Crab catching in SE after FTA next month (2024)

I need some help. My wife is demanding that we take the 7 year old and catch crabs on our mini-vaca after FTA in Virginia.
I’m from Indiana, and we don’t have crabs around here. I need some serious basic help.
Does anyone have advice, or maybe a book or reference I can buy?
Trap types, bait, location location location tips? Laws? Are there blue crabs (she likes that kind apparently) around there? Are they in season, are there seasons? I am clueless and starting at the beginning. Can I buy live ones and put them my trap and tell her I caught them to save face, and possibly my marriage? She wont settle for a nice plate full at a restaurant, she says we have to catch them and have an adventure.

Shes being very demanding and threatening real consequences if I don’t put some crabs in the pot for my family while we are down there. Will anyone take pity on me and tell me how to do this?

I’m too far from any salt water to help a brother out. Sounds like you have bigger issues than crabs

Hopefully someone closer to the tidal water can give you some insight. To my knowledge, there are strict size restrictions and licensing, but I don’t want to send you down the wrong path. Do a Google search on harvesting VA blue crabs, limits, etc. If I can find anything relevant, I’ll shoot you a PM tomorrow.

https://www.mrc.virginia.gov/regulations/VA-recreational-crabbing-rules.shtm

Just from a quick search… Hopefully someone can help you out with the where and what. You certainly can buy live crabs in the right areas if it comes down to that. Best of luck.

That in Harrisonburg? I’ve been looking and I don’t see a lot of water to crab in around there. Trout fishing looks great but crabbing not so much.

If you find some brackish water you might find them. The easiest is a collapsible trap with a chicken neck wired to it.

You say you have a kid?

Chicken neck and a string is how us kids did it. Just work the dock pilings and other structure.

Yep a kid, 7 year old. And a wife.

I like this string method with chicken neck. Low overhead, high mobility, and family fun.

We will be around Jamestown and Williamsburg, Chickahominy area. She made sure it was close enough to the coast for crabbing, then told me to figure out how to catch them.

I Googled ‘where can I go crabbing in XYZ Virginia’ and found lots of stuff for marinas and public places. This should get you started with a good gameplan. Just x3 regs.

Lots to see in Jamestown and Williamsburg (especially the Historic District).

Wish I could offer more help. Hope you enjoy the state.

He ain’t looking for no fiddler crabs, he’s looking for deeze!!

https://youtube.com/shorts/_uK8qFGMS3A?si=UBoFBDzgsCEqq4sX

[quote=HobbieTrapper]He ain’t looking for no fiddler crabs, he’s looking for deeze!!

Dooze look like fiddler crabs to me. This is a crab. I made fox sets with more crab then is in that soup pot.