I need to ba a Lawyer to read DNR regs.

[Boblist]

Ok, bottom line. I have a bay sport license. If I want to go out and chicken neck from my boat, and catch only about a dozen or so crabs, do I need a crabber's license? I don't want to regester the boat, I don't plan on 3 bushels, no trot line, only hand lines and maybe a few wal-mart crab traps.

Thanx, Bob

[Brianczaw]

You're good to go. Don't use more than 30 traps and don't keep more than 1 bushel.
Good luck. and don't use traps on Wednesday--only hand lines can be used on Wednesday and at night.

[27 sailfish]

Are you left or right handed ? :devil2:

I agree - sometimes the DNR rules can be tough to figure out.
Even some officers have trouble.

Miss the old days - 300 feet of trotline
5 traps per person
1 bushel per person

Now , you're right - almost need a lawyer to sort it all out.

[tinmantoo]

same confusion, have sport boat lic. equal 1 bu., are each person with no lic. allowed 2 doz. crabs also? thats the way i get it from rule book? always confused tinmantoo bel air

[uno]

Ok, bottom line. I have a bay sport license. If I want to go out and chicken neck from my boat, and catch only about a dozen or so crabs, do I need a crabber's license? I don't want to regester the boat, I don't plan on 3 bushels, no trot line, only hand lines and maybe a few wal-mart crab traps.

Thanx, Bob

Do you have an INDIVIDUAL Bay Fishing License or do you have the Bay Sport License/Sticker for your boat? If you have the $50 Boat Sicker, you're covered for using 1200' of trotline and up to 30 traps, unlimited handlines and can keep up to 1 bushel. If you have an individual fishing license, I believe you need to add the crabbing license for $2 (resident). If you don't have a fishing license, the resident crabbing license is still only $5.

[gpnglenn]

1 boat license or a crab stamp = 1 bushel and 30 traps
Chesapeake bay sport fishing license = No license, but the good news is
Use 10 or less traps and keep up to 2 dozen crabs unlimited handlines
Never use traps on WED and No gear in the water until 30 prior to sunrise in Sept or 30 min after sunrise in Oct

[Brianczaw]

Also, I believe you can NEVER keep more than 1 bushel unless you're a comm; no matter how many people are on your boat and what kind of licenses you/they have.

[rock n crab]

Also, I believe you can NEVER keep more than 1 bushel unless you're a comm; no matter how many people are on your boat and what kind of licenses you/they have.

unless you have a second person with a rec crab license, then you can keep 2 bushel..... 2 bushel max no matter how many folks onboard with rec crab license.....

[BowMovements]

So to the initial post... Why not just pay 5 bucks and get the license??? Frankly I wouldn't push the buttons if your not sure, and no disrespect, but the interpretations of the laws are just that. Id'e go to the horses mouth, DNR and get your information. Then make an educated go at it. Don't take the word of a few guys on a message board. There are a few on here that know their $hit but that does't mean that thier interpretation is the same as DNR's either. Please dont take any offense to this I'm just urging you to find out from those who try to enforce the law. JMHO

[crab_clam]

BowMovements,

You are right, but there is also no gaurantee that one DNR officer or another will have the same interpretation. The boat crab license is a joke...I used to put it on my boat when I was a rec and when I was pulled over by officer Cronaker in Benedict he laughed at me. I told him I had my regular crabbing license, the one I get from putting the chesepeake sportsman license on the boat and I still spent $15 dollars on the boat license just in hopes of him not messing with me when he saw the decal. It still didn't work..he is the one that gave my buddy a ticket because his chesapeake sportsman license didn't have complimentary crabbing license printed on it. You never know what each officer interprets.

[gwaud]

No Traps on wednesdays???????????? I thought it was not crabbing from boats on wednesdays