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Running a trotline for crabs is a great way to load your bushel basket. But prepping your boat properly is the key to success
Running a trotline is one of the best ways to fill a basket with tasty crustaceans. Photo: Lenny Rudow
Have you ever wanted to catch your own crabs, then fire up the steam pot and enjoy a shell-cracking, lip-smacking feast? You can catch crabs in a number of ways, but in many cases, the best method of quickly filling your bushel basket to the brim is by trotlining.
Trotlines are long lengths of rope, usually between 500 and 1,000 or so feet, which have a bait attached every 5 or 6 feet. The rope is usually made of nylon, which sinks and untangles easily. The lines have a float at each anchored end, with the baited section in between the floats. This allows you to drive up to the float, snag the end of the baited section of line, and place it in a cradle (called a “stick”) attached to the side your boat. Then, you “run” the line by idling forward at slow speed and scoop crabs from the baits as they rise up from the bottom – hopefully before they let go, which usually happens when they’re within a few inches of the water’s surface.
Trotlining for crabs is most popular along the Mid-Atlantic Seaboard, where crabs are in the most demand, but you can catch these feisty critters south along the coast and all along the Gulf Coast.
Setting up your boat for trotlining is simple but critical if you want to enjoy that feast. The most important component is setting up the stick. It needs to be secured so the end protrudes 1 to 2 feet off the side of your boat, sits at the proper height, and has the U-shaped cradle for the line to pass over.
Tip
The great bait debate
Chicken necks are the most common bait used on trotlines, though some crabbers prefer to use mesh bags filled with crushed razor clams. Old-timers used salted eels (generally considered too expensive for crabbing these days) and bull lips (yes, those bull lips). In all cases, the ruggedness of the bait is key. Soft items like fish chunks or chicken breast will get picked clean in moments by blue crabs. And if your trotline has “snoods” (short bungee cord dropper lines coming off the main line with loops in the ends to hold the bait), you need to use baits sized properly for the loops. On most store-bought trotlines, these are ideal for holding either chicken necks or mesh bags. — L.R.
You can purchase commercially made sticks that slide into your boat’s fishing rod holder. Photo: Lenny Rudow
Homemade PVC sticks are common. Photo Lenny Rudow
Crabbing tips
- If your trotline is 1,000 feet or more, by the time you idle from one end to the other, you can go back and start over. With shorter lines you may want to allow around 10 minutes of “soak time” between runs, to allow crabs to find those baits and latch on.
- Don’t try trotlining in water deeper than around 12 feet, or the crabs often drop off long before they rise to the surface.
- Run the line in a direction so your boat’s shadow doesn’t pass over it. Crabs can be spooked and drop off the bait when shadows suddenly pass over them. — L.R.
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If your boat has flush-mount fishing rod holders in the gunwales, you can buy a commercially made stick that slides into a holder and locks in place. If not, you can build a wood frame that slides over your gunwale to secure in place and hold the stick. Another method often used for jon boats and skiffs with bench seats is to build a stick out of PVC with a long extension as an attachment point. Then, when you arrive at the crabbing grounds, you can lay the extension along a seat, wrap a couple light-duty ratchet straps around it, and tighten them down to hold the stick in place.
Getting the height of the cradle right is difficult and usually requires some trial and error. The goal is to elevate it enough that you can see the crabs coming and scoop them a few feet forward of the cradle, but not have it so high that the crabs are pulled to the surface before you can net them. Some commercially made sticks have adjustable cradles that can slide up or down, but crabbers who make their own PVC sticks commonly go through two or three iterations before they’re satisfied. Don’t be disappointed if you don’t get it perfect on the first try. If you’re using the bench-and-strap type of stick, you can also stack a tacklebox or cooler atop the seat to gain some elevation when necessary.
Building a stick and cradle out of PVC is easy: All you need is the pipe, three 90-degree elbows, and glue. But before you set out to catch your crabs, also make sure you have two baskets (one to drop the crabs into as they’re scooped, called the “culling basket,” and a second one for the keepers). You’ll also need a measuring device and a wire-mesh net; never use a nylon net, which tangles the crabs.
And, of course, don’t forget to stock up on Old Bay!