Collecting peeler crabs

[Thrasher]

Have a mate who wants to try and get dome peeler crab, neither of us have used them or tried finding them.

I have watched loads of videos on thd tube so I am aware of the back leg test but before I go pulling the back leg of every crab in the solway a wee bit of clarification.
when I lift a rock all of the crabs that are on their toes and scarper I am not interested in?
The ones I should be interested in are the ones that stay put or are buried in the sand under the rock as they are the ones likely to be stsrting to peel?
Is that on the right lines?

 

[nearly70ty]

Yes, but some of the ones scarpering might be carrying a peeler

 

[tdxs133pm]

Never tried collecting peelers,will keep an eye this post.

 

[Mr Fish]

If you’ve got any areas with rocks covered with bladder wrack or similar weed that you can just turn over, that’s a good spot to hunt for them.
As you say, the peelers are likely to be more docile. The fighty ones aren’t usually peeling.
But you may well find a fighty male carrying a female peeler underneath them.

Do try and replace things as you find them though. The weed not as important if the tide will move it back but if you turn a rock, try and put it back roughly as it was, without squashing anything else under there.
Then it provides suitable shelter for the next animals to come along.

In some areas especially estuaries, people place ‘crab tiles’ ie bits of guttering or similar, and make their own crab traps.
Some places have bylaws now forbidding or controlling their placement though.
It’s quite a chore checking them every tide and cleaning them out regularly though (if they’re clogged with mud and sand, the crabs won’t use them).

Also worth remembering that not every peeler you find will be ready to ‘pop’, it might take a few days, so people serious about it keep them at home in an aerated (sp?) tank and ‘bring them on’ until ready to use or freeze. Would need to replace the seawater every day or two, I believe.

Must admit I don’t have the patience. Definitely not for the crab tile thing but even searching for them in the wild is pretty time consuming and no guarantee I’ll get much.
Currently got 120 in the freezer at 60p a crab which I’m happy to pay to save myself the hassle.
That’s just me though. I have the same attitude to bait digging, lol.

 

[tdxs133pm]

Some good info there.Appreciated.

 

[Dutchman]

As above, i get them by lifting sea weed or moving hanging weed to the side to see if any under or in the weed, and again the tide will right the weed.

 

[Mr Fish]

As above, i get them by lifting sea weed or moving hanging weed to the side to see if any under or in the weed, and again the tide will right the weed.

Yep, returning weed isn’t nearly as important as rocks and in any case, you can see where you’ve already searched if the weed is turned, lol.

If there’s other crabs or small creatures using the weed for shelter I’ll cover it again rather than leaving them to bake in the sun (if there is sun!) but for me it’s just a judgement call on the day.

 

[Tournamag]

Look for the Greener ones there in peeling process and any with red/orange arn't

 

[Dutchman]

I use what we call "softies"

 

[Timbc2]

I've kept crabs I've bought alive for 6 weeks in the fridge until they've peeled, in small plastic tubs like you get from the Chinese.

Last year because Wales was shut, one of the first sessions I had was up Fleetwood trying for smoothies and I sourced some crab from a local peeler dealer.

I bought about 30 off him and disappointingly only around a third were ready and the rest were not. So I took the unused ones home to see if they would peel later, if I could keep them alive, as an experiment as I had not done this before.

I filled a few 4 pint milk bottles up with sea water while I was there and collected some seaweed.

I put 4 or 5 crabs in each tub with seaweed covering them and about 5 to 8 mm depth of sea water so they were kept moist but could breathe air. I pressed the lids on properly only about half way around so they weren't air tight. I checked them every day and any that were popping I took out, wrapped in clingfilm and froze immediately.

I held the lid on the tub to drain the small amount of seawater out every day and replaced it with another 5 to 8 mm depth. Over the 6 weeks I used less than two of the 4 pint milk containers worth of seawater.

Every time I removed crabs to freeze I redistributed the others so they were evenly distributed among the tubs.

I only had 2 or 3 crabs die on me over the 6 weeks and the rest eventually peeled.

 

[Thrasher]

Thanks all, we will give it a bash but can't see us persisting with it.

