Blue crabs for bait

dogonenuts · Post by **dogonenuts** » May 23rd, 2006, 8:19 pm

What do you guys do with the blue crabs you catch in your pinfish traps? Are they too big for bait? How do you keep them from pinching your fingers off?

Nuts

Post by RC » May 23rd, 2006, 8:33 pm

I believe I will use them for grouper baits in the future.

This weekend I tried trolling stretchs for grouper. No luck. Marked some good bottom and fish. Dropped down pinfish, squid, cutbait with little luck.

had about 2 dozen live shrimp left in the livewell from trout fishing the day before. Baited up a grunt pole with live shrimp on a 2 hook rig thinking I would get some rubylips or black bass. Time it hit the bottom big hit. 20" red grouper. Fast as we dropped them down we got hit. Caught 6 grouper before the shrimp ran out. They still wouldn't hit the pins or cut bait.

This weekend I am taking 100 shrimp grouper fishing. Might have been a fluke but who knows.

Bet crabs will work just as good.

2true · Post by **2true** » May 23rd, 2006, 8:50 pm

I try to use blue crab for bait, but the trash fish devour it before a decent fish can get to it.

lucky13 · Post by **lucky13** » May 25th, 2006, 11:22 am

I use them for reds but I have had no luck

Post by **Tom Keels** » May 25th, 2006, 1:26 pm

One of the best grouper baits there is. We catch grouper all the time with crabs in them.