Severn River Kayak Crabbing (9/28/14)

[MetroMan]

This was my first crabbing trip of 2014...

Hit the Severn early this morning, launching out of Jonas. I set up a bit further up river than where I normally like to crab. This was a mistake. This zone seemed to be quite dead. I spent (WASTED) quite a few hours here with only a few crabs to show for it. THey were big...but just not in numbers at this location.

I absolutely try my best to avoid having to re-position the trotline...it can be a pain on the yak. But my options were go home with less than a dozen crabs, or take some time to relocate and try some more. I opted to find a new location. Best move of the day.

I moved about 3/4 mile down river and set out my gear again. After just a few runs at this new location, I was ready to get off the water with over 2 dozen crabs. I didn't want to bring home a whole bunch, so this was perfect. I left them biting for another day.

The size of these crabs were consistently big...6.5" & up. Not bad for my first time of the year.

[Snakehead Hunter]

That's awesome man. I want to try crabbing too but maybe next year

[eyedaddy]

Great Job! I used to trot line in a boat and hated with a passion moving that thing but most of the time it did pay off. The move was more times than not to the place I wanted to go in the first place.

eyedaddy

[MetroMan]

They were delicious. Most of them were BRICKS.

[Big Mike]

Yum. Now that is a thing of beauty.

[PigPen]

Trot lines seem like a lot of work. Is it that much more productive than throwing out a few traps from a yak? I've watched a few boaters do it and it seems like they don't get much time to fish.

[MetroMan]

Much more productive during most of the year (traps are better in the early part of the season). It is a lot of work, But 100 baits in the water is a good thing. When I trotline, it's all about the crabbing (no fishing).


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[whenican]

Well done! I saw a dude ticketed for undersized crabs today.

[Pc4sun]

Well done! I saw a dude ticketed for undersized crabs today.

Good. He should have known better.

[Pc4sun]

Nice catch! Thanks for the report. They look delicious.

[Frogsauce]

I just recently learned how to catch crabs from the yak. But what's the main advantage of the trot line from the yak? Doesn't it limit you in mobility to move around and try different locations?

I only have 4 cheap (actually, free) collapsible traps and I can get a dozen in about 1.5 to 2 hours of crabbing just using the heads/parts of fish I catch. Might be beginners luck, but I do move them around a lot. I cover a half mile area in that time.

[MetroMan]

It does restrict mobility, as it is a pain to relocate the trotline should you need to do so. In all my times crabbing, this was just my third time ever having to move the line. Once your gear is set, its much more efficient for a hands-free kayaker.

With a 600' line, its not uncommon to get a dozen in 2 runs of the line (which equates to about 10 minutes). I've caught a bushel in 2 hrs when the crabbing was really hot on the severn a couple of years ago.

Using traps definitely has the advantage in its simplicity...no doubt about that. In the early parts of the season where the crabs are skittish and tend to let go of the line, the traps tend to outperform as well.

[Frogsauce]

I see, maybe that's something I will experiment with next season.

[kitkatyaker]

Nice job Metro. I might see you next month at the jamboree. Thinking about it.

[MetroMan]

couple of 7 inchers I had tonight after dinner


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