Wait a sec – November crabbing? You bet, people, most seasons you can catch ‘em right up to Thanksgiving!

catching crabs late int he fall
Steamed crabs are still a possibility, people!!

Most people think of crabbing as a summer activity, and few keep running the trot line or pulling the traps past October. That’s a shame, because like many other critters in this part of the country their “warm weather” activities have expanded in recent years as water temps have gone up. In fact, in many areas of the Bay you can now get a final batch of sensational steamable shellfish right up until Thanksgiving. If, that is, you alter your tactics a bit.

  1. Head up a trib. Though it seems counter intuitive, late in the season crabs often push up the rivers before they head deep for the winter and going upriver a mile or two can make a huge difference in the catch.
  2. When you’re getting a lot of females, pull up stakes and make a move. Yeah, we know this is a pain in the keister. But the male-to-female ratio isn’t likely to change if you stick it out because late in the season, birds of a feather flock together.
  3. When trot-lining, set your line depending on the wind as much as the spot. At this time of year there’s likely to be a breeze (or a big breeze), and it’s critical to set up so you can run the line with the wind at your back. Otherwise the rolling or pitching of the boat is likely to shake your crabs off.
  4. Shift to deeper waters. Often after a cold snap the crabs will move deeper and sometimes will be in 15’ or even more water. This is when pull traps come into their own, since it’s hard to run a trot line in water this deep.
  5. Don’t worry so much about being out there in the predawn hours. You won’t have to compete for a spot, and the crabs’ activity levels aren’t nearly as dependent. In fact, once it gets chilly out there afternoon crabbing is often better than it is in the early a.m. hours.

CRITICAL BONUS TIP – If you like using chicken necks for bait, load your freezer up right now. The toughest thing about November crabbing is actually finding the bait. Since most people have quit crabbing by now, most bait shops have run through their supply and they won’t be re-ordering until next spring. Sometimes you can find necks at the grocery store and sometimes you can find a few frost-encrusted one-pound packets in the freezers of convenience stores. But the later in the season it gets the more difficult it becomes to find chicken necks, so be sure to purchase a few pounds asap.