Been hand lining for crabs, but what to do next?

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Kroozin

Member
Sep 2, 2009
47
0
32
North East England, Teesside.
Hi Bushcrafters. Me and my girlfriend went out to catch some crabs, used 2 99p hand lines and some £1.50 bacon from Tesco. Managed to get 18 shore crabs. We threw them back though. Some were on the large side with huge front claws.
For a total sum of £1.98 that is the cheapest/most fun I've had, ever! Good day out for the kids, then after (or before) you could go via the beach and collect limpets, razors and other shellfish.

But being the bushcrafty type. I was thinking these crabs are so simple to catch you could use nettle cordage, a rock and a worm. Maybe that is how our ancestors caught crabs for their daily diet. I've never heard of anyone eating a shore crab before, just pasty(edible) crabs. So is it safe to eat shore crabs and what can I do with them ?

Cheers
James
 

jonnie drake

Settler
Nov 20, 2009
600
1
west yorkshire
you can just use your hands and search em out at low tide... no need for cordage etc. When the tides in its time to fish, when the tides out its time to forage :D
 

pastymuncher

Nomad
Apr 21, 2010
331
0
The U.K Desert
Personally, I would avoid eating any shellfish from a marina, most boats toilets and waste water go straight into the sea, and the antifoul etc isn't particularly pleasant either.
 

alkier

Member
May 10, 2010
13
0
Bristol
Sounds like you had a blast, i remember going to France on a year 7 trip where me and some buds grabbed some beers from a morally questionable street vendor and bought some cheap rods and sandwich ham to use. We had a great time sitting on the dock of the bay watching our ham float away.... we did catch a couple of crabbies though, that we put back of course!
(not that i suggest wasting meat or drinking near open water. Neither are sensible!)
Its hard to suggest a next thing to do really, you could try rummaging through some rockpools or something? aside from making the step up to full-on fishing i cant think of anything.
Fishing is fun mind you and learning how to do it can help you catch a tasty meal when you're next out camping.

Alk
 
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spiritwalker

Native
Jun 22, 2009
1,244
3
wirral
if you get the chance try for spider crab they are lovely to eat a bit fiddly but the meat is really sweet, i snare them on my beach casters occasionally at Anglesey. i would put them second in flavour to lobster
 

Robbi

Full Member
Mar 1, 2009
10,228
1,027
northern ireland
the local chinese restaurant lads hand line for the crabs in my local marina and take buckets full away with them, don't know what they do with them but it's quite a good chinese !
 

Kroozin

Member
Sep 2, 2009
47
0
32
North East England, Teesside.
Pastymuncher - ah that sounds like some top advice to me ! im listening to that one !

alkier - yeh i already do fishing too. It was just nice to spend time ourdoors with the Mrs sharing the feeling of achievement when you catch a fish, it seems you shared that feeling too.

Spiritwalker - I'll have to fish different areas to see if i can find other crab species. I have heard spider crabs are nice, and can grow large.

Robbi - I'll have to pop down the local take away/fish mongers and see if they would buy crabs. Wonder if I need a licence to catch them if I sell them on.
 

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