chrislars
08-21-2014, 03:02 PM
Went out looking for some new crabbing spots from land near Good Luck Point. We usually crab from the docks in Lavalette, Seaside or Berkeley Island State Park and I was just looking for a new spot. I drove around for almost 2 hours looking for a suitable, legal, spot but didn't see any. Tons of empty lots where houses used to stand. I was still quit amazed at the destruction left from Sandy.
Ended up deciding to go back to Berkley only to find it closed! I haven't been down there since Sandy obviously and was surprised to find the park gated. You can walk in though and I decided I might as well since I drove over and hour to crab. Part of the fishing dock is closed and there were people out there so I decided to drop test traps along the bulkhead on the south and west side. Tried chicken, bunker and something new, shrimp! I bagged the shrimp in a mesh bag and it was a big hit! Got a few small ones on the south-cove area, but got into some bigger ones on the corner and the open west side of the bulkhead!
Tons of females, keepers and shorts! I did keep only a few females (NO EGGS) just to make the catch worth keeping. Netted probably 8 crabs off the pilings while catching another 13 in the traps. One soft shell in the mix too. I netted 3 couples mating too (sorry to disturb, haha). The folks out on the pier weren't catching many and what they did catch were some shorts (which I think they kept...) 4.5 inches people!! Any less has hardly any meat anyways!
It really turned on around 10am, later than usual. I think the tide must have changed and then I got a keeper almost every pull. Overall I was pleased with the day even with the late start and bagged 21 crabs. I think being out on a boat is still the best bet and being able to move around.
Someone walking by said the park was hoping to reopen in 18 months but it was going to cost 18 million to fix it! It didn't look that bad to me but the road was washed out and I'm no engineer...
Pic of the catch
Ended up deciding to go back to Berkley only to find it closed! I haven't been down there since Sandy obviously and was surprised to find the park gated. You can walk in though and I decided I might as well since I drove over and hour to crab. Part of the fishing dock is closed and there were people out there so I decided to drop test traps along the bulkhead on the south and west side. Tried chicken, bunker and something new, shrimp! I bagged the shrimp in a mesh bag and it was a big hit! Got a few small ones on the south-cove area, but got into some bigger ones on the corner and the open west side of the bulkhead!
Tons of females, keepers and shorts! I did keep only a few females (NO EGGS) just to make the catch worth keeping. Netted probably 8 crabs off the pilings while catching another 13 in the traps. One soft shell in the mix too. I netted 3 couples mating too (sorry to disturb, haha). The folks out on the pier weren't catching many and what they did catch were some shorts (which I think they kept...) 4.5 inches people!! Any less has hardly any meat anyways!
It really turned on around 10am, later than usual. I think the tide must have changed and then I got a keeper almost every pull. Overall I was pleased with the day even with the late start and bagged 21 crabs. I think being out on a boat is still the best bet and being able to move around.
Someone walking by said the park was hoping to reopen in 18 months but it was going to cost 18 million to fix it! It didn't look that bad to me but the road was washed out and I'm no engineer...
Pic of the catch