I'd like to try a 2500' clam line this year.......

[Wishin4Fishin]

I've been running eel and bull-lip for years and I'd like to try a clam line this year... Any info on how to construct this line would be helpful, like how to attach them to the line with snood or clip and where to get them would be appreciated... Thanks in advance for the info,
Rich

[Capt. Dale]

I sell pre-made bait bags,also bungee snoods!
give me a p-mail or call 301-233-6832

[TimBass]

Come to the Snoodfest in February, plenty of information on clam lines Tim

[John Yurch]

Are the other lines you have been running 2500 ft. in length, because there is quite a difference in using bull lips, necks etc. compared to clam bags. They take up a lot more space. I am not saying that it can't be done because I run clams myself at times, but it can be time consuming in baiting, unbaiting etc. Just my take.

[capt brad]

Why go to the effort? Does anyone think they will catch more vs the time. I still use necks and a stright line. All the rest of the guys use snoods now. Bull lips and ells used to be cheap but a market upturn has made them priceless. Can't even get them over here. I can't imagine stuffing 4 clams in a bag, laying it in 4 baskets, setting it in the dark, rolling it up and unbaiting it to do it again tomorrow. Just seems like more work vs not too many more crabs. I'm just saying. I have no expierence with them nor do I plan to get any. Stright necks seem to work just fine.

Maybe you should try White and Chartruse Clambags. Die's pretty cheap right now. You might be on to something the rest of us don't know.

[BowMovements]

I'll be doin 3k of bag line up this year as well. From everyone I talk to clams will produce when necks do not. Like during the off hours of the morning and when temps are still off. You can reuse clams as long as they are still closed and are not demolished by crab. They will store for about a week from what I'm told and will definitly produce for ya. Keep the bags 7 to 10 feet apart depending on how much work and money you want to spend on baiting. The mesh comes in 1500' rolls and you cut the sleeve between 6 and 8 inches long. Then you use a stainless 3/4 inch hog ring on one end. Then turn the bag inside out, fill with bait, and attach to snood securely. I was told to make plenty of bags because you will lose some every trip. Hope this info helps you understand a little better as it did me.

[samie]

Where do you get the roll of mesh?

[BowMovements]

I might try Millers Island pot supply but I know rj has a supplier I just forgot who he said it was.

[Fat Jimmy]

I'm stickin with my chicken at this point too. I think it comes down to whether or not you're trying to make a buck and how much it's worth the extra time, money and effort. Until I have a problem catching enough crabs with my necks, it's not worth it for me personally. I still believe if the crabs are there they'll eat chicken, the only time it could be a problem is if you're set up close to someone using clams.

[POLECAT]

Clam bag material and finished clam bags are available from yours truly.

Make your own bags or buy them already made.

I have all the supplies needed to make snood lines and clam bags.

Contact me if you need anything now or come to Snood Fest on February 28 and get what you need there.

[capt brad]

How long does it take to bait 3 grand of line w/ clams? I can do 1K of stright in about 20 mins with everything thawed and ready. 5'+/- So more or less an hour with 3? What about tangles? I this a problem? I can build a knot in a stright line like you can't believe. I'd freak with something dangling off of it.I've kept necks up to a year. At $25 a box I can bait about 4 times plus some left for the kids with string.

Also, something to ponder
Does a crab wonder around and think "I think I'll have clams for lunch today I'm tired of chicken"?

[BowMovements]

I have never had a problem with tangles with snoods. EVER. My winder coils it perfectly into a basket and all I have to do is pat it down ever so often. As far as their choice of bait... who knows. I know that if clams are in the water around me my catch decreases drastically. I can bait 4k of snood line in about an hour and a half and that's with cuttn baits included. I have never used clam bags but I'll find out this spring.

[BowMovements]

Can you list your prices for material and the finshed product please. I still don't have access to my PM box.

[redbeard]

it take about a full box-40 lbs to bait 2400 ft. for me anyhow. clams are the best because thats what crabs eat in the wild here. if i'm runnin necks and another crabber is runin clams close by-even 100 ft i've seen the bite stop and they keep catchin. my baits with necks are 4 ft apart with clams i bait every other snood and i can bait 2400 ft with about 1/2 bu clams

[POLECAT]

Can you list your prices for material and the finshed product please. I still don't have access to my PM box.

That practice is not allowed or I would gladly post it..
Post your email address and I will send a price schedule to it.

Thanks.

[greenwater]

Just curious why you space the bags about twice what you would with chicken? Is there a problem laying out or is that all you need to be economic? My snoods are every five feet, should i do every other snood? Thanks for the help.

[capt brad]

I still can't see the purpose. Maybe I should go with one of these guys and see how it's done but I don't want to be in the practice of "Making Work just to have Work"
I'm not trying to knock what anyone does and as a Comm you have to be more frugal than us recs. I understand that part.
But the only guys I see catching more than me are the ones that spend more time on the water than I do, Have a longer line than I have, or a litle more expierence(there's plenty of them)
I've only been within a 100" of another crabber w/o permission once. I layed across his 3k but moved as soon as I saw him and he wasn't chapped at all. He said "Just move over there a little".

I wasn't hurting him and he not me. I do my part to stay away from other folks.

I still don't think a crab will catch better on a different bait. More have been caught on necks than all others combined. Eels are a pain and bull lips are rare. Clams are next. There will still be chicken farms and kids like me will still be using them.

I would like to see this clambag thing and how it works but I don't think it's going to change my mind.

