I guess it might depend on where you live.

Hope this helps.

[tattoo]

NICE going , keep those crabs comming.

[spinfreak]

First of all......I haven't been on here FOREVER....it's good to be back.

Anyway.....as had already been said, crabs can be caught here in FL year round. I don't know about other areas of FL, but down here in So FL, there aren't many crabs (at least not from what I have seen). I've seen people with about 2 dozen, and they were happier than when I used to catch 100 when I lived back in NJ. 

That being said, I just went out today. Used some "old" fishing bait I had in the freezer. Mostly squid and sardines/mullet. Caught about a dozen or so, and then came home. I don't have a need for a bunch anymore, so I didn't want to spend too much time out there since I have stuff to do around here.

Good luck.

[summerow]

I start crabbing here in FL...Jan 1 through Dec 31.....year round....so this is our season for crabbing here in FL....

[tattoo]

Boy , you guy's are luckey. I just might have to move down there.

[quintond]

Ewwwwweeee you are some lucky fellows in Florida.  I think I ought to head on down there and get me some crabs!
Can you recommend me a good spots?

[ranwarr76]

what month can u dip blue crabs at night?

[CrabberSon]

Where is a good spot to go Crabbing IN Pinellas county/Tampa Fl.

[Crab Shack]

I heard that the Bayport area was good, but since moving down here I've been looking for them too.....