crabbing reports and advice?

[baitstealer]

I wonderd, if it's not spot burning and ok to talk about, where a good place to crab in NJ would be right now? I want to take my little cousins out on the weekend. I will be using chicken parts. If anyone else has any advice I would appreciate it. Thanks!

[DarkSkies]

Baitstealer, don't know where you are located exactly, but there are good places to crab in the Great Bay, Barnegat Bay (marinas in bayville you can rent a boat from), the Manasquan River, where you can crab from some public bulkheads or a boat, and the confluence of the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers, or in the back areas there (where you would need a boat, several rental places available).

There are many other places. Some good crabbing reports have come up as the water heats up and the food is plentiful for crabs. Hope this helps, good luck.

[DarkSkies]

**To me, this is just common sense, but a lot of folks don't know. If you know people who are crabbing back in the Newark Bay area, try to remind them that there are deadly toxins in some of the sediments back there. Crabs feed in the mud, so crabs in that area should not be eaten.



Sent in by Finchaser, thanks!

(This warning doesn't include the Raritan River or Arthur Kill, but if I had young children or a pregnant wife I would be especially concerned about them eating crabs from all these areas. The bottom mud, if it doesn't have heavy metals, has tons of lead, pcbs, and dioxins.

Subject: Crab Harvest in Lower Passaic River and Newark Bay Prohibited


The Department of Environmental Protection is reminding the public that harvesting blue claw crabs from the waters of the Lower Passaic River and Newark Bay is prohibited, as scientists have found that crabs from those waters continue to show harmful levels of cancer-causing dioxin and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), as well as other contaminants, including mercury.For more information and the full text of the DEP news release, visit http://www.nj.gov/dep/newsrel/2011/11_0083.htm on the DEP website.

[fishinmission78]

Use rancid chicken, the more rotten the better. Let it lay out in the sun a few hours before going. And if you are crabbing the barnegat, go to Good luck point, I believe you can rent a boat there.

[skinner]

Agree with fnm, nasty chicken works better for me than bunker.

Some spots to crab, some may be out of date, check before going.



Here's a good list of crabbing spots and regulations


Picking Basic Crabbing Locations:
Creek areas will always yield more than inner lagoons, having more food sources for the crabs. If taking small children, find a spot with low traffic and railings to prevent accidents.

Ocean County locations for crabbing:

Rt. 539/Green Street, Tuckerton
All the way at the end of the road, there is a small park area with railings around it, parking, a pavilion, and a bathroom. Good area for crabbing, so-so for fishing since it's harder to get at the fish. Good crabbing location when going with small children.

Great Bay Blvd/Seven Bridges Road, LEH
The first bridge is especially nice, as the bridge itself has a pedestrian walkway along one side.
The second and third bridge areas don't have easy access from bridges, but you could crab along the banks of the creeks.

Playhouse Drive, Mystic Islands
Down Radio Road, before Big Creek Bridge. Left turn, end of road. Crabbing along the edge of the lagoon.

Big Creek Bridge, Mystic Islands
Not as easy as some areas for crabbing, much more boat traffic through the creek, so you have to be careful to stay out of the way. NO parking near the bridge, police will ticket you if you are too close.

Bass River Bridge area, New Gretna
One of the best spots I have found is the bass river under the parkway and Rt 9 bridge. Going south on Rt 9 go over the bridge make your first left or right and go back along the bridge. Be careful if you are in a low to the ground vehicle their are some real big holes. Hit the tide right and you will catch larger crabs. As the tide goes down so does the size of the crabs. No bottom fishing, there are more snags than I have ever seen in one spot. Bring the kids and have a nice time.
Suggested by~Paul Holzinger, Jamesburg NJ. visiting Mom and Dad in Tuckerton

Try End of Dock Road, Parkertown
.....but beware of the old dockage.Don't let the kids get too active as it can 't be trusted
in the condition it is in so have the kids wear life jackets to be on the safe side. This used to be a hot spot years ago as the waterway empties right into the bay. Also bathroom facilities as well as a playground (of sorts) plenty of parking and a beach. Summer Season 2000....lifeguards on duty.....3-31/2 feet deep for swimming. Water clean and clear.....still beware of old dockage.....but crabbing there is still great--- over by the old boat slips.
Suggested by~Alice Fields