[BowMovements]

Capt. Brad,
We can try it out this spring if you want. I'll baitup 1200 w/ clams and you 1200 with nx that way we can compare the catch ratio. We can take my skiff out to the GP, South River or wherever. It would be fun to see if the outcome. We will split the catch of course. What do ya think?

Polecat my email is mblackiston@comcast.net

Greenwater They are spaced further apart to be more cost effective and it is all that is needed apparently. Clam bags bring up 2 and 3 crabs at a time hanging on.

[greenwater]

Ok thats what i was wondering thanks

[capt brad]

BM I'd love to do the comparison thing. It would be good to know. I'll start about Memorial Day down around Smith Creek. I've never been up far north as you are. I don't know Balt would let me thru the tunnels with my junk rig. They would think I'm a terrorist or something.
I'd love to see 2-3 come at a time. Of course I'd probably miss all of 'em. or drop the net. or tangle the line in the prop. I can manufactor ways to mess it up. I'm good at that.

But Seriously that would be interesting to know.

[BowMovements]

nah, you'll be fine Baltimore has pretty low standards. Just look at our local gov't lol. Besides you can just drive up and we can use my rig, I can run unlimited line. Where abouts are you at We might even be able to find a happy medium.

[POLECAT]

On May 20, 2008 I and another full time commercial crabber made the following comparison:

Location: Lower Patuxent River.
Water clarity: Visibility more than 6' below the surface. Very clear water.
Depth of lines: 10' to 16'

One 1200' snood line baited with clam (bags) spaced at 10' intervals yielded 90 keepers.
One 1200' snood line baited with fowl necks spaced every 4' yielded 4 keepers.

The clam line caught 22.5 times more crabs that day than did the neck line.

The clams were fresh. The necks were frozen and in excellent condition.

We saw crabs dropping off both lines, however, we saw many, many more drop off the necks and very few dropping off the clams.

Later in the year when water temps were higher necks caught better, but NEVER as good as clams produced.
If clams were not a more effective bait, full time crabbers would not use them consistently.
Everyone has their prefernces and there will always be those who like the method they use regardless. And that's OK!!!

My mission is not to attempt to convince or convert anyone. I am simply sharing results I (and others) have experienced.

I invite anyone to conduct their own experiment and post their results.

[BowMovements]

Same story I was told. One of the reasons why it intrests me this year. Cold weather sucks! Come'on Spring!

[samie]

Mr Polecat. I am interested in prices and location. mpc24@verizon.net I run commercial pots as well as trotline and use clams in my pots, necks on a line. I tried necks in half my pots and clams in the other half just as a goof. The clams caught more than the necks. Have not tried clams on a line but I will run two lines and compare. Any problems with getting the bags caught in a net?

[POLECAT]

Samie,

If the holes in the net are large enough, any bait can get stuck or slip thru the hole. To prevent this, I line the inside rear portion of my dip nets with hardware cloth (6" X 16") [aka rabbit wire]. This eliminates the possibility of baits or bags becoming snagged.

A copy of the price list has been forwarded to your email address.
Thanks for your interest and for sharing your experiences.

[POLECAT]

Just curious why you space the bags about twice what you would with chicken? Is there a problem laying out or is that all you need to be economic? My snoods are every five feet, should i do every other snood? Thanks for the help.


I conducted another experiment before I decided on the spacing of clam bags on my clam bag lines:

Before I had lines made exclusively for clam bags, I used my regular snood lines that had snoods spaced every 4'.

I baited one 1200' line with clam bags every 8' ( Every other snood had a bag on it.)

A second 1200' line was baited every third snood leaving a 12' spacing between bait bags.

I kept a record of the number of keeper crabs caught on each line and the harvest from both lines was almost equal.

One line had about 150 bags; the other line had 100 bags. The results were almost identical.

I decided on a spacing of 10' for the snood lines I eventually made exclusively for bait bags.

Crabs will travel for clams. It's like Crab Cocaine to them. I don't feel it's worth the extra cost of bait, investment in snoods & bags, and time to bait additional bags every 4' or 5' or 6'. That's just my opinion. Everyone has their own take on spacing. Mine is based on my experiences. I could be stingy and place bags every 15' apart or farther, but there is a point where I would see a diminishing return. If I thought crabs were superstitious I'd try baiting every 13'! That's an experiment I'll leave to someone else.

[Burchbeer]

For this Cx nxer in my topless tpx the clams are king but I also use nx,wp,bluefish,eels, water moc, whatever I come across.
(Water moccasons get into the minnow traps and die of suffocation.) They catch crabs!

Consistent catches are with nx and clam.

What do I know?

Be quiet Gary!

DB

[samie]

Thanks for the net idea. I will try bags this year and compare. I will give you a call. Thanks

[Basket Case]

Hey Jerry, was that a rainy day. Harry

[POLECAT]

Harry,

Where ya been hiding?

You recall that trip. It was an eye opener.

Hope to see you in OC at the Expo.

Would love to have you & Anne join our group at dinner Friday evening.

[Basket Case]

Jerry, We will be there working as usual. Dinner sounds great. I think there's going to be a blue 22 there this year. Harry

[Capt. Dale]

FYI
Those of you going to the Expo in OC
check out the Judge Yachts desplay & video Harry has using Clam Bags on a trot-line.
Harry
Looking foward to seeing you at OC.
Will you have any SS prop-sticks for rod holders?
I should get another crab ruler form you while I'm there.

[Basket Case]

Hey Capt. Dale, He doesn't Make the SS prop-stick any more. I'm sure he could have one made if someone wanted one. I 'll have lots rulers for you. See you there.

Harry