If you fish upper Charlotte Harbor around the Myakka Cut Off to the bridge over the Myakka River at El Jobean, FL, you'll find the following links, tide charts and fishing reports most helpful.
Blue Crabs in the Bayshore Waterway, Port Charlotte, Florida
One morning at a garage sale I found 2 crab traps for $2.00 each. Such a good deal I couldn't refuse. Plus the guy was a good salesman and spent the time to tell me how much he enjoyed the crabs he caught and how easy it was. And since we pass his house in our baot on our way out to the Myakka river I figured our luck should be equal and pleasure just as great. So I spent the four bucks!
And I'm very glad I did. I got online as soon as I got my crab traps home and found out about the regulations, how to use the traps, how to clean and store my crabs and I even got a great recipe from our neighbor Bimini for the most delicious crab cakes I've ever eaten. And yes, they were crabcakes from our canal.
Regulations
You'll find the basic regulations, size limits, bag limits and closed seasons in Florida's "Basic Recreational Saltwater Fishing Regulations." I will tell you what they are but they can change from one year to the next so please check.
- Size Limit: None, but traps are required to have a ring which allows small crabs to escape. Most are made with this feature.
- Closed Season: Sept 20-Oct 4 Gulf state waters.
- Bag Limit: 10 gallons whole per person per day.
- License: 5 traps maximum with a Florida Saltwater recreational fishing license.
- Egg bearing females must be released.
- Float: No float is required when your traps are tied to your own dock. Otherwise see the regulations below for float and identification requirements.
You may also want to read these official rules at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission but I'll warn you it's not easy reading.
The Trap
The traps are usually made from chicken wire with two separate compartments and flattened cone like openings that allow crabs to enter the first floor and then travel to the second floor level. The bait is held in a closed cone with hinged door that opens on the bottom. It's usually held closed, after stuffing it with bait, by an elastic shoock cord, very simple.
The Bait
I guess you can use chicken waste or table scraps to attract crabs but I find that a little unpleasant. I only use the remains of my fish after I fillet it in preparation for supper. The carcass of a nice redfish, with dinner removed, will fill the bait cone and usually last for most of a week. If I don't catch fish I don't throw my crab traps out. If I have extra bait I'll put it in my freezer for when fishing isn't as productive. This way I'm not throwing carcasses into the canal to attract the alligators.
Crabbing
You bought your trap(s) and you filleted your fish for supper. So now just turn your trap upside down and open the bait door. Stuff a fish carcass in, close the door, secure with the shock cord and turn the trap upright so the bait is in the center on the bottom of the trap. Atach at least 20 feet of line onto one top corner of the trap and the other end to your dock. Then toss the trap out into at least 3 feet of water and make sure it lands on the canal bottom upright with the bait still on the bottom. I've found I catch more crab in deeper water but be sure you don't impede boat traffic.
Most crabs feed at night so I check my trap every morning. To get the crabs out of the trap theres a trap door (pun intended) on the top of the trap. Usually it is one top edge of the trap which is not secured to the side but held tight by a shock cord and hook. Simply free the hook, hold the two wire sides open and shake the crabs into a 5 gallon bucket. Then close up the trap and send it back out in the water, the bait works better as it gets older. Yes, the odor is horrible but if you get the bucket ready first you can usually get the trap up, crabs out and the trap back in the water in one breath (kidding, its not that bad).
Throw the Females Back
When you look at the bottom, white belly of the crab you'll see their tail is wrapped under them from around the back. Like a scared puppy. A male's tail gets very thin (1/4 inch) and pointed for the last few inches but a female's is more spade shaped, more rounded. It is not illegal to keep females but I throw them all back. It IS ILLEGAL to keep FEMALES with EGGS. The eggs look like a mass of orange jelly pellets around the tail. But there are many more males than females so why not send them all the females back to give us more crabs for later?
Once you've emptied all your traps and you have a bucket of male blue crabs jumping and snapping at you or anything that moves, It's time to prepare them to eat or store. Go on to see how to clean your blue crabs.
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