Berkley Island County Park.
in berkely township (near bayville, take rt.9 north thru lacey township. Right after Lacey you'll see
signs to county park). There is a good park for fishing and crabbing and its also has a playground for the kids, plus it has a bathing beach located on the other side of the park which has a lifeguard. All around I give this park a 9.5 out of 10 Suggested by~Mike

Mantoloking Bridge.
(South of Point Pleasant) on Rt. 528/Mantoloking Road. North Side. 7-9 ft of water. Suggested by~Mark Alfieri

Barnegat Bay .
It’s the Seaside Heights docks aka Cranberry Inlet between Lavallette and Seaside. Crabbing hasn’t been amazing, but you can catch a good two to three dozen depending on the time you go and the weather. We found that crabbing during a light drizzle or when its overcast is perfect. Hope this helps! Suggested by~Colleen

Good Luck Point .
in Ocean Gate, just a little south of the Seaside Bridge is a great spot, and so are the little creeks by the Bridge to nowhere just a hair north of the Causeway Bridge by LBI. Suggested by~Patrick M. McCoy

Cumberland County locations for crabbing:

Dividing Creek.

Dividing Creek Boat Rentals, located in Dividing Creek, N.J.
WEBSITE: http://www.dividingcreekboatrentals.com/
Phone - (856) 785-2828 Nestled in the Cumberland County's Wetlands, Dividing Creek Boat Rentals is fun for all. Fishing, Crabbing, Birding and more... We feature 4 & 5 passenger Carolina Skiff boats and Evinrude Motors, and now our newest 6 passenger Carolina Skiff with optional canopy. Our customer assistance boat will check on you 3 or 4 times a day. Our signs will let you know where the "hotspots" are.

Downe by the Creek Boat Rentals, located in Dividing Creek, N.J. owned by Steve & Chris Byrne.
WEBSITE: www.downecreekcrabbing.com (http://www.downecreekcrabbing.com/)
Phone No. (for directions - 856-785-0008). Boats can be reserved also. This is a well run rental,with clean boats, rest rooms, etc. And the owners are very interesting and helpful. The parking is spacious and there is a restaurant on the property also. Call, and if you have to leave a message, Steve will call you back. Suggested by~Tom Wilson

Beaver Dam Boat Rentals, located at 514 Old Beaver Dam Rd, Newport, NJ 08345
WEBSITE: crabulousnj.com/
Phone - (856) 447-3633 Kayak and Canoe Rentals, plus tours. Great crabbing in the area.

Monmouth County locations for crabbing:

Keansburg Fishing Pier, Raritan Bay

For Crabbing spots, the Keansburg pier right behind the amusement park is good. The pier is especially good if you rent scoopers for 7 bucks and net the blue crabs that hang on the piling. Suggested by~ Rich Hawran

Atlantic County locations for crabbing:

Off Mays Landing-Somers Point Road (EGG HARBOR TWP.)

I lived in South Jersey for over twenty years and loved crabbing. Some of the best places to crab were in Egg Harbor Twp. just off Mays Landing-Somers Point Rd. as you approach Somers Point, on the left one can see the meadows where loads of crabs can be found. Best time to go is in the fall when the crabs are fat and ready for winter. Just park your car and wade through the tall grassy meadows or find a path to lead you to the water. Hope you enjoy my spot. Suggested by~ Sue Rorer

Linwood

Behind the Linwood Country Club, On the bay banks, at the end of Poplar Ave. Went there as a kid with my grandfather a few dozen times. Usually caught about 24 to 40 mediums per trip. My grandfather and Uncle Lou crabbed this spot for 40 years before they exposed me to this muddy, labor-intensive practice. Good eatin' though. My favorite food in the world..spaghetti and crabs. Suggested by~ Don Perrone

[stripercrazy]

This is just to add to darkskies warning, they had a sewage spill this week.




City says raw sewage from fire-damaged Hudson River treatment plant will close Island beaches.

The city Health Department last night posted pollution advisories for Staten Island’s East Shore beaches in the aftermath of a blaze that knocked out a key sewage treatment plant on the Hudson River in Harlem. The overflow has fouled area waters.

Though the beaches are officially open, the city strongly discouraged swimming and bathing until the advisory is lifted, which for now means at least through Monday.

