![]() For long-term storage or transportation you’ll want to add an aerator. Pass crabs can be kept alive for short term submerged in a bucket of seawater. They commonly inhabit the upper reaches of shallow water bays on sandy or muddy bottoms and thrive with the presence of healthy grass. Similar to the blue crab, iridescent swimming crabs reside along the western Atlantic from Massachusetts to Texas. ![]() While a number of crab species are often referred to as pass crabs, along Florida’s central Gulf Coast the iridescent swimming crab is the real deal. leader and drifted back over Florida Bay wrecks with the hopes of enticing cobia and permit. Give the crab plenty of slack and get ready! The chances of a hooked tarpon ultimately spitting the hook or working its way through a chafed leader are high, but the initial strike and first 60 seconds of the fight are what it is all about! Additionally, quarter sized pass crabs are often impaled on 1/2 oz. leader material, impale a 10/0 circle-hook through the legless side of the crab and cast the wounded crustacean ahead of moving fish. ![]() When it comes to rolling tarpon, there is no better enticement than a live pass crab with the legs broken off of one side. Pass CrabĪKA: Iridescent Swimming Crab, Drift Crab Juvenile blue crabs will scurry away as you approach, making them easy targets with a long-handled dip net. An additional option for procuring blue crabs involves wading along seawalls and docks and snatching them off pilings. Visit for the latest regulations before heading out. Traps can only be pulled during daylight hours and there are regional closures along the East Coast during even numbered years and along the Gulf Coast during odd numbered years. However, there are rules and regulations for harvesting blue crabs with traps. A mullet cut in half is usually enough to draw them in. Blue crabs are also caught with baited traps deployed off docks and bridges and around bends in the river where there is ample tidal flow. Set a dozen baited lines adjacent to any marsh and within short order you should have all of the crabs you need. The unsuspecting critter is then snatched using a long handled dip net. When you feel a crab picking at the bait, slowly retrieve the line until the crab becomes visible. Allow the baited lines to rest on the bottom. The easiest method to catch blue crabs involves hand lines baited with raw chicken parts. Surprisingly versatile, blue crabs can be presented in numerous fashions, both alive and dead, across a wide array of venues. As long as the crabs are kept moist and cool they will live for extended periods.īlue crabs are five-star offerings rarely resisted by a long list of prized predators including tarpon, permit and bonefish on the flats, redfish and black drum in the backcountry, and grouper, snapper and cobia offshore. Many anglers catch or purchase blue crabs a day or two before a big outing and store them in a brown paper bag in the refrigerator. Once on scene a typical shrimp bucket tied off to a cleat will do just fine. Live blue crabs are easy to maintain in an adequately oxygenated baitwell. These migrations into shallow estuarine habitats, along with their insatiable appetite, present the perfect opportunity to catch them by the dozens. Blue crabs spend the coldest months of the year in deep water and migrate into the shallows as water temperatures climb. They inhabit the entire Gulf of Mexico and thrive in mud and sand bottoms along shallow water regions ranging from 5- to 30-feet in depth. leader material, you’ve just created an irresistible temptation for hungry grouper and cobia.īlue crabs are bottom dwelling scavengers native to the western Atlantic. With an 8/0 or 10/0 circle-hook and 60 lb. In the deep, a large blue crab can be split in half and soaked on the bottom using a simple fish-finder rig and ample amount of lead. Even in the darkest waters of the backcountry foraging drum will sniff out this incredible enticement. On the flats, a large blue crab can be peeled, trimmed and cut into quarters. When drifting for tarpon, a small float is often added a few feet from the crab to keep the bait in the strike zone. Hook size should correspond with bait size and target species. fluorocarbon leader is ideal when targeting permit and tarpon. A 6/0 to 10/0 circle-hook on 40 to 80 lb. Bait Wars: Blue Crab vs Pass Crab Blue Crabįor inshore applications around bridges and fast moving currents, fish live quarter to silver dollar size blue crabs hooked from the bottom up.
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