Crab Bait

Let's face it, Blue Crabs are scavengers. They will eat anything in front of them. There's always a debate if you ask crabbers what is the best bait for crabbing. Everyone has their opinion, from bull lips, cut up fish, eels, etc. I've tried them all and I'm going to tell you what has caught me the most crabs through the years. The two types of bait that consistently attract crabs are chicken necks and razor clams. I've been using chicken necks since I started crabbing many moons ago but it wasn't until more recent years that I started using razors.

Both types of bait work extremely well. Razor clams tend to last a little longer in the trap and that is why the commercial guys love them. Although both will work just as good as the other. If you are using razor clams, you'll need to get little mesh bait bags to keep them in and some snoods to attach them to your crab traps.

Remember, the fresher the bait the better. The best places to buy crab bait are usually local farms or local watermen seafood or bait shops. Try to stay away from bait that's been frozen for a long period of time and has freezer burn. Go to a chicken farm for the necks or a fresh seafood market for the clams if they exist in your area. You'll want to wait until the day before you plan to go out crabbing to buy the bait. That way you know it's fresh when you're baiting your traps.

Nothing attracts the crabs better than fresh bait. This is because crabs find their food by smell not sight. If you are pulling up traps and the bait is starting to wither or lose color, time to change it. If you are looking at the bait in a trap and are unsure whether or not to change it, it's probably time to change it. Take plenty of bait with you so you can change bait frequently if needed. I'm usually changing bait every 3-4 pulls depending on the environment and how quickly the crabs are eating.

When you are changing bait in your traps, don't throw the old bait in the water. If you do, you are now competing with more bait in the area where you are crabbing. Bring an extra (sealable) bag to keep the old bait. No sense in throwing more bait into the water and having the crabs in that area get on the old bait and not in your traps.