OT: Crabbing

[Aerotus]

Ok, this is not exactly fishing, but I have a question
for those who catch crabs also.
What's a good bait to use and how do you secure it?
I have tried chicken wire with squid, but
I guess the holes are too large and they run off
with the entire squid!!!!!!
I use a basic circular net that you see in many places.

[seasicknes]

I also crab. I use recreational square pots and have experimented with recreational round pots too.
For day soaks, the square pots outscore the round types all the time.

For bait, I like to use albacore tuna heads (there oily, smelly and messy). I secure them with a stainless steel rod that is bent to a D shape. I poke it through the eyeball and out through the other eyeball and hang it off the middle inside of the square pot. If I do not have tuna heads available, I then use fish carcass and squid. Some people use chicken carcass too. The squid you would have to use the bait canister. There white colour and has a twist off cap. You can secure it by tiewraps.

Early season Half Moon Bay and San Francisco region, the crabbing was excellent. We got limits of crab. 3 people in the boat (30 crabs) every day for about a month or two.
While at my annual memorial day camping / abalone / crabbing trip (see report at http://www.dealtackler.com/T3Forum/viewtopic.php?t=173), we put out some square and round pots. We noticed the squares absolutely outscored the round pots. Out of 60 crabs we caught that weekend, only 8 crabs made it in the round pots.

Pictures to follow later.

Ken (22 hydrasport wa / 17 whaler)

[seasicknes]

Look at this:
http://www.angelfire.com/stars3/lonsfis ... bbing.html

This web page is a picture of me and my wife. Notice her get up
She won't touch those crabs without those tongs ! She is scared those crabs will pinch her
In the picture you will be able to see what I am describing (square pots).

I throw back all the female crabs. Keeping only the male. Thus, hoping for the females to reproduce.

Ken (22 hydrasport wa / 17 whaler)