George Shirley wrote:
> Janet Wilder wrote:

>> My friend with the boat is here but I haven't had time to go out with
>> him. I also need to get my fishing license. The stores have been so
>> crowded. I'll get it next week and see if I can go with my friend.
>> Here's a photo of a catch last winter
>>
>> http://i39.tinypic.com/2e0irzl.jpg
> Ahh! Best crabs in the world, Atlantic blue crab. DW is from Maryland,
> raised on the shores of the Patuxent River about a mile from Chesapeake
> Bay. We courted along Nat's Creek and the Patuxent while poling her
> Dad's boat and catching crabs along the bank. We always steam them in a
> pot above water with Old Bay in it and then she picks them out, so fast
> I can't do it nearly as well and I was raised close enough to the Gulf
> to spit in it.

The blues in the photo were caught near the Brownsville ship channel out
on the flats. There is a small estuary there and a county boat ramp.
It's off TX 48.

I steam our crabs the same way.
>
> She always rests her crab cakes at least overnight before finishing them
> off and they're at least 98% crab meat too.
>
> When our kids were young, we spent a lot of days around Bridge City, TX
> and the big bridge there crabbing. I had made my own nets, about two
> feet across, with a heavy wire lip and a harness above leading to a
> float. Used a long cane pole with a hook on the end to lift them and
> baited them with beef bones, much better than chicken necks. Only
> problem was keeping the gators away from the nets. Not unusual to bring
> home a bushel of large crabs. Damn! I sure miss those days.

My friend, a retired Coastie, makes his own traps from coated chicken
wire. We bait them with chicken legs and drop 6 or so traps on the way
out to where we anchor. Then we jig with chicken legs for a few hours.
Catch a bunch (we always measure them for "legal" and throw back the
mommas)then on the way back we pick up the traps.

The place where we anchor is really quite with an ancient oyster bed and
lots of birds. There is almost always a family of roseate spoonbills on
the bank. It's really peaceful and lovely there.
--
Janet Wilder
Bad spelling. Bad punctuation
Good Friends. Good Life