Crab Traps

[flatpicker]

My family will be on vacation in the next couple of weeks at Mexico Beach, and we were thinking about putting out some crab traps .
Can anyone tell me if there are any regulations I need to adhere to. Will probably fish St. Joe Bay and Crooked Island. Any help would be appreciated.

[What a mess]

Ask JT 51 I heard he has caught the crabs at plenty of them places down there, I think he caught some at the Thirsty Goat!

[Littoral]

Check FWC online. There's a max number like 5 or something like that for recreational.
Let us know how you did. Crab numbers flucuate a lot year to year and we don't get much info here.
My rough look so far is that this year is decent. Good luck.

[boggob]

we catch 'em at Dux all the time.

[flatpicker]

we catch 'em at Dux all the time.

Huh?

Thanks Lit

[Barhopr]

pretty sure your name and contact info has to be on the float.

[Tom Keels]

# Five trap maximum per person
# Buoy must have a legible “R” at least two inches high, permanently affixed to it. Buoys are not required if trap is fished from a dock.
# Trap shall have harvesters name and address permanently affixed to it in legible letters.
# Traps must be pulled manually (not by a trap puller). Any vessel that is rigged with a trap puller will be considered a commercial vessel and the appropriate licenses will be required.
# Traps must be pulled only during daylight hours.
# Traps must not be placed in navigational channels of the intracoastal waterways, or in navigational channels maintained and marked by any county, municipal, state or federal governmental agency.
# No harvest allowed with any trap out of state waters (seaward of nine nautical miles from shore on the Gulf of Mexico or seaward of three nautical miles from shore on the Atlantic Ocean).
# A Florida recreational fishing license is required to harvest blue crabs under the recreational fishing regulations.
# Blue crab trap specifications are the same for recreational and commercial harvesters. Trap specifications may be found in Rule 68B-45.004, Florida Administrative Code.

[dawghouse1]

We saw probably a dozen in the surf while playing with the kids Sunday morning. Don't know if you can set them off the beach or not.

[boggob]

It was a joke about catching crabs at Dux Liquors in Crawfordville.

[Barhopr]

have seen many folks set them out between the first a second Bar in MX beach

[bman]

http://www.bigbendfishing.net/phpBB3/vi ... crabs+bman

This was from last year--- we caught all we could eat just outside the breakers.

[flatpicker]

Thanks everybody. Gonna give it shot. I'll let you know how we do!