Kayak Crabbing

[Yak Fish]

Hey Guys,
I heard some interest in crabbing a few weeks/months back and I just wanted to share that I'm trying to get out Saturday morning for some kayak crabbing. I've done this in the past with ring traps, but I am attempting to take it further this year...running a trotline. I've rigged the trotline and made some gear modifications to fit the hobie. I'm putting the bushel basket up front so I can scoop the crabs into it. I drilled a hole in the bottom of the bushel basket (offset to one side) and inserted a tightly fitting pvc tube that drops down into the hole in the hobie meant for the sail mast. My hobie also has the outriggers, but I've removed the float from one and replaced it with a roller I fashioned from PVC for the trotline to run along. I've got a reel to keep the line nice and tidy on the way in and on the way out. I'll be pedaling along and scooping crabs (if all goes well) from the line with one free arm while keeping the other arm on the rudder control, keeping me true. I don't know how this will all work since it's my first time, but I'll upload some photos after it's all over. Maybe this will start a wave of kayak crabbers :-) It's way cheaper than a boat for sure. Has anyone tried this before and could offer any advice before I screw up royally?

[Capt C-Hawk]

I hope you do well. I'm wondering how well you'll see the crabs coming up, being so close to the water. Looking forward to your report

[Grilled]

never tried it but want to. i also made a trot line to use on the yak but havent had a chance to use it yet. where are you planning on going?

[Yak Fish]

I was wondering how well I'd see the crabs coming up as well because of the close proximity to the water. I guess I'll find out.

I go crabbing in the Gunpowder. It's a nearby spot that I've pulled some nice crabs from. I'm sure there are better places further south if you live down that way. Oftentimes I'll even take a rod with me while I soak the bait.

[longislandtomd]

Let me know how this goes. Im thinking about ring traps myself. A pictoral on how all of this works would be great.

Looking fwd. to your report!

[Yak Fish]

Ring traps certainly work and I've done a lot of this. The problem is that it takes a lot of traps to catch a significant amount of crabs. As with anything you do on the kayak, you have to be very careful transporting and organizing them so they don't get tangled, turning your crabbing trip into a frustrating nightmare.

[Yak Fish]

Here's good link for general trotline information. This is essentially what I followed to create my setup.

http://www.bluecrab.info/crabbing/trotline.html

Disclaimer:
This is my first time doing this and I've done some things wrong, making corrections and probably have plenty I can improve.

My overall report:
Yes, it is entirely possible to run a trotline with a kayak. However, I believe you need a Hobie or other pedal powered kayak because there are too many things you need to do with your hands. After the first 5 minutes I was ready to call it quits because I ran into some difficulties. So if you do give this a shot, be prepared to persevere until you get it right. The whole idea of running a simple line with weights at the ends seems very simplistic, until you try doing it.

The setup:
I outfitted the main line with outdoor twist ties to hold the bait. Brass clips were tied to each end. I bought a cord reel from Home Depot so I could neatly coil the main line and transport it out to where I will crab. I stowed it inside the bushel basket, and I secured the basket to the front of the Hobie using a piece of pvc that goes through the basket and into the sail mast hole in the Hobie. Bungees were then used to secure it from rotating. I carried two 5lb weights with lines tied to them and a brass clip at the other end in my milk crate. I carried the rest of the crabbing supplies inside the basket including the two lengths of line with chains, the pair of floats and the bag of chicken necks. I bought the floats at Bass Pro and this version looks like a large bullet with a hole through the center. I ran some line through the hole a few times so that I could have a location to clip the brass clips onto. My propstick was made from pvc that slid onto the outrigger arm on my kayak.

Setting up the trotline:
Here's where I learned what I would do differently. I clipped the weight to the float first (I didn't want to lose it if I dropped it, making a very short day. I followed this philosophy for all things that could sink/float) and dropped the weight overboard. The float was still in my hands and I clipped the length of line with the chain to the float. Everything must be ready to deploy or you are in for a world of hurt. Holding the chain, I pedaled to make the line taut and clipped the main line to the chain. My main line was on a reel so as I pedaled, I held the reel and let it run out until I got to the other end when I clipped onto the chain, then to the float and then to the weight. At this point I have no bait on the line which is a little different than what traditional boat crabbers do. They bait up the night before, but I don't have a dedicated refrigerator to store stuff like this (and I'm pretty sure my wife wouldn't be happy about it either). So I had to go back along the line and use the twist ties to attach the chicken necks. This was essentially a practice run with no bait. I learned that I'd screwed three things up here. One, I should have made the twist ties longer to make it easier to attach the bait and two, I had too much slack in the line. It's hard to describe, but basically you want the line to come out of the water at about a 45 degree angle. My line was doing that, just from the back of the yak....I was dragging the line. The third thing I learned is that I needed more than a 5lb weight at the end I was starting from. It wasn't holding the bottom. I happened to have my grappling anchor with me so I tied it on as well, solving my problem. To fix the line tension, I paddled to the far weight, picked it up and just pedaled until the line got tight. Remember, in the kayak, every bit of outside influence wants to pull you around, wind, current and pulling a line taut. So just think about that when trying these things. It's just a little difficult to maintain your bearing, but nothing you can't overcome. So I went back to baiting the line and found it was too taut, but because i kept the lighter weight at the other end, I gave a few hard tugs to give me some slack and finally my line was perfect. Next time I'll know exactly how to do it. I continued baiting the line with my short twist ties which took about half an hour to tie on 100 baits on my 500' line. This did not go as smoothly as I anticipated because of the short ties and the time it took to do this. By the end, I lost 90% of my bait due to crabs stealing it. I am now considering snoods, or even small rubber bands that I would secure to the necks the night before making it easy to clip onto the main line somehow. The necks get smaller as they soak so I'm looking for something with compliance to continue holding it securely. I'm also looking for speed since I am wasting time on the water without bait on.