 

[Valleyboy]

The dock crabs mount starts first and they tend to do a better job of hiding than the hens. Dig deep in the sand/mud underneath or alongside rocks. As above those crabs less active will be more likely to be peelers. Not much point in testing hen crabs early season. When the hens start you quite often you find them underneath cocks. They either drop them and run of try to run with them. Always have a root in the mud underneath where large cocks were as quite often there is a hen. If you are collecting brown crab it is only worth checking the darker crab. The lighter ones have usually peeps already

 

[Thrasher]

The dock crabs mount starts first and they tend to do a better job of hiding than the hens. Dig deep in the sand/mud underneath or alongside rocks. As above those crabs less active will be more likely to be peelers. Not much point in testing hen crabs early season. When the hens start you quite often you find them underneath cocks. They either drop them and run of try to run with them. Always have a root in the mud underneath where large cocks were as quite often there is a hen. If you are collecting brown crab it is only worth checking the darker crab. The lighter ones have usually peeps already

Thanks Valleyboy, it will be shore crab only most likely, just need to find a reasoable venue now.

 

[CoarseanglerSteve]

Read a few worrying stories on local Facebook Groups about people looking for peelers up here, and sticking their hands in the sand under rocks etc. but finding weevers also buried there too. So a pair of good gloves was recommended!!

I was surprised at the price of peelers (am still a newbie) but given the hassle and apparent risks of collecting them yourself, I may well succumb to buying some when they are available. At least I can get my lugworm for free and there isn't any risk (other than getting cut off by the tide if you are silly!).

 

[Dutchman]

I gutted a bass and it had 3 hard green backs in its gut.

Tried a hard green back on hook and have caught bass.

 

[Thrasher]

Read a few worrying stories on local Facebook Groups about people looking for peelers up here, and sticking their hands in the sand under rocks etc. but finding weevers also buried there too. So a pair of good gloves was recommended!!

I was surprised at the price of peelers (am still a newbie) but given the hassle and apparent risks of collecting them yourself, I may well succumb to buying some when they are available. At least I can get my lugworm for free and there isn't any risk (other than getting cut off by the tide if you are silly!).

I have never used them Steve, but still caught enough fish.

 

[Mr Fish]

I have never used them Steve, but still caught enough fish.

They are not a magic bait but at some marks it will make the difference between fish or no fish.
Just depends on your local marks.
For example, we need them on early season hound marks otherwise you just won’t get a hound. Later in the season, squid works but earlier on they seem to be crab obsessed. I know why, because the moult is happening.

I have a couple of estuary marks that throw up codling but there are so many shore crab that any other bait is stripped in seconds, literally. Even peeler gets munched after a while, but it gives you a fighting chance lol.

They’re also a good wrasse bait, of course, although hardbacks work just as well.

But generally you don’t NEED them - you can usually find alternatives that will work almost as well.
Not every time, but that’s true of most baits, ie if you need live worm to catch flatties at a certain mark, sat there fishing squid and mackerel all day won’t get you very far.

 

[Thrasher]

They are not a magic bait but at some marks it will make the difference between fish or no fish.
Just depends on your local marks.
For example, we need them on early season hound marks otherwise you just won’t get a hound. Later in the season, squid works but earlier on they seem to be crab obsessed. I know why, because the moult is happening.

I have a couple of estuary marks that throw up codling but there are so many shore crab that any other bait is stripped in seconds, literally. Even peeler gets munched after a while, but it gives you a fighting chance lol.

They’re also a good wrasse bait, of course, although hardbacks work just as well.

But generally you don’t NEED them - you can usually find alternatives that will work almost as well.
Not every time, but that’s true of most baits, ie if you need live worm to catch flatties at a certain mark, sat there fishing squid and mackerel all day won’t get you very far.

Yep, have that aboug here too. Fish for flatties ag Glencaple on the Nith, mackie does fine, probably a couple of miles down the estuary at Carsethorn it is peeler or so the local info goes. Mind you last time I fished carsethorn I was on mackie and caught a thorny and two doggies, so maybe something in it.

 

[tdxs133pm]

They are not a magic bait but at some marks it will make the difference between fish or no fish.
Just depends on your local marks.

You certainly put some imformative threads together Fish.

 

[Mr Fish]

Yep, have that aboug here too. Fish for flatties ag Glencaple on the Nith, mackie does fine, probably a couple of miles down the estuary at Carsethorn it is peeler or so the local info goes. Mind you last time I fished carsethorn I was on mackie and caught a thorny and two doggies, so maybe something in it.

There are so many variations around the U.K. If I used mackie in my local estuary I would not see a flattie.
Literally if you haven’t got harbour rag, you might as well stay in bed.
Ive noticed though that up your way fish baits work for them, or so I’ve read several times.

It’s just knowing what works in the areas you fish.
Certain marks here, when the spider crab are moulting, no other bait will work, all the fish are inshore for a free feed on the spiders.
If you turned up with any other bait, you might as well chuck it straight out of the window, then turn around and go home ??‍