Eastern Marine Crabbing Report ~ 07/15/2010

With the news man recanting his daily woe’s about the excessive heat and lack of sufficient rain, it would appear that the dog days of summer have gotten off to an earlier start than usual. Most would agree with the local forecaster but those of us that are members of the crabbing community have been enjoying a stellar season. Ninety degree plus temperatures and the absence of rainfall has warmed the tributaries of the Chesapeake Bays eastern shore and allowed the salt line to spike into the upper reaches of the bay. This has put the biomass of crabs on the move and provided the recreational crabber with outstanding results.

Eastern Marine customers relayed fantastic reports from the Wye River. Quite a few of the Eastern loyal said it was still worth the trip down to the Wye and even Tred Avon Rivers as solid 1-2 bushel reports were common. Crab quality has also been the topic of discussion. Many crabbers we talked to reported bushel counts numbering in the low to mid fifty’s… “now that’s some big crabs.” With the abundance of crabs this season customers on average have reported collecting bushel counts in 1-2 hours.

At our last report, crabs on the Chester River were enormous but numbers ranged anywhere from 1 – 2 dozen. Things have changed in the past two weeks and good bushel to two bushel basket harvests have been reported. Matt Campbell and father Donnie took two bushels from Langford Creek in about 3 hours and said the crab quality was excellent. Most customers we talk to use a trotline or drop pots when crabbing but we had an unusual report from one customer who said the crabs in the Chester are so plentiful he was able to dip net ¾’s of a bushel in about 3 hours. “ With the grass beds returning around Eastern Neck Island it was easier dipping than I can remember in some time” stated the happy crabber.

News from the Sassafras and Bohemia Rivers has been spotty but I can assure you it won’t be long before we have crabs knocking at the back door. Some of the best news I have this week is the crabbing sale going on here at Eastern Marine! Everything from custom made hand traps in galvanized and vinyl coated. J.O. Spice Co. products for steaming, eating, and preparing the ultimate crab feast. We have pre-made snood lines and all the hardware for fixing or tricking out your trotline or hand pots. Until next time remember to keep your trot line tight and don’t cheap date the bait.