The affected areas are South Beach, Midland Beach, Cedar Grove Beach and Sea Gate in Brooklyn.

The waters off Staten Island "up to the Verrazano" are deemed unfit for recreational activities such as swimming, canoeing, kayaking, windsurfing or any other activity that would entail possible direct contact with the water.

It’s a result of sewage flowing into the waterway after the North River Wastewater Treatment Plant was taken offline yesterday afternoon following a four-alarm blaze in the engine room.
If it’s not fixed soon, beaches might be officially closed.

"That depends on a number of factors which modeling will have to take into account, like tidal flows, sewage volumes and other factors," said Farrell Sklerov, a spokesman for the Department of Environmental Protection.

People near the Narrows should not be in contact with the water, especially on the North Shore, until water sampling can be done to determine the impact of the sewage, said Beryl Thurman executive director of the North Shore Waterfront Conservancy of Staten Island.
"It has been long thought that anything east of Snug Harbor would be safe, but I would think this should make people cautious," Ms. Thurman said. "This is a very sad and concerning situation."
Ms. Thurman said residents fish near the Stapleton home port and from St. George to Livingston, but they should refrain from eating anything that they catch until it can be proved to be safe.
The Hudson River, the Harlem River and the East River from the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge to the Verrazano are all compromised by the sewage overflow, officials said.
Those areas will be shut down until at least Sunday, and the NYPD Harbor Unit will patrol near the plant to keep boaters at a safe distance, the DEP said.
The plant treats, on average, 120 million gallons of raw sewage each day from Manhattan’s West Side and the northern part of the borough.
The DEP is applying chlorine to some sewer outfalls near the plant to minimize bacteria.
"The plant has been re-energized, which is the first step toward bringing it back online. The estimated time to bring the plant back online is still undetermined," the DEP release said.

[ledhead36]

I have been getting crabs back by the rickety bridge in red bank. From the edges, using bad chicken. The stinkier the better. Also near the Keyport docks, plenty of larger sized ones.

[storminsteve]

My uncle has been getting them from a skiff. Beginning of the Navesink, where the rivers spit up. He anchors in that area and says they are about 50% keeper sized.

[jigfreak]

In ocean county you can get em prettty steady from the Dock outfitters dock. The back side of Barny Inlet as well..

[fishinmission78]

^ x2 for dock outfitters or the new bay pier south of that. You can get a bushel of crabs without really trying with a few hand lines.

[baitstealer]

Use rancid chicken, the more rotten the better. Let it lay out in the sun a few hours before going. And if you are crabbing the barnegat, go to Good luck point, I believe you can rent a boat there.

I was looking at the old posts and found this. Rancid chicken? How many believe that is better than regular chicken, and how do you transport it with you so your car doesn't smell like a slaughter house when you are done?

[J Barbosa]

I am going to disagree with fishinmission. I tried rotten chicken once and did not catch as much compared to the fresh chicken.

Only tried it one time :don't know why: but I'm not into smelling bad like some members on here :kiss:

[BassBuddah]

Whenever I take the grandkids out crabbing we go to bulkheads and docks near marinas. You can't go wrong this way. When I could get it I used bunker.

[ledhead36]

I am going to disagree with fishinmission. I tried rotten chicken once and did not catch as much compared to the fresh chicken.

Only tried it one time :don't know why: but I'm not into smelling bad like some members on here :kiss:

you must be talking about the dark one. He smells the most when he does those 3 day nomad trips and lives out of his car. Otherwise he's not that bad, almost tolerable.:laugh:
crabbing report - some nnice sized crabs now.Lots of jimmys and most are keepers. Was using chicken wings the other day after work and 2 of us got a half bushel. Keyport area.

[baitstealer]

I have been getting crabs back by the rickety bridge in red bank. From the edges, using bad chicken. The stinkier the better. Also near the Keyport docks, plenty of larger sized ones.

I read your report above.That is a fantastic catch a half bushel of legal crabs sounds awesome.
A friend lives in the back of the navesink and says crabbing isn't that great for them so far. Any idea why it's better in the open bay area?
Also I wondered if you have any secrets to catch that many, if you care to share. Thanks very muich.

