How's the Crabbing in Shrewsbury/Navesink?

[Gerry Zagorski]

Taking my Grandson and family on Sunday. Most people I've talked to said its not been so great...

If all else fails I'll take him out in the bay and catch some junk fish I guess. Anything that's ugly and wiggles is fine with him :D

[dales529]

Rocky? You are the crab master

[Deepdeckhand]

I have 2 commercial pots set in Fairhaven With a rec Lisc. This is the year of the Monsta Jimmy- caught my personal best- 7 inch point to point a few days ago...Pots set in 6-8 fow- fish racks seem to catch a little better then bunker for me.So far no doublers on pilings...

[Duffman]

Not good last week in the Navi around the Oceanic. Water was off color from all the runoff so not sure that had anything to do with it.

Alotta panfish in shallow by the CG station your grandson can play around with.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Thanks for the info and suggestions guys!

[Dawn Treader]

Anchored this morning in 7 feet of water in the usual area east of the Oceanic Bridge, getting the last 2 hrs of outgoing and a little incoming. Stayed in the same spot the whole time. Used bunker and hand lines. 44 keepers in 4 hrs, including a bunch of bigger jimmys.

[scanman5]

We did ok with big crabs last Monday closer to the Red Bank Marina, close to channels, topless traps did better than the hand lines.

[LotsobitesBB]

Been out on the Kayaks crabbing two short trips (2 hours) in the upper Shrewsbury. 18 and 28 keepers respectively (3 or 4 people crabbing in two kayaks). Not fast crabbing, but the size has been really nice.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Now I'm getting excited thanks for the reports!

Headed out Sunday and we'll probably end up just past the Oceanic.

A report and hopefully a crab boil to follow :D

[Gerry Zagorski]

Crabbed east and west of the Oceanic and it was slow in both spots. We did manage a dozen on chicken and drop lines and 3 or 4 really nice Jimmies.

Nice to finally get a day in the low 80s with a nice breeze..

[shrimpman steve]

Did you find my mother in law
She’s big ugly and wiggles away when the bill comes😁

[Rocky]

Sorry for the late reply. Glad to see you got out. I have only crabbed the Barn this year and it has been pretty good. Some trips it has been a half bushel in a few hours and some trips it was a full bushel in a couple of hours solo. I don't know what is going on up North, but I think another shed might be coming on at the Barn with what I saw from my last trip there.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Sorry for the late reply. Glad to see you got out. I have only crabbed the Barn this year and it has been pretty good. Some trips it has been a half bushel in a few hours and some trips it was a full bushel in a couple of hours solo. I don't know what is going on up North, but I think another shed might be coming on at the Barn with what I saw from my last trip there.

Thanks Rocky.. I noticed it was a full moon on Monday so I guess that's part of what make them shed?

A few questions for you if you don't mind

- Hand lines or traps?

- Seems like the traps don't do well up here in the rivers, for me anyway. I guess because of the currents caused by a 3 - 5 foot tide swings and the Barnegat it's only 1 - 2 ?

[Rocky]

Thanks Rocky.. I noticed it was a full moon on Monday so I guess that's part of what make them shed?

A few questions for you if you don't mind

- Hand lines or traps?

- Seems like the traps don't do well up here in the rivers, for me anyway. I guess because of the currents caused by a 3 - 5 foot tide swings and the Barnegat it's only 1 - 2 ?

Moon does effect them, but not always in the same way. In the Barn the majority of the crabs shed late in my opinion. May 5th this year was a full moon and the crabs were hungry and still dirty. (did not do their first shed) Two weeks later they were light and not as plentiful because of the shed. I am no exert but that surprised me that they went that long (since the fall) with the same shell. One crab I caught even had barnacles, a muscle, and a oyster growing on its shell.

As far as handlines or traps goes, which ever works the best for you.