Boat recreational crabbing question

[Wenelliss]

Hello I've always crabbed from land but have a boat this year and wanted to know if while using collapsible traps from a boat must you anchor and have them tied to your vessel or are you allowed to drop them tied to a float say every 20-40 ft appart not impeding a navigational water way and keep circling checking them.  I only crab in New Jersey waters Hope this isn't a dumb question and thanks for any help.

[Ron]

You do not have to anchor up.    As long as you are actively tending them you can use floats on snap traps.

[GreatSouthBay]

Collapsible traps only actively fish during the retrieve

[Ron]

Collapsible traps only actively fish during the retrieve

...and need to be constantly tended according to the regulations.

[Capt. Frank]

Both are viable methods.   Some crab from a stationary anchored ( or double anchored with traps and hand lines) boat over a honey hole. 

Others crab by "jugging" with strings of traps set out over an area with some separation between them and some kind of float on top to retrieve them.   Then run back and forth checking them.

I used to anchor on an old favorite spot in the Navesink River for years back by Red Bank.  But recently it's not that concentrated calling for "Jugging" style.  Jugging helps you zero in and you find a few traps catch everything while  other traps are empty on every pull.





 

Hello I've always crabbed from land but have a boat this year and wanted to know if while using collapsible traps from a boat must you anchor and have them tied to your vessel or are you allowed to drop them tied to a float say every 20-40 ft appart not impeding a navigational water way and keep circling checking them.  I only crab in New Jersey waters Hope this isn't a dumb question and thanks for any help.

[Ron]

...but if you "jug" aka run traps with floats, you need to be actively working them.   You cant sit them out, anchor up and fish for 40 minutes, then run your traps.

[Seanile]

As mentioned by Capt. Frank, we used to double anchor perpendicular to the mouth of a small feeder creek and had a blast as long as the tide was moving.

[Capt. Frank]

Ron makes a good point.  And no doubt after a 40-60 minute soak there is likely no bait left inside the trap anyway.  If anything was there they destroyed your bait and already left.   Usually 10-20 minutes is a good wait even from a double anchored boat. Sometimes that will even get you doubles too.   Hand lines on an anchored boat you tend a bit more often. 

...but if you "jug" aka run traps with floats, you need to be actively working them.   You cant sit them out, anchor up and fish for 40 minutes, then run your traps.