Crabbing In FL

[srprew38]

I am going to start to crab in FL, east Tampa Bay area.  Is a license required?  Where are good spots to crab in this area without a boat?

[jack1747]

Welcome aboard Srprew38.  We have members down in ur area I am sure they will be able to help ya.

[Crabpop]

Srprew38, following is to a Florida Fish & Wildlife link.  Not sure if it's current.  One of our members from Florida will probably have up to date info.  I'm kind of surprised by the limit of "10 Gallons of Whole Blue Crabs Per Person, Per Day."  What kind of measurement is that?!? If I take along 10 empty plastic gallon milk containers, how do I get the crabs into the containers through that little hole?  Crabbin' in Florida is too complex for me.

http://myfwc.com/marine/recreational/recbluecrab.htm

Crabpop

[Black Irish]

10 gallons = 40 quarts
40 quarts = 1-1/4 bushels

 

[DocSmith]

Hi srprew38 -

Here is the text of an earlier message I sent which answers the question you have:

"For recreational crabbing in Florida, you'll need a resident saltwater fishing license. You can have up to 5 crab pots, each of which has to have a floating buoy with a 2" high, contrasting "R" on it and attached to the trap with a non-floating line. The pot has to have a tag "permanently affixed" to it with your name and address on it.  There is no size limit or season, and you can have up to 10 gallons of whole, non-egg bearing crabs per license per day -  but the pots can only be tended from dawn to dusk. Molesting someone else's crab pot("I was just checkin' it")  is a felony in Florida and is prosecuted. I have five traps set off my dock in Gulf Breeze, FL.

I don't know of any regulation regarding handlines or traps set from shore or a dock or pier and I get a blank stare whenever I ask about trotlines - I can't find any Florida regulation regarding them. Call the Florida Fish and Wildlife department for more information."

You should be able to find crab pots in any small town bait shop along the Gulf Coast for $15-25 each

  Doc

[Crabslayer]

I spoke with a friend yesterday who said his buddy is catching 8" crabs in numbers along the St. Johns river.  I'll see if I can get more specifics.

[bushel eater]

I just started crabbing last week Monday during high tide on the E side of Florida (treasure coast).

didn't have a net though, and while i could have caught 20, i got two...they were too smart to let go of the chicken leg. 

i was wondering though, when is the best time to go?  i go into the indian river's mangroves.  monday  morning was high tide, which was great.  monday afternoon it was low tide and i got zero.  does the tide have a big significance?

my family (asian) has been eating crabs since i don't know when.  they'd get the big bushel baskets, steam them up, and i'd be the last one at the table.  everyone quit at three.  i quit after maybe thirty.

thanks for the info!

[beach bum]

Hi bushel eater, I'm a little north of you, near Daytona. I've found that along the Indian River and Mosquito Lagoon the best time for crabbing is about 2 hours before high tide and 2 hours after high tide.

[bushel eater]

Thanks for the info

I went out this morning armed with some chicken legs (did it the fun way) and it was low LOW tide.  I was out for about 5 hours and caught around 15 crabs, four of which I threw back (three were too small, one was in the bucket too long and drowned somehow).  I caught some that were six inches across!  There was a little guy -- he was ALL BLUE and had the HUGEST blue claws I'd ever seen.  It was as if someone dipped him in dye used for jeans.

They were all male, too.  Two of the ones I threw back were female.

So I had ten for dinner.  Rather tasty.  It's been a VERY long time since I've had crabs. 

The first time I went out, last Monday, It was high tide but I didn't see the official stats in the paper...of course it didn't really matter b/c I couldn't catch any (no net).

no bushel this time.

[Uly]

If you are a florida resident, you don't need a license to crab from the shore or from any structure attached to the shore. Good luck crabbing.

[bushel eater]

Thanks for the info.  I already have a fishing license though (for those pesky redfish and the very occasional snook).  I have to admit, however, that I prefer crabbing to fishing -- the overhead is less and the outcome is greater.  At least I am guaranteed at least ONE crab worth keeping!

The last few times I've been out with my husband WE have caught zilch.  Although we went up to Sebastian the Fri after Thanksgiving...he caught a flounder but it let go of the hook.  Would have been a beauty.

