Sometimes, live bait is simply the best bait for drawing in a big catch. No matter the species you’re going after, having a live bait to draw them in will be much more effective than a plastic jig. If that live bait has a smell, that will grab the attention of any fish within 100 miles, that’s even better! The green crab is a fantastic live bait option for fishing all year long.
If you’re getting ready to hit the waters in search of bass or cod, then this article will come in handy for you. One of the favorite snacks of the bass is the green crab, a crustacean native to the waters of New England and the upper east coast of the United States. fishing with the green crab can be quite an effective method to grab the local bass attention, however, it pays well to know what you’re doing and how to properly fish the green crab.
The best practice to fishing with green crab as your bait is to know how to utilize it. It’s easy to tie one on and let it wade in the water, hoping that a bass or cod will come along and find it, but that’s time-consuming and often ineffective.
Fishing with a green crab is all about preparing it before you rig it up. While it’s possible to simply tie a whole, unaltered green crab on and let it swim, it’s much more effective to prepare it and introduce the smell to the water.
How to Prepare a Green Crab
You’ll get more use out of one green crab if you cut it up and use sections of it at a time. Using a whole green crab will be great if you’re intent on catching a massive bass, but that can be a gamble. The best practice is to make the most out of every bit of crab you have. This can be achieved by properly cutting and preparing the green crab – you’re losing the living aspect, but it will be fresh enough that that shouldn’t matter for the game fish.
You need to make the most out of the smell that the green crab offers. Something that most anglers will come to find out when using the green crab is that they don’t have the best smell. In fact, it can smell like you just bought a bushel of dead crabs. Don’t worry, they’re most likely alive, but that smell sure stings. Luckily, the smell is what makes the green crab so interesting to any bass or cod in the area. Once you properly cut the green crab up, that smell becomes even more potent.
The best way to cut the green crab starts off straight down the center. Cut the green crab in half and then remove the claws from either side. Next, you’ll need to completely peel off the back shells. This will expose the meat of the crab and grab the attention of any picky fish. Finally, remove the swimming fins and you’re ready to cast the crab out as bait. This makes the most use out of the smell and enables you to use one crab for two lines.
Best Green Crab Fishing Techniques
Green crabs can be used just as most bait fish are used and your technique should be centered around the favored style of the bass or other game fish you’re targeting. For instance, trolling near the bottom seems to be an effective method for catching bass so it might be useful to employ it here. It’s simple to achieve and all you have to do is slowly drag the green crab along as your boat slowly wades through the area. This grabs the attention of any nearby bass and draws them into the green crab.
Another useful method would be bottom bouncing. We’ve found some decent success with bottom bouncing a green crab to draw in some largemouth bass. This method is all about lowering your bait to the bottom and slowly bouncing it along the rocks or sand. Your green crab, even if you’ve cut it up and prepared it, will showcase activity and life and will bring more attention to itself with this method. The green crab is an effective enough bait that there are many different methods you could effectively use when fishing.
Do you like using crabs as bait? Check out: How to Fish with Fiddler Crabs as Bait
Green Crab Lure Setup
The set up for a green crab is rather simple and will only require you to focus on the weight. If you’re fishing shallow waters, you can simply hook the green crab on the line and cast it out without worrying too much about dragging it down. It’ll likely float on the surface if you don’t attach a lead but in certain depths that shouldn’t be a problem. In most depths, however, you’ll want to get close to the bottom for the bass so it’ll be useful to attach a weighted lead on the line to bring it to the bass and cod.
Watch Out for Dead Green Crabs
The catch when it comes to green crabs is deciding what’s a normal smelling green crab and what’s dead and rotten. You don’t want any dead green crabs in your batch as these will simply fail to draw the attention of any game fish. They can tell the difference and will know when a crab is alive or dead. The smell might be similar, but you’ll need to ensure the health of your batch so look through for any crabs that are particularly smelly.
Final Thoughts
Fishing with a green crab can be quite simple and yet it’s one of the most effective baits for certain fish. Once you’ve gotten rid of all the dead ones, properly prepared the crab, hooked it on your line, and cast it, it’s all about waiting. Fishing with a green crab as your bait is no different from most bait fishing, but preparation is key. Make the most out of your green crab and prepare it before casting.
