Add to My Favourites
Feeling a little crabby? An easy and relaxing family activity is crabbing. There are no hooks to bait or wiggly worms to deal with, and many people think crabs are a lot easier to cook, clean, and eat.
Fishing License Regulations
In the state of South Carolina, fishing regulations state that you don’t need a license if you are crabbing with three or fewer drop nets, fold up traps or hand lines. Fishermen need a license to crab with a crab trap or pot.
Equipment Needed
Equipment is minimal – a bucket, a crab net (available at any hardware store, bait shop, or Wal-Mart), 10- to 12-feet of sturdy string with a chicken neck attached above a two-ounce sinker. A dock, pier, boat, or sea wall makes the best crabbing site, although you can do it from shore if there is no wave action.
How to Crab
Crabs don’t like to be seen, so if your chosen spot has murky water, the crabs may be close to shore. If the water is clear inshore, then throw your line further out. Tie the line to something – the pier rail, the bucket, or a sturdy stick that you can push into the sand. Then … wait.
When a crab is nibbling at your bait, give him time to get a good grip, and then pull him up and scoop the net under him. He has to be five inches point-to-point to be a keeper. Also note that a crab with an orange spongy underside is a female with eggs. The law requires you to throw her back. Keep your crabs wet or on ice until you cook them.
Crabbing Tours
Crabbing is a part of many tours, including the Saltmarsh Paddle Tours who offer demonstrations of how to pull a crab pot. Or if you really want to give it a try, sign up for lessons with Live Oac Adventures or Outside Hilton Head, or join the fun on the “Crabber J”.
For more information, contact:
Bubba’s Cabin Lowcountry Outfitters (843-785-3971)
Crabber J II (Adventure Cruises) (843-422-5110)
Live Oac Adventures (843-384-1414)
Outside Hilton Head (843-686-6996)
Saltmarsh Paddle Tours (843-422-3965)
Add to My Favourites
