crab fishing

My son wants to go crab fishing whilst we stay at Sanibel harbor resort.

Anybody know if there is any crab fishing in the area and where to go?

thanks

crab fishing

I know shellnet uses nets (I believe) to catch crabs in the refuge. She should be along but based on her recent post she may be travleing back from the island as we write...if you don%26#39;t hear from her you can send a private message and I am sure she could help you.

crab fishing

Sorry I was out at the refuge crabbing - but again no luck.

Blue crabs are in the Gulf and Bay (they are also extremely delicious!). How old is your son? Blues are quite fast and aggressive, so age and skill level could be a factor. He will need a fishing license in order to crab.

On Sanibel, you can crab in the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel but only with a dip net - no bait (dip nets can be purchased at Baileys Hardware Store on Sanibel. Crabs are throughout the refuge (but I haven%26#39;t had much luck lately!).

In the Bay, which is where you will be at at the Harbor Resort, the preferred method would either be to use a crab trap or to tie bait on a wtring, throw it into the water, wait until something starts tugging on the bait/string %26amp; then to slowly, ever so slowly, pull up the string until the crab is close enough to net. Bait is usually chicken backs or necks - the more it smells the better!

Let me know if you have more questionws. You can%26#39;t really crab from the beach, so you need to be on a pier or embankment of some type or a boat/kayak.

You might want to check with the resort and see if they will let you crab right from the docks (or if there is a spot on the docks where it is allowed). They had signs that you couldn%26#39;t fish from the marina (although on our brief stop on fishing cruise during a thunderstorm we did do a little fishing off the boat while docked) but they may have some spots wehre you can.

If you just want to crab for fun and throw back any you catch (not sure you would have a way to cook them at the resort), I%26#39;d suggest the baited line and net approach. If you want to increase your odds to catch a meal, use the crab traps you can buy pretty cheap most places. There are ones in a ring shape or the pyramid or square ones that the sides fold down and then close up when you yank them up. You%26#39;ll want chicken necks or backs for them too. There is a publix right down the road to hit for bait. If they don%26#39;t have necks, you can always use wings.

Another idea for ';crabbing for fun'; would be to use one of the hand nets people use for shelling (or bait nets) and take him over to the causeway islands and let him try to catch the small speckled crabs that are hiding out everywhere in the shallow water. That might be fun for him as well (I have no idea how old he is but anyone under 10 would probably think that was fun).

Have fun! We have a crab pot that we leave in the water here at home (on the chesapeake) all the time. My son is fine with checking it every few days to see what we caught and then just throwing them back. Personally, they may be good but they are too much work to eat for me.