World Sea Fishing Forums banner

Can you help an idiot identify a peeler crab?

6K views 11 replies 9 participants last post by  rottenbottom2012 
#1 ·
Hi guys n gals...

I've posted on here recently about finding a handful of peeler crab for the odd session on holiday but have had no luck. Having thought about it I dismissed all those I found based on not being able to see the shell cracking at the rear. Is this a reliable method or do you really need to do the pulling the leg tip trick with each crab? If so, does it matter which leg?

I've also read/heard that peelers are generally very passive (seen anglers with them sat quietly it the palm of their hand). If a crab is a little lairy is it definitely not peeling then?

Advice would be appreciated as always...cheers :)
 
#2 ·
Best way is to take one of the legs, and break off at the bottom joint. If there is a new, soft leg underneath, then its a peeler (even if there is no crack, could be in the early stages of peeling), if all you see is white cartelidge its not.

When peelers are ready to pop they are very docile, but if they're not quite ready they can still be quite lively.....if thats the case, a couple of days in the fridge with some sea water should bring them on a bit (however they can still be used at this stage, its just a bit harder to shell them is all)

Hope that helps

Jim
 
#3 ·
Best way is to take one of the legs, and break off at the bottom joint. If there is a new, soft leg underneath, then its a peeler (even if there is no crack, could be in the early stages of peeling), if all you see is white cartelidge its not.

When peelers are ready to pop they are very docile, but if they're not quite ready they can still be quite lively.....if thats the case, a couple of days in the fridge with some sea water should bring them on a bit (however they can still be used at this stage, its just a bit harder to shell them is all)

Hope that helps

Jim
excuse my ignorance ,,i thought putting them in fridge slowed them up a bit ? ? having kept some in mine for approx 4 weeks prior to using ..enlighten me ,, or have i misinterprted what your saying ? genuine question
 
#4 ·
If you see 2 crabs having it off then the bottom crab will either be a peeler or a softy. Soft crab is just as good as a peeler.
To HOLD then back keep then in the fridge with either damp sea weed covering them or damp newspaper. Just give then a spray with water every few days. And take out the dead 1s

To BRING them on keep in a cool place ( garage shed) in a poly box and give them them a drink everyday. This will bring them on in no time.
 
#5 ·
Personally, never picked a peeler that had a cracked or splitting shell. Always pick crab held by male, usually small in my area, they shed without splitting. Sometimes pop the next day (and usually die) without notice.
Thumbnail under back of shell will let you gauge what state to an extent.
Never get big peelers in my spot, bigger may differ, and type of ground picked from.
 
#6 ·
Thanks guys. Yeah, I did find a few getting it on but the female was invariably tiny (and possibly underage...call the Daily Mail!).

All the bait-sized crabs I found had rock hard shells with no chance of getting a nail underneath. Guess what you're saying is that they may be very close to peeling and are worth collecting and bringing on as described by pulleypower?...
 
#8 ·
Best way is to take one of the legs, and break off at the bottom joint. If there is a new, soft leg underneath, then its a peeler (even if there is no crack, could be in the early stages of peeling), if all you see is white cartelidge its not.

When peelers are ready to pop they are very docile, but if they're not quite ready they can still be quite lively.....if thats the case, a couple of days in the fridge with some sea water should bring them on a bit (however they can still be used at this stage, its just a bit harder to shell them is all)

Hope that helps

Jim
Agee with u mara.
 
#9 ·
Male carrying a crab underneath it is a peeler - no need to test, except to judge how close to peeling it actually is.

In april-may males have their main peel - these will not be "carried", you can also find females who have not paired and there is a drip of males throughout the summer who still peel. You get an immediate feel for when an unpaired crab is a peeler, the colour of their shell, the behavour and where you find them. Though no single indicator is a guarentee, and i've seen plenty of near ripe peelers trying to pass themselves off as highly aggressive!

As above, the best way to tell if an unpaired crab is a peeler is by the leg test. I've got some crab in my fridge so have done a movie for your enjoyment.

Leg test for peeler crabs


If this was informative then please consider doing the angling diary survey in my signature ;)
 
#10 ·
Just break 1/8th of an inch off the bottom leg joint to check; if the crab is a peeler, it will be immediately obvious. If you can't break it, its probably not a peeler.

PTR
 
#11 ·
The leg test is probably the ultimate test of a peeler but to those that have a lot of experience crabbing just looking at a crab will do the trick, no need for loosing time on the job pulling leg sockets etc.. here's how its done...the crab that is about to peel will for some time before the actual act itself , have been re-absorbing some of the calcium in its hard shell into its body , this is visable to the eye quite easily... the joins in the under side of the shell and the carapice will start to look weak colour wise, on a non peeler the colour at the joins will be much more defined and 'solid'. So if You turn a crab over and the colour at the joints look weak and chalky like , then You can be 99% certain it is a peeler.
When crabs are paired up, the male will have peeled a couple of months before the female underneath, so is of no value as a possible peeler...next year maybe ! If the female is her back to his belly then Your female is a peeler, if her underside is underside to his then You have a softie or jelly that has peeled, this is the only time the male can copulate with the female .The male crab will keep 'covering' the female below after they have 'done the do', until such time as the female's shell starts to harden There You have it in a crab-shell !! Cheers, mick.
 
#12 ·
The leg test is probably the ultimate test of a peeler but to those that have a lot of experience crabbing just looking at a crab will do the trick, no need for loosing time on the job pulling leg sockets etc.. here's how its done...the crab that is about to peel will for some time before the actual act itself , have been re-absorbing some of the calcium in its hard shell into its body , this is visable to the eye quite easily... the joins in the under side of the shell and the carapice will start to look weak colour wise, on a non peeler the colour at the joins will be much more defined and 'solid'. So if You turn a crab over and the colour at the joints look weak and chalky like , then You can be 99% certain it is a peeler.
When crabs are paired up, the male will have peeled a couple of months before the female underneath, so is of no value as a possible peeler...next year maybe ! If the female is her back to his belly then Your female is a peeler, if her underside is underside to his then You have a softie or jelly that has peeled, this is the only time the male can copulate with the female .The male crab will keep 'covering' the female below after they have 'done the do', until such time as the female's shell starts to harden There You have it in a crab-shell !! Cheers, mick.
Thanks very much guys! Took my eyes off this thread as I thought it had died. There's some really good advice you have kindly shared here...I'll put it into practice next time I go looking :)
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top