Hard back crabs

[james89]

Hi all,

Have done a bit of searching on the forum but can't really find what I'm looking for. Has any one used hard back crabs and had success? There's a few threads that I've found that were asking similar questions but there was no feed back once they'd tried it.

Thinking if fishing the Tyne or wear with a carp rid for the small stuff and hanging a drop net over the edge. Any crabs I get I might try on the heavier beach caster. Any thoughts?

Cheers guys

[onefortheroad]

complete waste of time, you mays well use mussel shells as bait.

[davidhayley1945]

complete waste of time, you mays well use mussel shells as bait.

wait till the summer,and fish up at eyemouth,seahouses,beadnell,st abbs. use live crabs about the size of a 50 pence piece hooked in the mouth and tyed with elastic cotton your set up will be ideal to catch wrasse to about 4lb. davy.

[sammy talbot]

wait till the summer,and fish up at eyemouth,seahouses,beadnell,st abbs. use live crabs about the size of a 50 pence piece hooked in the mouth and tyed with elastic cotton your set up will be ideal to catch wrasse to about 4lb. davy.

I have had bass fishing them the same way

[Stewart 1971]

wait till the summer,and fish up at eyemouth,seahouses,beadnell,st abbs. use live crabs about the size of a 50 pence piece hooked in the mouth and tyed with elastic cotton your set up will be ideal to catch wrasse to about 4lb. davy.

Hardbacks can be deadly for the Smuts as well, but apart from them and Wrasse I wouldn't waste my time, theres much better baits for everything else that swims in our waters

[codcatcher3000]

are hardbacks just normal green shore grabs?

[codhunter40]

Yes mate, thats them. The same crabs we know as peelers when they are moulting..

[Karl M]

50p size hardbacks for wrasse under a float. This is how I got my PB Pollock at 8lb4oz about 1ft from the edge of the rocks.

[sam harris]

Many years ago, over 60 years or so ago, we used to use hardbacks for cod.
When we went freshwater fishing we used to look for sheeps wool on the barbed wire fences and collect it to make what we called "crab poultices". When we went sea fishing we would take this sheeps wool with us and collect hardback crabs.
We would take some of the crabs, depending on the size, if they were big one would be enough, some of the sheeps wool was streched out to about the size of a hand, the crab was placed in the middle of the wool a brick was found and "seven bells" was knocked out of the crab. The sides off the wool was then folded over, then you hed your "crab poultice"
One of my best local shore caught cod was taken on one of these baits, a 16 pounder from the mouth of the Oxfauld at Tynemouth. One of my pals took a 12 pound coalfish from the Castle Rocks on a "poultice".
And as already said hardbacks are excellent baits for wrasse, also smooth and starry hounds