Live Shore Crabs as Bait?

Hello everyone! Its been a while since I've posted here but I have a question for everyone: Have any of you had any luck using live shore crabs as bait? I tried it recently without much success (video below). Any suggestions???



Thanks!
Adam

Hello everyone! Its been a while since I've posted here but I have a question for everyone: Have any of you had any luck using live shore crabs as bait? I tried it recently without much success (video below). Any suggestions???



Thanks!
Adam

Saw your vid and it got me thinking about tog fishing back east.  We used to forage green crabs from the rocks, similar to how you harvested your bait crabs.  We'd cut them in half and hook to a lead-head jig through one leg socket and out another.  I wonder if that'd yield different results for you.  That said, I've never tried anything like that out on this coast. 

Watching videos of people "dunking" in Hawaii, crabs are an easy go-to bait there and seems to work.  I was also intrigued by your video, and was totally wanting to know the same thing, since I've seen so many cabs with a crab in their belly. Was really hoping you would score one with crabs you harvested!  Either way, it was another fun episode, and really enjoy your channel. 

I've seen them in striper stomachs for sure...load em up on a sabiki and make it look like they're having a community meeting only to be smashed by a hostile takeover...when I put my grass shrimp traps out, they pile in there yet I do not use em'.  Quite a commitment to practice with an untested bait source.  Geet dat fish!  See ya' on da wattah!   

as a kid we used them off the jetties in SD, not much luck

I wonder why the fishies don’t like them. As Al says, seems like they should be killer Cabezon bait.

I've found what looks like little crab claws in sturgeon stomachs so wanted to try them as bait. Easiest place to find them is oceanside which got me to wondering about legality. Ran into a warden one day he he told me ok to use as bait, even caught at the coast then used inland, but must not be transported inland alive. But like Eddie says they don't seem to be proven bait so only tried them a couple times for a couple hours, nothing, but with sturgeon fishing that doesn't mean much.

Those claws are more then likely ghost shrimp… but I wouldn’t doubt it if it was a shore crab.

Quite often Cabezon have crabs in their belly, so I would think it would be a good Cab bait.

I've done real well on large pileperch and striped seaperch using greenstriped shore crabs and porcelain crabs as bait. All the little perch seem to ignore them, so you only get bites from legitimately large perch. The crabs need to be alive. Even the fresh dead crabs would often get snubbed by pileperch.

Rig em up under a float and drift them tight to structure, along jetty rocks and pilings. Size 4 hook, and as light a leader as you're comfortable with fishing.

Adam and Chris in one thread!  Good to hear from you guys! Pile perch/crabs.  Makes sense!


Bushy

Sup Bush Man! 

Digging through my old NorCal pics. Here's one example of a pileperch that ate a live greenstriped shore crab. Slabs. These guys wouldn't touch cut prawns or pileworms. I could only get them to play with live shore crabs.

What gear or technique do people use to catch these little crabs?? I am definitely not that nimble to be moving in and out of rocks and crevices. Lots of these little crabs at moss landing. Would like to try for surf perch.


Alex

Digging through my old NorCal pics. Here's one example of a pileperch that ate a live greenstriped shore crab. Slabs. These guys wouldn't touch cut prawns or pileworms. I could only get them to play with live shore crabs.

In the past, I’ve also seen whole small mussels in the shell work great for pile perch.  Just poke the hook through the shell.  Maybe they really like the crunch?

-Allen



Like a taco, maybe.

What gear or technique do people use to catch these little crabs?? I am definitely not that nimble to be moving in and out of rocks and crevices. Lots of these little crabs at moss landing. Would like to try for surf perch.


Alex

The day before I wanted to fish, I would visit a rocky section of the bay during low tide. I'd flip over rocks and collect all the crabs I needed in quick order. Throw them in a small cooler with some kelp or damp paper towels, and they'd usually stay plenty alive for fishing the next day. This took some planning ahead of time, but it was waaay easier than scrambling around the jetty rocks trying to catch them one at a time.

Digging through my old NorCal pics. Here's one example of a pileperch that ate a live greenstriped shore crab. Slabs. These guys wouldn't touch cut prawns or pileworms. I could only get them to play with live shore crabs.

In the past, I’ve also seen whole small mussels in the shell work great for pile perch.  Just poke the hook through the shell.  Maybe they really like the crunch?

-Allen

I've heard about that too. Pileperch are damn fickle sometimes...definitely not as grabby as redtails or other species. Their moodiness made them a favorite target of mine back in my Humboldt days.