[ledhead36]

Secrets? Yeah we just ask dark to come by and fart on the chicken we use.:laugh:

For real - If you want a half bushel of crabs you have to have a game plan. Most who crab now are getting a lot of throwbacks and only catching A few. I mentioned keyport but we don't crab exactly there. Too much traffic and taking of the keepers. We have a few places near there that are quiet and not much traffic on weekdays. Feeder creeks are good. Marinas, but not the big ones too. We have at least 6 hand lines apiece and use 4 traps apiece. Keeps it moving and interesting.

[J Barbosa]

I read your report above.That is a fantastic catch a half bushel of legal crabs sounds awesome.
A friend lives in the back of the navesink and says crabbing isn't that great for them so far. Any idea why it's better in the open bay area?
Also I wondered if you have any secrets to catch that many, if you care to share. Thanks very muich.

I think the Navesink may be getting over harvested.

Great advice leadhead. We also have always been fond of the feeder creeks...the ones with moving water for highest numbers of crabs.

[ledhead36]

Thanks fellas. JB good point about the over-harvesting. We used to be able to fill a bushel basket way in the back there if we crabbed all day. Now not so much.

[ledhead36]

News flash dark is now crabbing at night. Couldn't believe it when I heard it. Well spill it are you back to using bait?:laugh: :HappyWave:
Cmon dude spill your crabbing secrets I'm sure the fellas would love to hear them,

[DarkSkies]

you must be talking about the dark one. He smells the most when he does those 3 day nomad trips and lives out of his car. Otherwise he's not that bad, almost tolerable.:laugh:



Secrets? Yeah we just ask dark to come by and fart on the chicken we use.:laugh:


Gee, thanks for the kind words, pal. :rolleyes: :moon: :kiss: :ROFLMAO :HappyWave:



News flash dark is now crabbing at night. Couldn't believe it when I heard it. Well spill it are you back to using bait?:laugh: :HappyWave:
Cmon dude spill your crabbing secrets I'm sure the fellas would love to hear them,

You take all those shots at me, and then want me to tell them my crabbing secrets? :scared:
You're the crab king, you're doing fine with the advice so far..:thumbsup:....feel free to continue, and best of luck. Thanks for the laughs. :HappyWave:










**(I did start crabbing again, first time in 10 years. Stalking the crabs on the bay flats at night. I do it when the nightly fishing action dies down.
The first time I did it I got 2 dozen in 1 1/2 hours. Tried it the other night after the rain and only managed 5 in an hour. Still a lot of fun. I don't think I can ever go back to using bait for crabs again. Think it's more fun for me to hunt them down. It doesn't get boring because you have to pay attention. :headbang:
I'll talk about it a little when I post my fishing report for the last 2 weeks of August.)

There are some nice crabs out there now, but as ledhead says they are not all over. Pay attention to what he's telling you. He knows stuff. :thumbsup:
Good luck to all. :HappyWave:

[J Barbosa]

2 dozen crabs today...action was slow.

[hookset]

^^^ Someone said after the new or full moon it slows down. We are about a week away from that so does that make any difference when you go out crabbing or did you ever pay attention to that. thanks.

[J Barbosa]

^^^ Someone said after the new or full moon it slows down. We are about a week away from that so does that make any difference when you go out crabbing or did you ever pay attention to that. thanks.

Never paid attention; we never really needed to. We usually only keep 2-3 dozen for us unless we are having company over. We haven't been able to be selective on some days...usually prefer to only keep 5"+. My dad says this is the worst year for crabbing he has ever experienced in the RB. He's been doing it for 35 years now.

Guys in the northern rivers are complaining there are no crabs there also...seems to be a decent amount in the southern/central part of the state.

[seamonkey]

JB thats strange. Do you think because we had a cold winter and more of the crabs died while hibernating in the mud? But if that was true it should have happened through the whole state, no?

[bababooey]

It's been a good year in the Barney for crabs. From Seaside to Bayville they are big!

[captnemo]

Bunker challenge in Mantoloking on July 23rd. FYI.
July 23*

The Bunker Challenge Crabbing Contest*

Mantoloking Bridge County Park, Brick*
732-270-6960*www.oceancountyparks.org

[hookedonbass]

Thanks for the heads up Captain. Going to bring the kids and check it out

[fishinmission78]

Barny bay is loaded with big crabs right now. Try to get away from the crowds and get out on a boat if you can. 10 to 15 feet of water is perfect. Remember to throw the females back there are plenty of males to go around.