Crabbing from a kayak

[Whiteowl1]

My wife and I just got our first kayaks and while I plan to fish from mine she is not much into fishing. She loves to go crabbing so I was wondering if anyone crabs from their yak? Any places close to Galveston state park? Thanks for any info.

[hammerdawg]

It would be a little hard to crab from kayak but at least she can cross channels and get to shallow wading spots. My wife and I love crabbing

[Yaklash]

You really need to be kind of stationary, so you'll need to be able to get a good anchor set and maybe be in a protected area so the wind doesn't move her around too much.

Crabs will be almost anywhere, but tend to congregate near bulkheads and pier pilings. I know there is some of that in Pirate's Cove next to GISP, but not sure how homeowners are going to feel about her crabbing their bulkheads and boat slips.

But IMO, crabbing should be done with multiple lines out while sitting in a lawn chair drinking.

[El Gato Diablo]

I put 2-3 traps out most times we fish saltwater. 4-6' seems to increase the size of what we catch, but shoreline with some kind of cover is also productive. He hard part is stacking and tying traps without tangling lines or dumping them over. I tend to leave them while I fish and pick them up on the way in. I sort on shore instead of from the kayak. A big blue crab pinching your thigh or calf will help you understand why I don't sort in the kayak.

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[Killer Squirrel]

I have a few of the Promar collapsible traps, they fold down to next to nothing so are easy to carry around. There are many ways to crab from a yak, do some searching and you will find a ton of ideas. Paddle to the areas you want to drop traps, go fish for a while then circle around and check them all.

[MobyYack]

i cant find the video of a guy using a trot line but he had maybe 50 yards of line with a chickenleg or something tied every few feet or so. as he paddle along the line he would lift the line and use a net to grab the crab hanging from the chicken, then let that drop back down while holding onto the line to pull up the next chicken leg (get it?).

this aint the video i was referring to but hes doing it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0iogBK0ucY" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[MobyYack]

i found the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJc4gfMzVGU" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[kickingback]

Go into the marsh at night. Put some Gulp on a 3 or 4 hook tandem rig and toss it out and let it sit. Once you see the line moving reel in slowly until you see the crab next to yak holding gulp and lift it quickly and place in yak. Simple. I did it many times last night while fishing for reds and trout. I used one or two as bait as well. Broke open the shells, hooked em and threw em out. No bites but I tried since I was already catching reds there on Gulp.

[Killer Squirrel]

Go into the marsh at night. Put some Gulp on a 3 or 4 hook tandem rig and toss it out and let it sit. Once you see the line moving reel in slowly until you see the crab next to yak holding gulp and lift it quickly and place in yak. Simple. I did it many times last night while fishing for reds and trout. I used one or two as bait as well. Broke open the shells, hooked em and threw em out. No bites but I tried since I was already catching reds there on Gulp.

That's true, I've brought up numerous crabs on the gulp mullet fishing for flounder. Watch it though, they will tear them in half really quick and the gulps are not exactly cheap

[TroutSupport.com]

But IMO, crabbing should be done with multiple lines out while sitting in a lawn chair drinking.

This is the key and a seldom overlooked and underutilized secret to crabbing. I can't stress how important this is Good times.

And sometimes if you don't find them right up against these structures try pitching the crab bait a little further away from the structure, sometimes on the most popular docks they will get fished out right around the legs, so if you work the outer area you can usually pick up a few more.

Another favorite of mine is crabbing around any fish cleaning tables.. those crabs will be the best tasting and fullest crabs you'll ever catch.

Only thing with crabbing right now is that after the water temps drop much below about 65 most crabs are going to move out of the bay or hibernate in the mud. Winter is not the time to crab.

[Forever Fishing]

Chicken leg on a rope, long handled net, a bucket to put them in and DON'T drop them in your lap.

Caught many blues in the marsh. It's easy and fun. Never tried it in the winter.