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The blue crab was originally found in coastal estuaries from Nova Scotia to Argentina but today is rarely seen north of Cape Cod. Elsewhere in the world the blue crab has been introduced, often as a hitchhiker in the ballast of ships, in warm waters near Europe, Asia and Africa. In America, these beautiful swimmers are landed most often in the Chesapeake bay and Louisiana.
The blue crab favors brackish water near the mouths of rivers, especially muddy shores and bottoms. There is certainly more than one way to catch a crab.
An easy and cheap way to bring a blue crab to shore is with a hand line. From a pier or bridge or even out on a boat, simply tie bait to a line and lower it slowly into the water. The line can be a piece of string or fishing line, anchored by a small weight, long enough to reach the bottom. A favorite bait for many hand liners is chicken necks. Other effective bait foods include bull lips, salted eel or fish heads. When the line tenses from a nibble, raise the line slowly to the surface, trying not to scare the hungry crab. Any crabs clinging to the end of the line can be scooped into a net before the crab clears the water. Hand lines, dip nets, baits and coolers are available in any shore side bait shop.
For those who prefer a more active approach to catching a blue crab, dispense with the hand line and just venture into the water with the dip net. Wade into the water and net crabs that are swimming past. This technique requires a bit more skill and practice than dropping a crab line. Netting can also be accomplished from a boat.
Many blue crabs also fall prey to the crab trap. Collapsible crab traps, available in most bait shops, are lowered from a dock or boat with a sturdy line. Inside is a piece of bait fastened to the bottom. When a foraging blue crab goes in for a quick meal, pull the string and the trap closes. The advantage of the trap is in the pulling to the surface as the crab cannot swim away as with the hand line.
Serious crabbers intent on capturing a daily two-bushel limit use trot lines to harvest blue crabs. While the most efficient, trot lines require more equipment than a casual day-crabber can muster, not the least of which is a boat. Most states do not require a license to catch blue crabs.
Of course, take care when bringing any blue crab to shore. A crab's claws are powerful weapons and a desperate crab can deliver a painful bite. A crab pinch can easily penetrate the skin and invoke bleeding. If you must handle a crab, hold the ornery crustacean by one or both of the swimming fins and be cautious not to let your fingers extend too far under the crab as it can reach back a long way under its shell and keep pinching. That is not the souvenir to bring home from a day of crabbing.
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