How long after full moon?

[Boatdog]

How long does it take after a full moon for crabs to fatten up?

I guess my question is, how long after a full moon should I wait to go crabbing to avoid a lot of papershells?

Thanks,

Joe

[trapshoot]

The shell becomes hard after 72 hours but the crab contains little meat. As days go by, the meat content increases and a new soft shell forms under the hard outer shell.

[27 sailfish]

Keep in mind not all crabs shed each full moon. The bigger a crab gets - the less they shed. Small ones tend to grow faster and need to shed more often.

This year the water temps. are slightly lower as well. This slows how fast the crabs grow.

You might see more light crabs in the next week or two but I bet there will be enough heavy ones to make it worth going.