soft crab bait

[5th Tuition]

Does anyone know of a good supplier of soft crab baits? Now before anyone tells me I'm crazy to use $4 baits to catch $2 fish, let me explain. I'm looking for a seafood shop that has soft crabs that are TOO OLD to sell as fresh. You know how they start to move from FRESH to PAPER SHELL. In fact the paper shells stay on the hook better. I also buy FRESH DEAD, which they can't sell. These usually cost about $1 each. Can anyone help? Since we're on the fish tails site, looking for glen burnie/pasadena area. 5th (Marty)

[fishleader]

Hey Marty, the seafood stores are now taking the stills and freezing them for people food than selling them for bait. I remember when they would give away the stills or sell them cheep. Those days are gone just like when you could buy fuel for less than a dollar.
If you hear of a source for solf crabs I would also like to know.

[5th Tuition]

I hear you George. I had a friend that was a crabber and he would slough out his own softies. He would always throw the fresh dead or papershells in a coolbox for me. I would pick them up for $1 each. Crabbing got so bad, he sold his boat and all his pots. He now just has a small "whaler" type boat and trot line. With livelining; I didn't need many crabs last year, but you never know what the "hot" bait will be. I'll keep you in mind if I find something. 5th (Marty)

[Plan B.]

I have had very good luck using Berkley Gulp peeler crabs in just about every color they offer. they are still pricey, but i would rather have my soft crabs on a sandwich. I take the largest gulp crabs and use them whole for larger fish or cut them into quaters for pan fish.

[5th Tuition]

Plan B; Thanks for responding. I haven't tried any of the gulp. Have you seen the big bowls of gulp with three inch shrimp in them? I was wondering if you could just use the liquid in the bowl (after all the baits were gone) to DIP your other baits into. So could you dip your peelers, cut alwives, or even live spot or perch into it to give off some extra scent? That stuff is so expensive I would want to use every drop. Anyone try it? 5th (Marty)

[Plan B.]

I don't know about putting live or cut bait in it but I have put other plastic lures in the juice for a little bit of scent. If you try it with cut bait let me Know how it works. And yes i have seen the small and large buckets with various types of baits.

[garlien]

Marty,

Are peelers working well for you ? I am still get some decent sized stripers (15-20") and perch on plastic shads and clams....Last few times I tried both peelers and squid the results were not that good...

Mike

[mosgo]

I do, Pm me for details but i have a contact and prices.


moses