Fishing Friday

On the first day of summer, June 21, I had one of the most fun experiences I have had in a long time. We were visiting Shagga's brother and his family in Maryland for the week. On Thursday he took me out on his boat and we went Crabbing! It was extremely enjoyable!

Here is Mountain Man himself backing us away from the dock in his very own wooden boat.

The first couple of hours were not very eventful but I did learn the crabbing process. We took out 18 little wire cages. The walls on each side fall down when the cage is set upright which allows the crab to walk in and take the bait. The bait was a chicken neck tied to the bottom of the cage. A string is attached to each wall and then attached to a single long cord that is attached to a float. We dropped the cages off the boat about 20 or 30 feet apart and then we waited a little while. Then we maneuvered the boat back to each float and pulled the float and cord quickly up out of the water. This causes the walls of the cage to close and traps the crab inside.

The first time we went through this I realized why Mountain Man brought me along. He needed some one to do all the hard work while he drove the boat! Here is another shot after we checked the line the first time.


Just kidding! We each did plenty of the work and we had a great time!

The second time pulling the traps up we caught a turtle but still no crabs. After the third time we decided to try the other side of the river. We found a spot that was not quite as deep and we set the traps out again. Then we sat back and enjoyed nature for a while.

We got to admire an Osprey nest up close. It had two young birds and two parents that were not happy we were so close. From where we were waiting we could see a few swan swimming and we saw several Rays swimming in the river also. They were really fun to watch!

Then we figured it was time to check the traps again. The first five or six had nothing and I was beginning to wonder if we were ever going to catch any crabs. Then, the next trap felt heaver while I was pulling it in. When I got it all the way up there in the trap was a beautiful blue crab! We dumped it in the basket and set the trap back. We went threw out the rest of the traps in the line and pulled in seven crab that run. Here are some pictures right after that run.

You can see why they are called blue crab. My guide taught me that if you hold them right behind their back legs they can't reach you with their pinchers. This is a good thing!

We ran that line three or four more times and ended up with 17 good size crabs for the day.

Some pictures need no explanation...




Mountain Man let me drive the boat back to the dock when we were done. Here I am at the helm.



That night we had a great feast with the crabs that we brought home. Mountain Man steamed them up and Bob the master chef prepared corn on the cob and an onion casserole.



For more Fishing Fridays go to Mountain Musings