Crab fishing is a happy part of our summers now but it took us ages to work out how to do it. Here’s the basics:
1. Find the right place
Like with kite flying, this is the hardest bit. Best is if someone shows you, or you happen across lots of happy kids with crab nets.
You need somewhere you can lean over deep water at high tide… a pier, jetty, harbour wall, bit of rock, that sort of thing. I suspect it’s best if it’s tidal (ie, uncovered at low tide).
2. Get a net and bait it
Most seaside shops near crab sites will sell you either a line or a net. I’d say nets are easier and should deliver more crabs. That said I’ve seen some amazing crab fishing with lines. It’s best to have a net on a stick to go with a line (in case the crabs fall off on the way up) and it’s much more dramatic pulling them up.
You need to put bait in the little bag provided with net or line. Bacon, weirdly, seems best. B is veggie so we settled on sardines which worked fine too. It also needs a weight to get it down on the seabed. They tend to come with little ones but extra can be useful. If your kids, like mine, refuse to go near the bait being prepared they can go stone hunting instead.
You’ll also want a big bucket, filled with sea water, to put the crabs in when you’ve caught them.
Now you’re ready to go!
REMEMBER TO CHECK THE TIDES FIRST!
3. Drop it in and see what you get
The fun/boring bit. Drop it down into the water. Wait a minute or two. Then pull it up and see if you have any crabs.
It can take a few attempts and a bit of waiting to get some. If you don’t get any and have tried for ages, you’re probably in the wrong place. Unless everyone around you has them and you don’t – then it might be your bait? Patience normally rewards in the end.
4. Put the crabs in the bucket
Safest way is to tip them in. Brave kids and adults can have a go at picking them up but we found it easier to do this later when you’re letting them go. We tend to put a bit of food in the bucket with them to keep them occupied and stop them fighting.
5. Then set them free
Once you’ve got a few and you’ve had enough it’s time to release them. You can pour them back in the water OR have a crab race…
Take them to the nearest bit of shoreline. Tip the bucket out and see which gets back to the sea first. Watch out for the one that runs towards your feet instead!
If you want to pick one up, approach from behind and hold the widest part of their shell, avoiding the pincers. We did it for the first time this summer.
Many thanks to all the parents over the years who’ve helped us work this out! Here’s to excited kids, lots of crabs and no pinched fingers! Happy hunting.
25 free nature activities for kids this summer
Summer’s here and it’s time to get out and explore all that nature can offer. Here are our favourite 25 free activities for kids (and adults) to do in the summer months followed by 6 things that cost a bit but we think are worth the expense..
