2015 Season

[jgar529]

The year started off very slow.  I didn't start putting up crab meat until 8/23/15.  I caught my limit and took my wife a couple of times this year and caught 2 bushels with her.  We picked and picked since then.  Yesterday I went out and it really was a miserable day.  It rained on and off and the crabs kept dropping off the line, but I still caught  66 beautiful crabs.  I went to put the boat back on my trailer and my brake line broke again for the third time.  2002 Chevy Truck.  Great truck, crappy brake lines..  I figured that was a sign to end my season.  I gave away at least 6 or 7 bushels to friends and family this year and about 10 lbs. of picked crab meat.  Anyway the season total for the winter is 60.5 lbs.  No you can't have any.  LOL.  I give a couple of pounds each to my wifes and my family for Christmas.  We still will have plenty left over for all the crab goodies.  Crab Cakes, Imperial Crab, Crab Dip, Stuffed Shrimp, etc., etc., etc.  Was a great year and the trotline produced time after time.  Happy Holiday's to all.

[BJ1fish]

 You sure had a good year. That was a lot of picking.

[jgar529]

I've been crabbing and picking for years.  I can now pick about 15 - 20 crabs an hour.  My hands have their fair share of cuts, but they are pretty well calloused now.  My wife picks the claws because she says I make too much of a mess.  I do the bodies.  We make a lot of people happy each year.  Its my gift for friends and family.

[HAZ BEN]

WOW!!    Man i must be lazy, i can barely get a lb picked for crab cakes before i'm calling my brother to come take em away. He's happy! Enjoy, i'll be waiting for june.

[Night Wing]

Now that is what I call a great looking table of picked crab meat packages. I know what you'll be eating this upcoming winter. 

Thanks for sharing.

[GoneToCarolina]

Very nice year for you. New Years Party at your house!  I have a 1998 Chevy Truck and I have had the same recurring problem. I am close to having a the brake lines replaced

[rdbeard]

how do you measure your pounds while picking? I use saved store bought crabmeat containers to pick into but often fined that they are over if i weight them.

[crewstation]

I have a Salter brand kitchen scale that cost $13 at Wally World.

[bctcpa]

Very nice!

[jgar529]

Very nice year for you. New Years Party at your house!  I have a 1998 Chevy Truck and I have had the same recurring problem. I am close to having a the brake lines replaced

I have had three of the lines replaced, but I don't remember which ones.  I am buying all stainless steel lines and getting it fixed right.  I only use the truck to pull my boat and a few big jobs around the house.

[bluecrabphil]

Does crab freeze well? Any pointers would be appericated.

[Dirichlet]

Does crab freeze well? Any pointers would be appericated.

Yes.  Very well, in fact.  
I allow the crabs to cool in the fridge for a day after I've steamed them - the meat seems to hold together better and makes for easier picking.  Pick all of the meat (I include the claw meat as well) into a bowl lined with paper towels.  The towels help to wick away any extra water/moisture before you put the meat in bags.  Note that the meat keeps much better if you vacuum seal it before freezing - otherwise the portions that are exposed to the outside will become freezer burned after a while.  

I just use this little guy and the meat will keep for months:
http://www.target.com/p/the-foodsaver-freshsaver-red-handheld-vacuum-sealing-system-fsfrsh0053-000/-/A-14025965#prodSlot=medium_1_10&term=vacuum+sealer

[HAZ BEN]

Does crab freeze well? Any pointers would be appericated.

The company i worked for in baltimore during the 90's invested in a belt driven freezer that would flash freeze cans of crab meat in seconds at 40 below zero to prevent the unavoidable watery issues caused by freezing. It worked, he would freeze 1000's of lbs when it was cheap and sell to restaurants around the area for a premium during the winter. When you thawed it out, it was impossible to tell that it had been frozen. In fact i'm sure some jumbo lump was sold as fresh at a huge profit. So if you have a million bucks to buy one(that's what he said it cost)i can point you in the right direction. I have had luck preping and cooking crab cakes first,then freezing. Same with soup. But not very often cause i'm just to lazy. My motto is crab often-eat often. Same with fish, i like my seafood moving just before i eat it. But hey... that's just me. Also, i'll add that with all proteins the length of time frozen has a huge impact on it's quality.

[jgar529]

Does crab freeze well? Any pointers would be appericated.

I pick all the crab meat and put it in the vacuum sealer bags and freeze them overnight.  Then I seal them in the morning.  They will last for at least a year.  No kidding.  I usually have about 5 - 10 lbs. left at the end of the year and I make crab dip, crab cakes and give a bunch to my Mom to make a big batch of soup.  The soup is more like stew because it takes about 5 lbs. of crab meat.  Also I take crab cakes with me when I take friends crabbing.  It's like an extra incentive to catch the crabs.

[jason22]

I pick all the crab meat and put it in the vacuum sealer bags and freeze them overnight.  Then I seal them in the morning.  They will last for at least a year.  No kidding.  I usually have about 5 - 10 lbs. left at the end of the year and I make crab dip, crab cakes and give a bunch to my Mom to make a big batch of soup.  The soup is more like stew because it takes about 5 lbs. of crab meat.  Also I take crab cakes with me when I take friends crabbing.  It's like an extra incentive to catch the crabs.

Great season, I do the same with what extra I have, very nice having vacuum sealed crab to make crab cakes for the holidays.  Nice work 

[king crab 48]

Yeah, that vac sealer is awesome.  Even up north here I froze seven pounds of meat for the winter and cleaned whole crabs for the sauce

[king crab 48]

Yeah, that vac sealer is awesome.  Even up north here I froze seven pounds of meat for the winter and cleaned whole crabs for the sauce

[riverpop]

Danielle and myself have about 15 lbs picked and frozen for recipes, she does the work and gets quicker each year. One of our favorite recipes is stuffed shells the traditional way, with crab meat.

[crabbydad]

I replaced the lines on my 2000 Silverado several years after 1 of them burst on me. Luckily I was going slow when it happened. I got my lines from in line tube .all stainless. I replaced them all because they were all rusty. Was a job to do, and I did it outside in the winter.You have to jack the cab up off the frame to get the lines thru. If you need any advise, PM me.

[jgar529]

I replaced the lines on my 2000 Silverado several years after 1 of them burst on me. Luckily I was going slow when it happened. I got my lines from in line tube .all stainless. I replaced them all because they were all rusty. Was a job to do, and I did it outside in the winter.You have to jack the cab up off the frame to get the lines thru. If you need any advise, PM me.

I took it to my local mechanic.  I am 59 with not the greatest back any more.  I will do tune ups, change the oil and stuff, but you definately need a lift for this job.