The reasons to fish for crabs, or go crabbing, could be for food, sport or the pet trade. The method of choice determines the number and size of the crabs you catch, as well as other factors. Your own reasons will determine your preferred crabbing method, which may be trapping, netting or diving.
Trapping Crabs From Shore
Setting crab traps from the shore involves securing them to a stable spot on land or on a floating dock or peer. Bait your trap by securing it with thin wire inside the cage. Bait the trap with unused scraps of meat, such as chicken necks, and then toss it into the water as far and as deep as you can reach. Wait a few hours before pulling your trap in to check it. If no crabs have entered your trap, you can throw it back and try again or move to other waters in search of better luck.
Using Crab Traps in the Water
If good crabbing waters are unreachable from the shore or a stationary floating dock, attach a buoy or float to the end of your rope and throw the traps over the side of a boat. After waiting, you will find your traps again by virtue of the visible buoys on the water's surface. This method will allow you to cover larger areas and to deploy your traps away from other crabbers, but it will cost more for the initial equipment and your boat maintenance.
Netting Crabs
If you prefer a more direct approach, you can find crabs yourself and then use a dip net to scoop them up. You will need to stay in more shallow waters so that you can see the crabs on the ocean floor. You will also need a large enough net to encompass adult crabs, as well as a long enough pole on the net to reach them from your position above the water.
Crabbing With Fishing Lines
You can also lure a crab to your boat or your spot on dry land by securing bait to a fishing line and casting it out. When you feel the crab tug on your line, reel it in slowly to entice the crab to follow. When the crab is close enough you can use your dip net to scoop it up.
Diving
When diving for crabs, you also enjoy the benefits of exercise that come with scuba diving, snorkeling and swimming. For diving enthusiasts, this can be a very rewarding method of crab fishing, but if you're crabbing solely for food you will find the start-up costs associated with diving equipment and training cost prohibitive.
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