All About Catching Crabs in MD
If you look on a map, Maryland is not hard to find. It's north of DC and Virginia, but south of Pennsylvania and beside Delaware. The state is rather oddly shaped, but locals love the diverse geography, as do vacationers, given the fact they can visit Atlantic beaches on one end of the state and mountains on the other end.
The actual Atlantic coastline is only about 30 miles long on the Delmarva peninsula, between Virginia and Delaware. However, on the other side of the peninsula lies Chesapeake Bay, and here, the state of Maryland has many islands and quite a curvy boundary with the water. In fact, Maryland as over three thousand miles of tidal coastline.
These waters make for many great beaches and boating, but also great fishing. However, there is another activity that many families love which is often easier and more fun than angling. If you want to learn all about crabbing in Maryland, then keep reading.
The entire family can participate in crabbing, even kids. Some locals started their kids as early as age 3. Crabbing is also something that can be done from a boat or a pier or dock. All that you really need for a day of basic and bare crabbing is bait at one end of a sturdy string, and somewhere to drop it in the water. If you want to up the excitement, buy or assemble a simple manual crab basket that might pull up more than one crab at the same time.
If you look on a map, Maryland is not hard to find. It's north of DC and Virginia, but south of Pennsylvania and beside Delaware. The state is rather oddly shaped, but locals love the diverse geography, as do vacationers, given the fact they can visit Atlantic beaches on one end of the state and mountains on the other end.
The actual Atlantic coastline is only about 30 miles long on the Delmarva peninsula, between Virginia and Delaware. However, on the other side of the peninsula lies Chesapeake Bay, and here, the state of Maryland has many islands and quite a curvy boundary with the water. In fact, Maryland as over three thousand miles of tidal coastline.
These waters make for many great beaches and boating, but also great fishing. However, there is another activity that many families love which is often easier and more fun than angling. If you want to learn all about crabbing in Maryland, then keep reading.
The entire family can participate in crabbing, even kids. Some locals started their kids as early as age 3. Crabbing is also something that can be done from a boat or a pier or dock. All that you really need for a day of basic and bare crabbing is bait at one end of a sturdy string, and somewhere to drop it in the water. If you want to up the excitement, buy or assemble a simple manual crab basket that might pull up more than one crab at the same time.
Be Sure to check out the St. Mary's Crab Festival!
The many miles of coastline have many great spots for crabbing, although to be honest most of the best ones are already on property that is private. If you're looking to do crab pots or hand lines, then a private bridge, pier, or dock is likely to be your best bet.
On the other hand, if you want to go crabbing from a boat, then you might have a lot more options. The best spots might vary depending on who you ask. Some locals will tell you that the Wye River is best, although others will say you should visit Solomons island on the Potomac river side or anywhere in the area of Kent Narrows. Of course there are many, many other locations you can go to, including paid businesses that take care of a lot for you.
If you want to catch a Maryland crab, then the process is pretty simple. Just drop your line into the chosen waters, raising it either every couple of minutes or especially when you feel a good tug on it. Then, you scoop up any available crabs with your net. You can also use baited baskets from both piers and boats.
You might wonder why a boat or structure is necessary. Crabbing from the shore itself is something you can certainly try, but the problem is that crabs often fall off their line when a line gets pulled sideways.
Want to know which crabs to keep? You need to look at their shell. Judy Colbert is a Crofton resident who covered this in her cookbook titled "Chesapeake Bay Crabs." You might find crabs that have shiny and clean undersides rather appealing. They've usually recently molted, and so they look big on the outside, but they often haven't grown into their shells, meaning you get an underwhelming amount of meat. Rather, you want one that looks dirty on the bottom, even rusty.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources does set some limits for recreational crabbers, who usually don't require a license for crabbing with dip nets and hand lines. Anyone owning property with tidal coastline can set up one or two crab pots per pier on their private lot, but there is a daily limit of a dozen soft crabs or two dozen hard crabs per person, per day.
Eel pots, crab traps and baskets, and trotlines all require licensing for the crab season. That's typically April first through the middle of December. Actual dates and size restrictions vary from one year to the next. Harvesting any female crabs is against the law. Make sure you purchase crab equipment for the upcoming season!
When you catch a crab, put it into a lidded bucket quickly. If you're done crabbing, you can use a damp cloth to cover the crabs to prevent them from climbing out of an open bucket.
If you go crabbing in Maryland with kids, teach them appropriate safety. That ranges from frequent hand-washing and holding crabs from behind to using sunscreen and wearing life jackets if boating. Learn more about blue crabs.
The many miles of coastline have many great spots for crabbing, although to be honest most of the best ones are already on property that is private. If you're looking to do crab pots or hand lines, then a private bridge, pier, or dock is likely to be your best bet.
On the other hand, if you want to go crabbing from a boat, then you might have a lot more options. The best spots might vary depending on who you ask. Some locals will tell you that the Wye River is best, although others will say you should visit Solomons island on the Potomac river side or anywhere in the area of Kent Narrows. Of course there are many, many other locations you can go to, including paid businesses that take care of a lot for you.
If you want to catch a Maryland crab, then the process is pretty simple. Just drop your line into the chosen waters, raising it either every couple of minutes or especially when you feel a good tug on it. Then, you scoop up any available crabs with your net. You can also use baited baskets from both piers and boats.
You might wonder why a boat or structure is necessary. Crabbing from the shore itself is something you can certainly try, but the problem is that crabs often fall off their line when a line gets pulled sideways.
Want to know which crabs to keep? You need to look at their shell. Judy Colbert is a Crofton resident who covered this in her cookbook titled "Chesapeake Bay Crabs." You might find crabs that have shiny and clean undersides rather appealing. They've usually recently molted, and so they look big on the outside, but they often haven't grown into their shells, meaning you get an underwhelming amount of meat. Rather, you want one that looks dirty on the bottom, even rusty.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources does set some limits for recreational crabbers, who usually don't require a license for crabbing with dip nets and hand lines. Anyone owning property with tidal coastline can set up one or two crab pots per pier on their private lot, but there is a daily limit of a dozen soft crabs or two dozen hard crabs per person, per day.
Eel pots, crab traps and baskets, and trotlines all require licensing for the crab season. That's typically April first through the middle of December. Actual dates and size restrictions vary from one year to the next. Harvesting any female crabs is against the law. Make sure you purchase crab equipment for the upcoming season!
When you catch a crab, put it into a lidded bucket quickly. If you're done crabbing, you can use a damp cloth to cover the crabs to prevent them from climbing out of an open bucket.
If you go crabbing in Maryland with kids, teach them appropriate safety. That ranges from frequent hand-washing and holding crabs from behind to using sunscreen and wearing life jackets if boating. Learn more about blue crabs.