Thinking about doing some crabbing with my kiddos, will do it from land. Never have done it before. I know there has to be a place at Rockefeller Refuge (any ideas would be appreciated ) and someone told just to go to the state park at Cypremort Point. What's the best method of catching ? My friend said the large traps work well but need to be left out overnight. Would appreciated any suggestions you might have. "Boil the water Cloteil, I'm coming home with the crabs" (If there is already a thread on this, please direct me to it.)
Traps work great, but are not much fun for kids. We used to come in from a morning of fishing, clean our fish, and put the heads and guts in our traps. By the evening we would have three to four dozen crabs. The next morning we would have several more dozen. The way to do it with kids is with a line. Get some wooden stakes and tie enough string to reach bottom where you are crabbing to the stake. Drive the steaks into the ground. If there are pilings around you can just tie your sting to those. At the end of the string tie a chicken neck and a weight to sink it. When the lines go tight slowly pull the string in. If you pull slowly the crab will keep eating at the neck. When they get to the surface scoop them up with a dip net, and throw your line back out. If your spot is any good you can easily catch an ice chest full of crabs.
this, except I've never weighted the line. Pre-Katrina/Rita, a 5 minute boat ride from my launch would get you to the best crabbing spot in the history of the world. There was a dam bordering the PAC wildlife reserve. You didn't even need bait. Just show up with your net, and scoop them off the side of the dam or edges of the levee. The crabs weren't real fat, but there was thousands of them. As in if you fell in on the wrong side, you may not come out alive. It was nothing for us to leave late afternoon (3:00-4:00 ish), fill up a 48 qt ice chest (while being picky about what we kept), come home, boil and eat them all before dark. The storms destroyed the dam leaving a gaping hole instead,so the crabs spread out for a few years. The new dam was finished last year. The crabs are slowly coming back. Can still catch an ice chest full, but it will take a bit longer than before.
I've been to Bayou Fouchon with a friend and we caught 22 dozen crabs in a couple hours with two pieces of string 16 foot long between two stakes in waist deep water and a dozen turkey necks tied into them. Using a dip net we would walk from one end to the other and by the time we got to the end of the second line, we would walk back and start over again.
Are you talking about that place near Montegut? I went there a few times in the early 2000's and it was awesome. No bait. Just walk around and scoop them up. We never got any big ones but the quantity made up for it
yep. behind Montegut. as young kids, we would take pirogues across the reserve to get there. 20 minute paddle or so. as washed out as the reserve is now, probably a lot shorter of a paddle than when we were kids. then we got older and lazier, and used outboards instead. 3 minute car ride to the launch, 5 minute boat ride to the dam.
Rockefeller is best if you go in with a boat and find a spot but when you drive up at and before the spillway you can crab there and should catch plenty for kids to have fun and also to cook. There are always locals with cast nets on one end but on the channel side and along it there's room. Between Little Prairie and Pecan Island there are several wharf structures you can get on with a good shoulder to park on too. Check the tides and go early. Supposed to be best when tide is coming in. I like to use leg quarters. Have tried beef melt and it works well but doesn't last nearly as long and if the blood gets on nets they'll eat it or cut it trying. Go to academy and pick up a couple of nets, NOT TRAPS. These nets are a couple of dollars and very easy for the kids. When you pull up the side comes up and pretty sure catch. We use both and the chicken tied to a string is a lot of fun too and a bit more challenging but more get away too.
leaving in a lil bit to head to the dam. little warm, but the radar looks a lot more promising than I expected. will update when we get home.
KyleK and his family came down. His kids and mine got along great! not a great day of crabbing though. we caught about a dozen and a half (which is actually quite terrible). luckily, down here you're never far from a seafood shack. so picked up a couple dozen more and had us a boil. Good times! Hope to do it again soon. Hopefully when the crabs are biting.
