Raking Crabs pt 1

This is a topic for when I have time, say when I'm retired. And bored.

And, perhaps, I want to catch fish when others are just watching their rods.

Some info gleaned from those who have gone before, and captured for my personal benefit.

Raking Calico Crabs (I believe Bob Hopkins wrote this, if not, someone can let me know!)

You'll need a good rake.one is a Giordano. Has 5 inch tines, with the bottom 1 inch curved. Wooden handle. Second one has 4 inch tines, not curved.Needs to have a good net attached, the Giordano with a deeper net, can be more productive in capturing the most crabs. Try garage sales or go on line to get a rake or see if anyone wants to get rid of theirs.

You'll need a bag or pouch to put the crabs in while raking one fellow uses an old gas mask canvas bag attached to his belt. Also, cushion the handle of you rake, as it will rub you quite a bit while you're raking. Final thing is optional; a neoprene glove for grabbing the little buggers out of the rake! I found one on the beach a few years ago. Mixed in with the crabs you want to keep will be some very lively ones with nasty attitudes!

Raking is done at low tide. The crabs are right along the shoreline.Start out in waist deep water and rake to the water edge. Watch out for rocks, as they can bend the tines if your going to fast. A slow, steady retrieve is best. Stop every twenty feet or so and bring the rake up, turning it upside down in the process so as to capture the most crabs. After going through the crabs, repeat the process until you hit water's edge. Go back out and rake next to where you did the first pass. Continue with this pattern. You can also rake parallel to shore, right at the waters edge.

Ok, crabs in the net. What to look  for? Softees can almost feel like mush (they have literally just shed). Comers are crabs that are getting ready to shed and you look for a dark purple tint to almost black on the claws. Break off the tip of one of the claws and if you have a gelatanos formed new claw, it's a comer. Paperbacks and tinbacks have soft top shells, with the tinbacks further along in full mode to hardback. You can keep all of the crabs from comer to tinback stages. Get rid of the hardbacks. Also, any crab with an orange egg sack is obviously a female and should be put back,  it's common sense.

You should always fish the area you just raked. During raking, you stir up grass shrimp, sand eels, mole crabs, and pierce some of the calicos on the tines. Fish love rooting through this buffet!

Tying the calicos is critical. Use elastic thread and don't pull it to tightly, as you can literally cut through paperbacks and softees. I wrap, on a diagonal, about five times and, continuing the wrap, switch to the other side. When tying off, cut the thread without pulling it through the crab.

There are several ways to hook the crab.Some prefer to take the hook through the two thread parts in the back of the crab, never piercing it. Some guys lay the hook on top, then wrap the thread, again, not piercing the crab. Others pierce the crab, either on the side or back, then wrap. Your choice.

Throw or cast, gently (especially with softees), the  crab behind the lip of the second wave, in a 4 wave set, using a light half ounce or ounce weight. Up to two ounces. Make sure NOT TO SPIKE YOU ROD!!! Hold it in you hand and hang on. Even small fish hit hard on calicos. If you don't get a fish withing 5-10 minutes, move down the beach a little. Next to jetties is a favorite of bass rooting for calicos.

Storing unused crabs is easy.  Put them in a container, with damp layered paper towels, in the refrigerator. You can also use seaweed. They're good for up to 48 hours. Use a  college frig and keep it in the basement.

There is a whole other technique about allowing crabs to shed in a tank. Not addressed in this article.

One final thing. If you see a guy raking, don't start raking in the same area. You can say hello and talk to him, but don't try moving into his area. There is an unspoken etiquette among rakers.

There is no season, per se, but May to early October is a rough guideline. Many do their raking mid June to the end of August. The large shed, each month, occurs around the full moon, with a lesser shed on the new moon. Calicos shed every day, but the bulk are during those two moon phases.