Didn't know you can still catch them this late. I always heard only crab in months without an "r" in them.

Yes it's all based on water temperature. Once the water is under 50 degrees, they bury in the mud for the winter. But that's why they are the biggest in the fall because they fatten up to last until spring

Plus there are pretty much no poachers this time of the year so you can set your pots with more confidence that your catch won't be stolen. People suck.

Nobody steals your shit? I’ve been getting super unlucky with people stealing my traps lately

I hate poachers and it seems to be getting worse. Because of it, I had to start setting during the week when I could and find spots off the beaten path. That's why I got the navigational lights because I either set before sunrise or late night..But during the summer season, it's bad no matter what. I also put a special zip tie on my cage door now so I know if someone cut it and poached or it's just a bad spot. It discourages people from wanting to invest in pots and enjoy this age old tradition. I've heard guys putting waterproof tracking devices on their pots which is crazy lol

do you eat them ?

Yes, they are my wife's favorite meal so happy wife happy life. Been averaging 2-3 dozen per week this fall. I'll catch them for friends too if they want them for a special occasion

wow. I thought you couldn't catch and est things in jersey. glad I was wrong.

Well for these commercial style pots, I had to get a non-commercial crab pot license through NJ Fish and Wildlife. Only costs $2 but better to do thing right cause the fines for not having it are alot more than that. But you can use any collapsible trap or handline with no license anytime during crabbing season. Just need to make sure they are big enough to keep, currently that's 4.5 inch. But every fish and animal you can hunt for in NJ has regulations so always check that first..Give it a go next year

thank you! hope to start when my kids are 5 or so.

Awesome, I have two little ones myself. There are two marinas in Red Bank and multiple in Seaside that rent little crabbing boats and they will hook you up with everything you need to crab for the day. Including pointing you to the hot spots. Or fishing piers in Keansburg and Seaside for crabbing from shore..Best of luck with everything

Great advise Joe! Thanks!

No problem, always happy to pass on some local knowledge

It's remarkable that people would poach your catch. Does that happen often?

Unfortunately, yes. Especially during the summer season. If I left these pots overnight during the summer, not only would the crabs most likely be gone but your pot might get stolen too. Hear that all the time on the local crab forums. Each pot setup is about $100 each plus the bunker and gas because I drive 30 min each way to get there. My main season for these pots is the fall. And even still, I set at night during the week and usually around the storms. I set them this morning knowing it was storming today and local boats won't be out on the water and I'll hopefully pick up full pots tomorrow night. I put These Crabs Feed My Family signs on the buoy and pots but they don't care. But you just have to be strategic and not let them ruin it for everyone

I thought those were santa hats on top and you were being festive lol

Lol no, those are just my buoys. But I do dress up as Santa every year and go for a paddle!

Love crabbing this time of year! As you said, the crab are larger than usual to prep for the long winter. Best part for me is I can just throw in from my dock in Manahawkin :). Happy crabbing OP!

Hopefully show us a photo tomorrow ;)

What many people do not know that the crab meat they purchased in stores is either from India or Indonesia and not NJ Blue Claw.

That's awesome, that's a prime location for crabbing! Best of luck to you

Of course I'll post one up tonight after I go get the pots lol Yes, real Blue Claw crab meat is so hard to come by. Can only find it in local shore fish markets during the peak of summer and the market price is through the roof

What is interesting is Trump adminstration restrictions the migrant workers in the Chesapeake Basin, causing a labor shortage still today. Thus, foreign sources nearly tripled in price and domestic sources disappeared on store shelf. I still buy locally at Ahearns in Waretown or Jodee in Neptune.

Definitely sending my respect. Water doesn't get too cold for paddle boarding?

I wonder if you could put sealed airtag or something on it to track the thieves.

I'm definitely gunna have a bias opinion cause I surf in the winter and do ice baths lol I love cold water activities but I do wear my lightweight wetsuit when I paddle out and that keeps you warm even if the air temp is below freezing. I'm sweating in that thing by the time I'm heading in though

Definitely gunna look into it next year. I know guys who invested in waterproof trackers for their pots. It's a shame it's come to that but it is what it is. I'd rather spend a little extra on a tracker than have to reinvest in a whole new setup. Plus showing up to someone's house to get my pots back would be bonus fun lol

Alternatively, oyster months are the ones that end in 'r'