CTFishTalk.com: Blue Crabs? - Connecticut River Reports ( CT River Reports ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

Linn015 · Joined: 25 Jun 2010 Posts: 14

Has anyone gone crabbing? I usually go around this time of year but I havent seen many people going.

Fish On! · Joined: 24 Dec 2009 Posts: 68 Location: Northeast, CT

Went crabbing in a cove off of the Thames on 6-26-10 and it was successful. There a whole lot of small ones but ended of with plenty of keepers.

PECo · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT

I tried crabbing with my kids at Rocky Neck State Park a couple of years ago and all we caught, or even saw, were asian crabs.
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Fish On! · Joined: 24 Dec 2009 Posts: 68 Location: Northeast, CT

Just wanted to add that I was crabbing from a boat which makes a big difference

cthonkerheaven · Joined: 25 Mar 2010 Posts: 142

Crabbing gets best at the end of July into End of september. There are many good spots on the shoreline, if you hit it right, grab a pair of waiters with 2 crabbing nets, find a rocky spot thats not to deep where you can walk in the water a little bit. I do alot of scoop netting with my waiters and a net. Many blue crabs will sit under the rocks with a female, once end of july comes, its very easy to go out and catch 30+ crabs in a couple hours, just be careful not to keep any females that have eggs on them. I love taken them home, making a home made spaghetti sauce with them. I cut all the crabs in half, take the top shell off and the guts and I boil them in the sauce for 30-45 mins, then i turn it on low and let them marinate for another hour in the sauce. After that I take all the crabs all out and let the sauce continue going. It takes me about an hour to break all the meat out of the body and claws, I bowl all that meat up and then i pour it back in the sauce and let it cook for another hour on low and mmmmm its the best, blue crab meat spaghetti sauce Smile

PECo · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT

cthonkerheaven

Blue crabmeat spaghetti sauce sounds terrific. I'm heading down to the DC area for the week and intend to eat as much blue crab as I can.

Phil
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cthonkerheaven · Joined: 25 Mar 2010 Posts: 142

haha its amazing and very easy, if you cannot make your own spaghetti sauce, then just grab an average jar sauce thats 3-4 dollar jar sauce, you want 1 jar per 4-5 crabs, theres been times were i've grabbed 10 jars put them in a pot with the crabs let them cook on medium for 4- hours, you can look in there and smell the crab meat and see the juices bubbling in the sauce. Then take some tongs, remove the crab and shake off any extra sauce from the crab, put them in the sink in a strainer, rinse them with cold water right away then get ready to clean the meat out. I get very pick with every little bit of meat and bowl it up, once your finished, pour the meat back into sauce and let that cook for as long as u can, no more then 3 hours on low, the sauce it amazing, you can freeze it, 10 jars of sauce and all those crabs i usually mix with 3 pounds of pasta and the spaghetti soaks it up so fast, people love it tho Smile

let me know if anyone wants to go crabbing later in the summer, ill bring them to some hot spots

RobO · Joined: 24 May 2010 Posts: 285 Location: South Windsor

I think I will take you up on that crabbing offer.
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ploplopfizzfizz · Joined: 31 May 2007 Posts: 629 Location: Branford

They key to making the best crab sauce is not eating the sauce the same day you make it. Let it sit overnight and eat it the next day.
If you dare buy sauce and make crab sauce with store bought, then someone should keel you.

Very simple take 2-3 cans crush tomato. add fresh cut garlic and other spices. Put crabs in sauce and let simmer on low for a few hours.
If the sauce is to acidic add a tiny bit of sugar to break it down or even a whole carrot.
Remove carrot when done cooking and let sauce sit overnight and eat the next day.
I prefer cold crab sauce, so I usually boil the pasta, mix it and put in the fridge with sauce and crabs on top.
Its no comparison day old sauce blows away just made sauce.
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asianfisher · Joined: 12 Jan 2009 Posts: 920

I know the secret spots that they all sit on the seaweed... Im sure few here know the spot but yea late july is the best to go..... can fill 5 to 6 5=gallon buckets in 2-3 hrs..... Used to better than that where i can fill rubbermaid garbage can in 1- hr... hasnt been like that in a long time.....

cthonkerheaven · Joined: 25 Mar 2010 Posts: 142

asian let me know, im game to travel and catch blue crabs all over. Nothing like a good day of crabbing. Its so weird when I go crabbing, I dont want anything to eat, nothing to drink, just concentrate and moving slow through the water, catching everythere i can, now im pumped lets goooooo

SkeeterJim · Joined: 08 May 2007 Posts: 2219 Location: Newington, CT

Curse you all!!!! Here it is almost lunch time while I'm reading this and my mouth is starting to water. I hate you guys!! Very Happy

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RobO · Joined: 24 May 2010 Posts: 285 Location: South Windsor

Has anyone ever crabbed from the DEP docks? If so what did you use?
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ploplopfizzfizz · Joined: 31 May 2007 Posts: 629 Location: Branford

Just use chicken thighs with fat on them..
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cthonkerheaven · Joined: 25 Mar 2010 Posts: 142

Yes, chicken legs are the best, but DO NOT waste your time at the docks you'll get 4-5 in an hour if your lucky lol, or some "people" catch any size, rip the claws off and throw the body back in, what a waste. I used to throw a few strings out while i striper fished, helps with the time going by when your getting no bites Smile

chicken legs on a string is the best way to go or a LARGE circle drop trap, thats about it. The illegal box traps work good too, the ones htat have no doors, just a couple openings and he crabs fall in and there stuck haha Smile