SOUTH RIVER SAT AM-Still Biting

[done workin]

Dropped 1200' of snood line in a little after 7:30, I know it's early but couldn't resist.

Low tide was supposed to be 7:00. Crabbed mouth of Selby Bay behind the green channel marker, right at the mouth. Layed the line around 10-13' feet. Nothing much on 4 runs so we moved one 600' section, into 6-8' and still nothing so we pulled everything around 8:30 with a dozen or so crabs and ran across the river and started again.

Layed between 12' and 7' and started where we left off. 1 here one there.

Finally things started picking up and we started pulling the lines in around 10:30 with a full bushel broken down approx as follows:

3/4- #1 (6" or better, half probably over 6 1/2")and black,
1/4- #2 black and maybe a few (6 or so) heavy females.

Only measured about 1/2 dozen of what we kept and the "small" ones were
5 1/2"-5 3/4".

In all honesty, I think the tide was more critical than anything. Neither end of the line was better than the other. Low tide at 7:00 and with a west wind, I don't think it really started moving until 9-9:30 when we got into them. We left with crabs still biting and each run was getting better. Last 3-4 runs had 6-8 BIG KEEPERS each run.

[john pearce]

some days you just have to try an area and the gut feeling will tell you to move or wait, lookss like your moves paid off. nice work

[Neighbor Dave]

Chris,

I agree with you (In all honesty, I think the tide was more critical than anything.) Starting October or there abouts I think tide is more important then getting out as early as you can. This time of year you can crab any time of the day (with afternoon being as productive as morning) as long as there is tide moving.

My 2cents....

ND

[cswan]

Chirs,
You're probably right. Last Sunday I hit Crab Alley, in the Creek. Only two other boats there, but more showed up about 9ish. Tremendously slow..... and I noticed that for most of the time I was there...till 10:30 the float lines (30 traps) were slack. Really nothing moving. Had 8 crabs total....ouch. At the ramp two guys came in from the Bay side. Said that last week two borhters, commercials, at the same spot they were at hauled in 12 bushels. They only had two more than me. The Tide??? Don't know. But coming back up Richie Hwy, I stopped at a guy who has a truck on the South bound side of the road. (It's heck trying to cross Rt. 2). He laughed...and said...Guesss you didn't do to good. Right, I said. Bet you were in 10 ft. of water. Right again I said. You should have tried 15 feet. They are moving into a little deeper water this time of year. If you had done that...bet you would have done well. So....Ok...What do you think? I know what I should have done.. That is to go out into Eastern Bay, found a commercial and checked the depth. Or....been wanting to try this......catch a crab, put him on a fishing line with a balloon attached.....and just track him. He'll tell you the depth. Perhaps going to give this a try this weekend.[/COLOR]

[done workin]

That was the weird thing.

Once the tide moved the line in 12' did as good as the line in 7'. Won't be that way long

[Capt. Dale]

Chris
Just for comparson. That area in Shelby Bay used to produce in the fall on average of 5-10 bu's of mix 1's and 3's a day.

[done workin]

Thanks Dale.

Had we had a moving tide early, we could have pulled 2 bushel easy. Had we stayed, we could have filled a second. Once the tide started moving we caught the large majority of the bushel in 1 1/2 hours. Not bad.

We just took what we needed.

But agreed, still not what it probably used to be.