Seaside Heights Crabbing

[uberlurker]

I'm gonna take a day off for flag day and I'm thinking of taking my son down to Seaside for some crabbing. We usually go the day after Labor Day and just crab off the pier. This time we are thinking of renting a boat for the day. I usually use bluefish for bait but I haven't gone out yet so I'll have to get bait on the way. I am just posting this 'fishing' for any advice that you all are willing to share to help put a couple crabs in the boat.

[Taxman]

I would bring chicken as well as bunker since on certain days one will out produce the other and if you don't go often, why risk it

I have not seen reports for that area yet, there is a bluecrab forum that you can see all sorts of reports as well as pick up valuable tips

[Man Workin]

We have been crabbing in the Seaside area and around, crabbing has been hit or miss. Last trip did produce a few dozen nice ones. We are crabbing from shore, with the Man Workin in Neptune. Oyster Creek is holding the best crabs right now. Chicken is good, just don't throw the old chicken in the water. Feel free to ask me what ever I will be crabbing Saturday with the kids. Not sure where yet.

[Rottilover]

Get yourself a few packages of chicken backs. IMO they're the best part of the chicken to use. Maybe get some frozen bunker as well and you'll be set. I'm gonna wait a few more weeks but I can't wait to start crabbing. Good luck. Let us know how you do.

[Sharkyispy]

If water warms up.head over to pole island area and anchor on banks. There are also some areas off the bay back near bayvilles that produced . Use what was recommended for bait

[uberlurker]

Thank you all for the feedback. I guess that I'll try to find some chicken backs. I have never used chicken always used fish. We plan on getting a rental boat so we won't be going far from the crabbing pier. We used to head over by the bridge years ago and thought that we'd try there first.

[Rottilover]

I don't know where your from but not all supermarkets carry chicken backs. They tend to be in supermarkets in more urban areas. It took me a bit of searching before I found them. I know Key Food has them . Good luck

[Man Workin]

We get ours at Folies in Hamilton, N.J. Sorry but I just bought all they had for tonight / tomorrows trip. LOL. There Out.

[RussH]

Yep, back when I used to create often I'd go to the path mark next to Paterson late night before the trip and buy out all the leftover chicken from the day. Sometimes it would be discounted to pennies a pound. Way cheaper than bunker but you need to handle it with care and dispose of it properly.

[Capt. Debbie]

The debate between Bunker and chicken has been going on for years with crabbers. There is NO better bait. I've used both and found no difference. I even had a chicken broth chum log to lay on the bottom and made no difference crabbing. Bunker and chicken caught the same.

Chicken do have the disadvantage of the skins carrying disease. SO don't eat sandwiches or with your hands after handing them.

And yes Chicken necks are easier to get in ghetto areas supermarkets.

Check your PM's. There's a website solely crabbers. get good intel from there.



Thank you all for the feedback. I guess that I'll try to find some chicken backs. I have never used chicken always used fish. We plan on getting a rental boat so we won't be going far from the crabbing pier. We used to head over by the bridge years ago and thought that we'd try there first.

[Capt. Debbie]

There are no more Pathmarks



Yep, back when I used to create often I'd go to the path mark next to Paterson late night before the trip and buy out all the leftover chicken from the day. Sometimes it would be discounted to pennies a pound. Way cheaper than bunker but you need to handle it with care and dispose of it properly.

[RussH]

"back in the day" there were two very crappy ones. Now there's a nice looking ACME so I doubt you can get the same garbage chicken. Maybe though I haven't checked.

[Man Workin]

We will be there working some spots early, I think tide is five on Saturday. I will have plenty of chicken if you get skunked, and we wind up at the same place. My truck is Silverado with Local 68 Iron Worker & tog stickers.

[uberlurker]

Yes please let me know how you do. Any advice is appreciated. Weather Tuesday looks great

[uberlurker]

We have been crabbing in the Seaside area and around, crabbing has been hit or miss. Last trip did produce a few dozen nice ones. We are crabbing from shore, with the Man Workin in Neptune. Oyster Creek is holding the best crabs right now. Chicken is good, just don't throw the old chicken in the water. Feel free to ask me what ever I will be crabbing Saturday with the kids. Not sure where yet.

So what's the trick with the chicken?

[chrislars]

So what's the trick with the chicken?

No trick, but it is considered rude if you throw it back because the crabs will be eating that rather than other people's bait who are trying to catch them.

Also, it's not something naturally found in the water, so it decays different and the bones are different than other animals in the water and therefore digested different if something eats it. Seagulls also grab the scraps and not that most people care, but they don't digest it well supposedly.

[Man Workin]

Hey Uber,
Sent you a P.M, we did well had 34 before 10. Comment above is right about the chicken. It's not natural and many times when crabbing around peoples docks and boats it makes the water disgusting if you throw it back.

Side note many place are not letting people crab until 7am for some reason. The cops told us to stop at 5:30 and wait till 7, never heard of that before.

[NoLimit]

There have always been all sorts of dead birds in the water for crabs to eat for thousands of years.

Think gulls, duck, goose. I would not worry about it being "unnatural".

Plus if you throw away the old bait where you fish, it will attract more crab. That is why one of my favorite honey holes is next to a floating dock that has some of the best charter boats around. They always come back with lots of fish and they dump the racks in the water which is a huge attraction.

[uberlurker]

We're heading down tomorrow morning. I have 6 traps and 6 chicken backs. I'll probably stop for some bunker on the way out 37. Are the blowfish around worth trying to catch? Maybe I should find some squid too. Thanks for the advice and I'll post tomorrow night when we get home.

[SaltLife1980]

There have always been all sorts of dead birds in the water for crabs to eat for thousands of years.

Think gulls, duck, goose. I would not worry about it being "unnatural".

Plus if you throw away the old bait where you fish, it will attract more crab. That is why one of my favorite honey holes is next to a floating dock that has some of the best charter boats around. They always come back with lots of fish and they dump the racks in the water which is a huge attraction.

Totally agree. When i worked on a 6 pack we cut at the dock on the boat and we had a friend that dropped his traps in the slip we were in and he did amazing. Ton of crabs.

[acabtp]

back in college when we had a house down in seaside for a week a buddy of mine caught crabs and he wasn't even trying! :eek: :D

[uberlurker]

We had a nice day today. Can't say if chicken out performed bunker but I preferred dealing with the bunker. We set up a line of 5 traps along the channel and had good results. A lot of small ones but we came home with 20 keepers. Had a couple of nice females but they all went back. We rented a boat from bill's right by the crabbing pier and I would recommend them. In fact we are planning on going back next month. We started late around noon and crabbed until 4. Once the tide went slack the action went slack too. The last hour was not very productive, I don't think we had a keeper the last hour. Nothing big, biggest was 6 inches across.