Running the trotline:
I positioned the yak near the float, scooped at it with my net and put it over the propstick. This seems to be the most difficult portion of running the line since there are so many forces trying the pull the kayak, the float, the weight and the chain. You will learn how to cope with this. The key is making sure the kayak is pointed in the right direction, I have the rudder set to point the kayak away from the line since the force of the line will try to turn you into it. There will be times when the front end drifts towards the line but I learned to use the dip net like a paddle on the non-line side to straighten me. You will eventually learn how to get your yak into equilibrium. From there you pedal slowly, keeping your hand on the rudder constantly monitoring your position relative the the line. In my other hand, I am holding the dip net bracing the long end under my arm. I left it in the water just under the line so I could get at the crabs faster. The very first crab I caught was the biggest of the day. And my netting skills were not very good the first time. I missed him, knocking him off the line and with a wild scoop I happened to get him as he was swimming away. In the process, I'd knocked the line off the propstick. I also need a propstick that is a little taller since I'd done this a few times causing me to start at the beginning of the line again.

Crabbing results:
I made about 4-5 runs on the line before 90% my bait was gone (poor choice of tying them on) I know crabs took them because the longer I let the line soak, the more went missing. In this time I got 13 keepers and more throwbacks than I can count. The trotline is a very efficient method for catching crabs, although I would say ring traps that I'd used in the past yielded larger crabs, but since I lost so much bait it's hard to compare for the first time. Once everything was set up, it was pretty fun to scoop the crabs as they came up. There are tons on the line and sometimes 2 at a shot. When I got back to the marina a boat had pulled up with a bushel of crabs. They had traveled a little further than I and were using 4 sided traps, lots of them. I hope for the same results after I incorporate my lessons learned.

Photos:
I've attached some photos showing the setup. The image showing the reel is how I pulled it in for the day...i just started reeling, removed any bait that remained and it pulled the kayak along until I got to the float. The last one is the catch that I'm steaming in my Weber smoker. In fact, I threw in some alder chunks to add a little smoke flavor and it was a grand slam. I took a video of the setup and I tried to take one running the line but stupid me left the video running sopping up all the memory on the card. I didn't know until I got home.

Hopefully this will be enough information for anyone wanting to do this or were afraid to try. It can be done with good success!

[dhmjd]

so were you measuring for keepers as you went or did you sort them after making a run along the line? Slip knots may be your answer. You can tie the night before, just insert the chicken neck and pull to tighten. zip ties on snoods would also work, just new zip ties every time would get expensive but maybe quick out of the yak-they do look delicious.

[Yak Fish]

It would have been nearly impossible to do it along the line. So anything close got thrown in the basket and checked at the end of the line.

I was trying to avoid the slip knots because I thought I'd be retying them every time. To get the necks off the line you have to pull the knot through, right? I am also worried that my method of pulling the line taut may pull some of the knots through. I like the idea of a snood, or a baitclip that is sort of independent of the main line, but perhaps the slip knot is the way to go and I'm seeing it wrong.

Thanks for the tips!

[surfdog]

yummy i think im going to set out some ring traps in the severn sat. morning. saw a guy crabbing from his yak last year, he tywraped a pool noodle around his bushel basket and floated it on his anchor trolley. a friend of my wives husband pulled in a 8" crab last weekend and a lot of 7'ers.

[surfdog]

everyone i talked to who crab said last weekend there were nothing but little crabs from mayo to the magothy river.

[jet]

i'm so going to try this soon. dont know if i'm gonna go trot line or traps...hmmm...

[Yak Fish]

i think it depends how many you want to catch. If you have a lot of traps, then use them as it will be easier. You probably won't be able to carry that many. I was able to carry 10 with me and it would take awhile to catch a half dozen crabs. So if you are looking to feed a lot of people or you want a lot, a trotline is much more efficient as you are covering more water. The trade off is that it takes a bit more effort.

[Grilled]

when using a trotline, do guys pre-bait the line. I pre-baited the trotline I made then put it in the freezer, now its a big mess full of tangles. Whats the easiet way to store a trotline to prevent tangles and knots?

[Yak Fish]

Sardine,
Check out my pics showing the reel. I got this at Home Depot for a few bucks. I did not pre bait my line because I didn't want the huge mess, although it seems many people do pre bait the lines. I used the reel to set the line and then I used it like a winch to tow the kayak back in when I was done for the day. This kept the line nice and neat. I still want a fast way to tie the chicken necks on the line and I'm not satisfied with most methods I've seen (at least not for my needs). I see that they sell bait clips which are large glorified safety pins. They poke through the hole running the length of the bone so it wouldn't allow crabs to take the bait. I could also see these snapping onto the line really fast. The problem is that they may get costly, $.70/ea. I would need 100. I also thought about making snoods with a hangman's noose at the end of each of them...kind of ironic using a noose to tie on a chicken neck :-)