There is something about crabbing. The pace is mostly slower than fishing and there is a rhythm that makes time slow down. It is the quintessential Chesapeake activity. For those of us born and raised in the Land of Pleasant Living, crabs are as much a part of summer as hot dogs and hamburgers. In recent years, much has been written about the collapsing stock of blue crabs. Regardless, the crew of Mikey D Fishing has managed to catch enough for a small feast almost every time we wet our trot line. I hoped Sunday would be no different.
Though my kids were gracious enough to plan a dinner out on Sunday evening for Father's Day, my oldest son, Capt. Salt Life, and I hatched a plan to hit a couple of our crabbing spots early Sunday morning. We figured if we caught a half bushel of crabs we could call an audible and host a crab feast for my kids and their significant others.
As we got underway around 0600, the weather was almost perfect. Temperature in the low 70s, winds calm, and the water was flat as ice. I decided to set up just a few minutes from the dock along a 10' ledge in Whitehall Bay. That spot isn't as productive as others, but it is close and I had hoped that we could make up for lack of crabs per run on the trot line with more runs overall. '
In previous posts, (See July 18, 2016 or June 4, 2017) Mikey D fishing has described our preferred method of catching crabs in numbers without breaking our backs. We are trotliners. A trotline is a long baited line, usually 600' or 1200' with either chicken necks, bull lips, or bags of clams baited every 8' along the length of a 3/8" line. (See Image 1) It takes some preparation and some practice to deploy correctly, but once in the water, it is only a matter of driving up and down the baited line with a good crabbing partner, picking crabs off one at a time.
Image 1
There are other methods of course. Commercial watermen often use pots that can catch several crabs hooked to a buoy. Recreational crabbers can catch them by handlining chicken necks or using single crab traps. Both of these methods can be fun but frustratingly slow and unproductive. As you can see from our trotline YouTube video below from 2016 , Capt Felker and I can land up to a dozen keeper crabs per run on a good day.
With our trot line deployed, Capt. Salt Life and I waited for each passing bait to start landing keepers. When the first couple of runs yielded just 3 crabs, we knew it was time to move. In short order we retrieved the line and headed up the Severn River for a protected cove with a long stretch of 8-10' of water. That made all the difference. Almost every run gave us up to 6 keeper crabs. In just a few hours we caught almost a bushel. As the sun rose higher in the sky, the bite trailed off and it was time to head home with a full basket of crabs and the promise of a Chesapeake feast.
Steaming crabs is pretty simple. I use a stainless steam pot and add about an inch of water and a can of Natty Boh, of course. Each layer of crabs is coated with J.O. #1 seasoning. Yeah, that's right, if you are from Maryland, it has to be J.O.! My twist is I add butter along the way. Steam for about 20 minutes, add some corn, other sides maybe, and you have a feast!
Father's Day evokes memories and reflective moments, my favorites include all of my children around me, often with water in the background, doing what we enjoy together. I am grateful for this Father's day to have some of my kids, their significant others and my grandson and future trotliner, MJ, with me to make this day a special one.
Tight Lines,
Mikey D Fishing
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