crabs

[skiny]

only ever bought crab a couple of times.what is the differance between peelers meat and hard back crab meat,why cant we use hard back crab.still a novice when it comes to this.

[waco]

crabs

peeler crab is when a crab is ready to grow to next stage of its life cycle and when the shell is removed a soft crab remains and far easier to tie onto hook, a dare say someone will be able better than me

if you to try typing green shore crab into google and you'll be amazed at the abundance of information thats there and will explain more into detail

[totty]

crabs

if u eat the ones out the traps cod help u bad stomache mate

[skiny]

if u eat the ones out the traps cod help u bad stomache mate

im not that hungery,just dont get it why we dont use hardback crabs for bait .some spiecies of fish eat them eg wrasse.

[waco]

crab

im not that hungery,just dont get it why we dont use hardback crabs for bait .some spiecies of fish eat them eg wrasse.

try tying a hard back on the hook then try a peeler see the difference i imagine that one reason then there is the obvious reason more scent in the peeler

[adam.d]

When the crab is in it's peeling state it releases a scent into the water, it's this scent that attracts the fish. This is why peeling crabs are a better bait than softies (crabs that have already shed their shell but haven't gone hard yet). Your right tho, fish do indeed eat hardback crabs as these have been found in cod stomachs when gutting them, also things like rocks, crushed beer cans and even syringes have been found in there but we don't put them on our hooks!

[sam harris]

Hardback crabs.

Many years ago, more than I care to remember by the way, we used to use what we called "crab poultices". These were simply hardback crabs smashed up to a pulp and put into pieces of old nylon stockings, the toe of them was the best, make sure the wife is finished with them first though.
If we could get some sheeps wool we would tease this into something about the size of your hand and put the crab into that then pulp it, after doing that we would tie the bait onto the hook and it worked !!!.
Nowadays the Fox International Companys "Arma Mesh" would be ideal for this type of bait as you can put anything into them and it saves throwing old rag, lug, crab etc. away, they will still work because of the scents from them.
All creatures including humans have "Amino Acids" in their bodies, these acids give off different scents. In the case of the lugworm for instance it has a very high content of a chemical called Glycine in it's body this is therefore giving off a very attractive smell for fish as lots of other baits do such as crabs, peeler or hardback.
The peeling crab is giving off a stronger scent because the outer shell hasn't reformed to contain the body scents within it, but by smashing a hardback crab up you are releasing those scents wihich are just as attractive to a fish as peelers.
Hope this helps. Tight Lines,
Sam.

[sage]

Many years ago, more than I care to remember by the way, we used to use what we called "crab poultices". These were simply hardback crabs smashed up to a pulp

commonly known as crab cart....the only differance nowadays is the carrier used for the crab....its come along way since sheeps wool..........i used to use net curtain wrapped a few times around (frozen as a slab and sliced ) and bound with bait elastic so its like a sausage...about as thick as my thumb and 2 1/2 inches long...... my latest experimental material to wrap the crab is the middle bit of a soft cd pouch...(not the plastic ..the cloth like bit)....its porous but a tighter weave than the net curtain....making it a slower release of scent / juices........
soft cd pouch


i find that cart fishes best on the rocks....especially after a big sea.....somedays its better than peeler but other days i have not had a bite on cart....but plenty on peeler.....

crab in net curtain on left.............................................. ..............cd pouch material on right

some comps dont allow the use of it.....some do...something to do with the legality of edible crab as bait.. but my understanding is that it can be used if the crab meat is a by product....just eat the claws discard the rest!!

two summers ago when fishing the lincs coast for smoothounds with 2 rods ..cart on one... peeler on the other.....peeler caught 7 smuts...the cart got 6....

its another good bait that is easily obtained and used ....when peeler isnt available........but in my opinion it doesnt replace a good peeler bait
cheers
Paul

[bobo]

My Mate uses finger dreesings that are virtually the same as the new arma mesh ones and they only cost him pennies as well from the chemist he mixes up mussel crab etc and stuffs them into the dressing then double hooks it and ready to go you can fill them also with used bait as well and freeze them ready for your next trip out fishing.