I hope to crab tomorrow, but we'll see what the weather is like.

Thanks, and happy crabbing!!

[bushel eater]

I haven't crabbed since October, though I did go out for about twenty minutes near Blind Creek one day in Nov.

Is the winter a slow time for crabbing?  The water's colder, so I thought maybe yeah.  I don't want to get all my gear and go up and get zilch.   

When is the BEST time?

Also, does anyone prefer female over male or male over female?  Just a general survey Question.

Thanks and Happy Holidays!

[hudson craber]

Hey Palm Coast crabber, you still going out to that place I found for you in your development and catching lunch?  I still have some of those Hudson crabs in the freezer. I'll have to make a pot of sauce with them soon before they go bad on me.  Hudson Crabber

[punz]

Thanks for the info

I went out this morning armed with some chicken legs (did it the fun way) and it was low LOW tide.  I was out for about 5 hours and caught around 15 crabs, four of which I threw back (three were too small, one was in the bucket too long and drowned somehow).  I caught some that were six inches across!  There was a little guy -- he was ALL BLUE and had the HUGEST blue claws I'd ever seen.  It was as if someone dipped him in dye used for jeans.

They were all male, too.  Two of the ones I threw back were female.

So I had ten for dinner.  Rather tasty.  It's been a VERY long time since I've had crabs. 

The first time I went out, last Monday, It was high tide but I didn't see the official stats in the paper...of course it didn't really matter b/c I couldn't catch any (no net).

no bushel this time.

[punz]

Thanks for the info.  I already have a fishing license though (for those pesky redfish and the very occasional snook).  I have to admit, however, that I prefer crabbing to fishing -- the overhead is less and the outcome is greater.  At least I am guaranteed at least ONE crab worth keeping!

The last few times I've been out with my husband WE have caught zilch.  Although we went up to Sebastian the Fri after Thanksgiving...he caught a flounder but it let go of the hook.  Would have been a beauty.

I hope to crab tomorrow, but we'll see what the weather is like.

Thanks, and happy crabbing!!

[summerow]

Doc,
I was told by  FWC that the trotline here in Florida can be as long as you want and their is NO LIMIT on the number of baits....If you give me your email.  I will email the reply from FWC  and you can post it....I have trouble posting on this forum...I'm located in Panama City....So they outlawed my topless traps, per FWC, so I have 2000' trotline and Crabcruncher as he is known own this forum has 1000' trotline.....I just got my 60 lb. of bulllips and they are in the curing stage now....Crabcruncher and I have caught around 36 crabs on our first trip, with two DOUBLERS caught on the trotline.....we were catching around 60 to 70 nice mumbos with the topless, however when the bulllips are ready, Crabcruncher and I will have a 3000' trotline running here in PC....Can't wait til I see the FWC face when he asked,
" What are you doing?" Then he will probally pull us over again for about 1.5 hrs while he types on his wireless computer on his boat trying to find somebull_hit law about the trotline, however I have the email from FWC that states the trotline can be as long as I want and their is no limit on the number of baits....I have the printed email to show the FWC officer on my boat....This NO LIMIT applies only to saltwater trotline....In freshwater you can only have 25 bush hooks on a trotline.....per FWC

[Black Irish]

Nice summerow. I was wondering where you have been. We've missed your reports lately.

[Crabcruncher]

My crabbing partner, Summerow is on a cruiseship for a week of fun and sun in the Carribean. He left me with the sixty pound block of ice that he claims are bull lips. While he's sucking down Margarita's at Carlos and Charlies, I'll be cutting up slimie parts from lipless cows. We should be back in action in a couple weeks, will post results than.

Cc

[Black Irish]

Don't worry CC, you got the better end of the deal. You get to bait the line...but he gets to unbait it later...

[DocSmith]

summerow -

I just saw your post.  Hope you had a good time on your cruise. Sounds like you and crabcruncher are getting it down with the trotline.  I'm in PC about every three weeks and would like to see how you two have it set up.  I have an 11' Boston Whaler dinghy that I've been planning to set up for trotlining for about three years now.

Doc

PS  Hate to tell you , but the "lips" come from the aft end of the cow...