Popular Crab BaitsSoft Crab / Peeler Crab - Spider Crab - Hermit

Crabs

This is an article written about various crab baits that are popular around our coast.

Crabs live around our coast line 12 months of the year and are very often classed as a pest by most anglers. The only time most of us look forward to seeing them is when the winter sets in and then when the winter turns to spring.  We are of course talking about that most sought after bait, the peeler crab.There are other crab baits that are available but the most popular is the peeler crab.

Peeler Crab

As the water temperatures start to increase in the spring many crabs will peel up to 3 times per year, with the first peel being around April early May. The shell of the crab does not grow as the crab grows, so it sheds it shell by taking in large amounts of water, this swells the inner body forcing the shell to crack revealing a new soft shell underneath, this is when you need to collect them.

I know lads who collect 100's and either freeze them down or keep them in a fridge if they are to use them fairly quickly

Crabs can be found in various locations such as rock pools, under rocks and around walls and piers. In the N/East where I originate from a lot of the anglers set crab traps by means of laying old tyres in and around small inlets or mud flats.  Some use guttering stuck in to the sand at about 18 inches deep, I have never done that myself but I believe it can be very productive

The one thing I would emphasise here is that if you do collect your own, please replace any rocks etc that you move, back to their original position.  If you just leave rocks upturned you will destroy the area and the crabs won't be there next time you visit!

When using crab baits the one thing I would suggest is that you cut them nearly completely through, this helps to release the very strong scent and I have had more luck with presenting them that way than when using them whole.

This is a top cod bait, especially along the east coast for Cod, Bass, and a lot of other species.  The one thing to remember with peeler crab is not to obscure the hook point in any way, as with any bait really, make sure you use elasticated cotton to tie it on to your hook, you can then ensure that the hook point is clear. If you buy or get your own and you're unsure how to present a peeler crab then have a look at this link, step by step instructions with pictures and you won't go wrong following the advise on here....Peeler Crab Preparation.

Soft crabs are just peelers that have already peeled, they are very vulnerable to predators at this stage of their existance and most bottom feeding fish find them irrisistable.

The new shells harden fairly quickly but they are a good bait to use immediately if you find any or you could freeze them down.

Hermit Crab

Hermit crabs are a crab bait that seems be more of a localised bait than a regular bait used by most anglers, although it is becoming more widely used and especially as a great bait to use when fishing for smoothound.  The hermit crab has a ‘sac' kind of tail which is hidden away inside the shells in which they live, and it is this part of the hermit which attracts the fish.  It is filled with juices which give off a really very strong scent when burst and the hermit crab is becoming more and more popular as not just a subsitute for peeler crab but as a good bait in it's own right.

To get the crab out of their shells, different methods are employed, the one I find best, is to stand them in fresh tap water for a while and they will come out of their shells without too much difficulty on their own.

Spider Crabs

For a few weeks of it's life the Spider crab is a much sought after bait, mainly on the south coast.  Similar to all common shore crabs, spider crabs have to peel to grow. When the spider crab peels it is only for a short period but it will outfish normal shore peeler crab especially for smoothhounds and the occasional bass.

As with all crab baits using the spiders successfully depends on using peeling spiders in the right place at the right time. On the south coast if you get the venue and timing right the results can indeed be tremendous.

The crab is presented the same way as a normal shore peeler and can prove irrisistable to many species at the right time of the year.  One advantage of these crabs is that they can provide up to 4 good sized baits seeing as they are a lot larger than their common shore cousins.

They are not a species really native to my part of the country, the N/East, but they are plentiful on the south coast and especially in places like Cardigan Bay in west Wales.

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