How to rig (peeler) crab for drum?

hawkman

Eight Pointer
Thinking I'd like to soak some crab for drum in the Pamlico. It's been a long time since I've done it and that was someone else's tackle. I'm not necessarily talking big drum, but slot fish.

I'm talking about fishing from shore, a dock, pier.

I'm probably using 7' MH with a Penn Battle II 4000 but my other rods are 6.6 M and ML with 2000 size reels.

I have a few Lupton rigs, but I'm thinking of smaller tackle.

Also, when do peelers become available? Are they occasional or are there crabs always molting once they start?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

Willie

Twelve Pointer
We use peeler crabs and clams for drum up in the bay on fish finder rigs. There's a fair amount of current and we're fishing from a boat , which is going to be totally different from what you're doing.
We use rubber bands to keep the crab and clam on the hook.
 

Wildlifer

Old Mossy Horns
You are probably going to have to catch the crabs yourself as not may shops will sell them. The easiest thing is to catch blue crabs in a pot and use those. Since they will be a lot bigger than a true "peeler" you will have to quarter them. Pull the shell off and cut down the middle lengthwise then across so you are left with 4 sections with 2 legs each. I save the claws for the steam pot if I'm going with fish with blue crabs. Thread a quarter on a circle hook with a Carolina rig and that's it. Keep in mind that you still have to follow the regs for blue crabs and as a precaution I only prep one crab at a time just before I use it.
 

hawkman

Eight Pointer
Wildlifer, that's exactly what I did last night. My son was having a great time with the pyramid-shaped crab trap. A few sub-5 inchers, and a few larger. Used those for bait one at a time. Didn't catch anything.
 
Top