[skywokker]

I know you have size limit for edible crabs,but if they are insize.Are we allowed to use edible peelers as bait?????

 

[dabcatcher]

on the northeast coast i,m sure we arnt alowed to use them as bait whatever size.

 

[Rob]

Sea Fisheries Byelaws give a takeable size, but they turn a blind eye to anglers taking them as bait, it's only the commercial interest that is regulated by size limits as far as I'm aware.

 

[lewis888]

I've never used them but have read that edible peelers and velvet swimmer peelers are far superior to shore crab peelers. Not sure how true this is, but it mentioned it was because velvets and edibles are "sweet" in comparison to the more "bitter" shore crab!

 

[dab hand]

I believe that in Scotland the minimum sizes are
Edible crab 140 mm across the caparice.
Velvet crab 65 mm " ' "
It is unlawful to take these crabs if they are carrying eggs.

 

[Cromcruaich]

Sea Fisheries Byelaws give a takeable size, but they turn a blind eye to anglers taking them as bait, it's only the commercial interest that is regulated by size limits as far as I'm aware.

Mmm, some may do, but there is an article in sea angler about users getting fined.

Additionally, (not in response to you btw rob) why would you want to use edibles as bait - it will just be a falacy that they are a 'much better' bait. We have a go at the commercials all the time - this is one instance where i'd say do the commercials a favour, leave them their edibles and stick with the plentiful inedible shore crabs. Rare doesnt mean good bait - infact it generally means the opposite as far as fish are concerned, so lets not have any irresponsible hype.

 

[Rob]

Mmm, some may do, but there is an article in sea angler about users getting fined.

Additionally, (not in response to you btw rob) why would you want to use edibles as bait - it will just be a falacy that they are a 'much better' bait. We have a go at the commercials all the time - this is one instance where i'd say do the commercials a favour, leave them their edibles and stick with the plentiful inedible shore crabs. Rare doesnt mean good bait - infact it generally means the opposite as far as fish are concerned, so lets not have any irresponsible hype.

Thanks for clearing that up.

 

[Pyrex]

Might be useful -

http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o178/HAYLINGANGLER/crabs.jpg

Edible (brown crabs) - 14cm
Spiders - 12cm F 13cm M
Velvets - 6.5cm

(Other byelaws may be in operation).

Ada

That is interesting, i had no idea you measured lobsters like that. I thought it was head to tail like most other things. Learn something new every day...

 

[martinw]

Ive had soup made from shore crabs while on holiday in S W France.
Boil them whole then put them through a grinder type thing, sieve the lot season and eat. some how this no longer appeals. crabs from Southwold harbour don't looks too clean, maybe from rock pools in cornwall!
as far as i can recall the soup tasted OK. It was thirty odd years ago though!

 

[Bonjour]

Shore crab soup is a culinary delight. There's a bit more to it than just boiling and mashing them though. I used a recipe from one of Rick Stein's books when I made it and I can definitely recommend it. Don't waste peelers making soup, the hardbacks are fine.

IMHO the best peelers are velvet swimmers. I have found so few edible peelers that it's not really worthhiile looking for them specifically

 

[crazyplums]

i agree on the velvet peelers, though not many agree with me !

find tons of small edibles where i collect crab, many already soft, but they're there ! never use em though,

 

[Cromcruaich]

Shore or green crabs are edible - there are several fisheries for them around the uk; north wales and the helford in cornwall spring to mind. The crabs are shipped live to the continent. They do say the french and spaniards will eat most things.

In his book "hooked on bass" Mike Ladle rates highly the use of edible crabs for bass bait. I'm not however condoning their use as bait. They are a commercially important species as are; to a lesser extent velvet swimming crabs and lesser again green shore crabs. The rediculus prices charged for shore crab peelers means their value to anglers far out weighs their value as a food species.

I have read that there are places in the UK that local byelaws forbid the use of edible crabs for bait - regardless of size. I think, but am not sure it was somewhere on the east coast.

SS

Aye, I was using edibles as a description of the species. Menai is a (nearly) local spot as a North West based angler and so the crab exploitation along side the Dee trawling fiasco is 'on my radar'. Ive not researched extensively, but I believe that the green shore crab has only very recently become commercially exploited in the UK, and I really really hope it doesnt catch on as a trend - taking out huge numbers of crabs from the marine environment has the potential to have a huge impact on species higher up the food chain - from larval crab plankton to the crab we know - they are an important food source. Anyhow thats me just rabbiting on - i'm sure we all hope that we can always get hold of crab for bait.

Regards my last post - the article was in a 2003 sea angler, and it was an angler being taken to court for using edible as bait - didnt see the follow up whether he was found guilty - also I did get the feeling that it was a bylaw that was being enacted. So sorry for what might not of been misinformation, but neither was it very useful information. :g: