Preserving Peelers

[Md Jeff]

Just looking to improve my way to preserve peelers for later use as bait when the Rock come in hard.I have been taking a container and covering them with water and then freezing them,seems to keep them fresher than just throwing them in the freezer.I had heard of salting them but have never tried it,guess that would be putting them in a brine??  If people could share some their vast knowledge on the subject I would greatly appreciate it.Nothing worse than trying to put a mushy peeler on your hook.

[jack1747]

I stopped bothering with frozen peelers years ago.  They work but not much.  Down here, once fresh crab bait is gone most everyone switches to other things.  Kinda makes sense, cause once the crabs go down it would be almost a unnatural bait.  VA has it all figured out.  Rock season opens the week after you can't get fresh crab. 

[R D]

What a waste of a good softshell,using peelers to catch salt water carp 

[Crabbyd]

MDJeff

Are you comm?  Are they female peelers?  If you are rec, don't let the man catch you with a female peeler that is fresh while crabbing.  They won't take kindly to it since the new regs took effect this spring making it illegal to keep them.

[Md Jeff]

Who you calling a communist?...LOL,no i am not  commercial,neighbor has peeler pounds (actually he's my ex-neighbor)and I snag a few for later in the year after I'm done crabbing........see you list St. Leonard on your profile,you crab around there?

[longbeard]

water pushes them past their prime into whats called[osifiys] busters.dont put them on ice iether.dont know about frozen

[Crabbyd]

Who you calling a communist?...LOL,no i am not  commercial,neighbor has peeler pounds (actually he's my ex-neighbor)and I snag a few for later in the year after I'm done crabbing........see you list St. Leonard on your profile,you crab around there?

On the Pax most weekends.   

[jgar529]

I have tried frozen peelers in the past but the fish don't like them.  Fish want live peelers they know the difference.  I used to just steam them with the rest of the crabs because I have a friend that just loves them that way.  But since the laws have changed this year I have just let them all go.  My friend is stuck eating all male crabs over 5 1/4 inches this year and probably for the forseable future as well!

[Md Jeff]

On the Pax most weekends.   

I'm learning the layout over here,lived on the Potomac in St.Marys for 20yrs. and then divorced,it's not easy figuring out the areas to crab without talking to people; Is the bottom descent to lay a line out anywhere between Helen Creek and Broomes Is.?I have been up in the creeks because thats what I'm used to,wouldn't mind trying the river though.Guess it's a trial and error deal.

[Mr. Breeze]

I have tried frozen peelers in the past but the fish don't like them.  Fish want live peelers they know the difference.  I used to just steam them with the rest of the crabs because I have a friend that just loves them that way.  But since the laws have changed this year I have just let them all go.  My friend is stuck eating all male crabs over 5 1/4 inches this year and probably for the forseable future as well!

Frozen peelers work just fine, if they were frozen while they were live The problem is that most peelers bought frozen from the tackle shops are crabs that died in the slough tanks and were starting to spoil when they were frozen.   Only problem with peelers frozen is that when they thaw, they tend to be mushy, and won't stay on the hook.  To solve this problem, I keep an old pair of nylon stockings on the boat.  cut the nylon in squares about 4", wrap the cut peeler in it and put it on the hook.

[Blue Goose]

HEY !!    Now thats an idea !

[Mr. Breeze]

works like a charm, with any mushy bait that won't stay on the hook

[longbeard]

the guys at work use ruberbands