View Full Version : Question How far up the rivers will crabs go?
ssbugjuice
07-30-2010, 02:14 PM
How far up the rivers will the crabs go this time of year? Some people have told me that crabs will go all the way up the Potomac to the Ft Washington area. Other people tell me the crabs don't get anywhere near that far inland. Opnions?
crabby and son
07-30-2010, 03:40 PM
The blue crab can range from 0 salinity to 32 ppt. The males usually require less salinity than the females and prefer 3-15 ppt. The less rain we have, the further the crab will go up a river. I would say crabbing would be good in August about 10 miles past the Nice bridge at 301..........Gary
Michael Smith
07-30-2010, 08:25 PM
I used to snorkel up in the Susquehanna River during the 80's and 90's. If it was a dry summer I would see them all the way up past Port Deposit. Nice ones to.
C-Hawk18
07-30-2010, 09:15 PM
How far up the rivers will the crabs go this time of year? Some people have told me that crabs will go all the way up the Potomac to the Ft Washington area. Other people tell me the crabs don't get anywhere near that far inland. Opnions?
I've seen crabs north of mattawoman in prior years.
SteveL
07-31-2010, 06:03 AM
I've seen crabs north of mattawoman in prior years.
In one very dry year I harvested a jumbo male soft shelll crab on the Potomac at Little Falls at the head of tidewater (where the non-tidal, free-flowing river ends), upstream from Chain Bridge. I had run LF in a whitewater kayak and when I pulled over to shore I found the softy in shallows.
dist2109
07-31-2010, 07:57 AM
Did the same thing one time in the edge pools under C Bridge
ssbugjuice
07-31-2010, 09:05 PM
I answered my own question today. I had business in Quantico, went by the marina on the Marina base. There were commercial pots as far as the eye could see. Watched some of the comms work, they had several crabs in each pot, a few looked really loaded.
fish1
08-01-2010, 06:55 PM
I seen crabs on Greenway flats recently and I fished this weekend out on the flats and female crabs were all over the place.
Capt. Skid
08-12-2010, 07:15 AM
I`ve seen crabs in the Dutch Gap area of the James River which
is only about 6 or so miles from the fall line in Richmond. Drove me nuts while
bass fishing with plastic worms, they cut off a bunch, and made me think that
each bite was a finicky bass..So yes, Danielson, they do exist in the fresh water
about 40 miles from the salt break/brackish water, also seen them in the Chickahomny
River.
Capt.Skid