The Best Places to Crab in Ocean City NJ.
This past year was an extremely good year for crabbing. The crabs were out in full force and many families celebrated around a good old fashioned crab boil. So, where ARE these magic crabbing hotspots? Where are the best crabbing spots in Ocean City, NJ? They are all over, and thankfully you don’t need a boat to reach them. Any dock or pier you can get to in the bay will work great. There’s a nice little pier on 12th street that works great. You can go on the 9th street causeway if you would like but the tide rips through there very quickly. There are a few “secret” local piers around and if you like to explore right off the island you should be able to find them. Down around the 34th street bridge is another good spot.
Now that you know the best crabbing spots in Ocean City, NJ. What’s the best equipment for the job? There are a few options you can use, the line and weight, crabbing net, or metal crab trap. My personal favorite is the crabbing net. They are roughly $6 at any local bait shop or hardware store. Don’t forget the scooper net, having a scooper is so much easier than trying to grab a crab with your hand. Time to choose your bait. You will hear people to tell you to use raw chicken, ignore them, it’s expensive and does not work as well as everyone thinks. Take a walk to your nearest bait shop, like Fin-Atics, and buy yourself a few bunkers for a dollar a piece. They are the best crab bait hands down. I like to cut the bunker into a chunk about 3-4 inches and clamp it to the trap with the weight. It releases oil into the water by cutting it, attracting the crabs. You want to find a location where the tide is not ripping. The best times are right before, and right after a slack tide. Crabs love moving water; at slack tide they just sit there and don’t feed. Once you lower your traps check them every 10 minutes or so. And that’s it. Time to crack open an adult beverage and hang out on the dock all day. Just remember the crabs have to be 4.5 inches tip to tip, and not be pregnant (yellow eggs on the bottom). Keep them in an open bucket in the shade, and don’t eat any that have died before you get them home. Enjoy.
