Crab Fishing tips and tricks
With the warmer weather last week during half term and over the weekend we noticed that families had started to crab fish again on Blakeney Quay and thought it was good time to post a list of our crab fishing tips and tricks to help you catch the most crabs.
Make sure you pick a good place to go crab fishing. If you are in North Norfolk the best places are Blakeney Quay, Wells next the Sea Quay and Cromer Pier and we also love the rock pools at Sheringham beach at low tide.
Make sure you have the right equipment before you start. If you are crab fishing from a quay or pier you will need a crab line, a largish bucket, a long handled net and some bait.
We have found the best crab bait is smelly bacon. The crabs love it and it is easy to attach to your line. Simply tie the string around the bacon securely. If you are in Blakeney the cheapest bacon you can get from The Spar works brilliantly well. If you are rock pooling then use what you can find. A smashed limpit is always good to attract crabs in rock pools where you are not using a line and can just grab the crabs.
The best time of day to catch crabs if you are crab fishing with a line from a quay or pier is on an incoming tide as this is when the crabs would naturally feed.
Fill your bucket with sea water before you start to keep your crabs in after you have caught them.
Attach your bait securely to your crab line
Lower your bait and line slowly into the water next to the quay or pier until the bait will go no further. ideally you want it to be on the Bottom on the sand. Unless the water is very clear it is unlikely you will be able to see the bait and then wait. You need to be a little patient now.
Leave it at least 5 minutes to give a chance for the crabs to smell your bait.
Then very slowly pull your bait up out of the water so that you can see if any crabs are clinging to it.
If there are no crabs on your bait then gently return it into the water making sure it drops to the bottom
The area next to the quay wall is usually the best spot to catch crabs as they bury themselves in the sand and mud there
If there are crabs on your bait then continue to pull it up gently until you can reach under the bait and crabs with your net. Then you can very gently shake or ease them off into the net. Alternatively you can pull the bait up with the net underneath in case the crabs drop off. Hopefully they will drop into your net. Some will inevitably drop off back into the water and then you can catch them again.
Once you have brought your crabs up gently ease them into your bucket so you can inspect and admire them
