When we went on our beach vacation to Jekyll Island I decided we needed to try our hand at crabbing. It is, after all, a Reaves family tradition. I remember standing at the end of my grandfather's dock on the Chesapeake Bay with some chicken guts tied to a string. Something would tug on it and we'd pull up the string with a crab attached! Of course, after that, I wouldn't swim in the water where we caught the crabs. I was afraid of getting pinched!
So I decided to hand down this tradition, and fear of getting pinched, to my boys. We had bought the equipment on the way down, (all you need is a crabbing net, some string and some weights) and picked up a fishing license and some bait at the local hardware store. (Where we witnessed a lady back up into a stop sign, completely knock it over, and then just drive off. Tourists!) But I digress. Crabbing bait consists of the most disgusting parts of the chicken you can find. Livers, gizzards, necks, parts. Necks seemed to be the favorite food on the crabs menu. We had two different recommendations on when was the best time to crab, low tide or high tide. We chose low tide with the tide coming in. We asked a local where was the best place to crab and that's where we headed.
We set up on a footbridge across a creek that emptied out on the north side of the island. We had quite the audience as it was fairly entertaining.
We dropped some lines in, and pretty soon we had some nibbles.
You have to carefully pull the string up and catch the crab with the net before you get it out of the water, then he lets go.
The only piece of equipment we forgot to bring was something to keep our catch in, so we used a laundry basket I had brought. You aren't supposed to keep crabs in buckets filled with water. They drown from lack of oxygen. I'm not sure I really get how keeping them in an airy basket helps them live longer. I think we caught about 20, but we threw several back because they were too small. You can't keep females with eggs on them either, but I don't think we came across any of those.
Bryan caught a big guy he named Jerry. I warned him about naming animals you are eventually going to eat!
After sentencing them to their death (and I tell you it's harder than you think to put a live creature into boiling water.
I made Marc do it.) they turn from a pretty blue to a bright red, and you know they are ready for eating.
Then you have a crab feast. Now that is a tradition that I had already exposed my girls to. But somebody else had always prepared them. Somehow, catching them made them a little harder to eat.
To quote Josh as we sat down to eat... "I think I lost my appetite!".
A crab feast is a big mess. Hard work picking all that delectable crabmeat out, but totally worth it! Yum!
