GET INTO BOAT FISHING

During spring, these crab baits are the ones to use to help you put more fish in the boat

How to use two great spring crab baits.

MY FAVOURITE spring baits are crabs, namely the peeler and hermit. Without doubt, a peeler crab is one of best baits around for the spring run of estuary codling, while a hermit is a real winner for species such as bass, cod, smoothhounds and wrasse.

Peelers are simply common shore crabs in the process of shedding their shells in order to grow larger. During March, the usually smaller codling move inshore to gorge on the first batch of moulting shore crabs.

You may have noticed that winter cod can have stomachs full of hardback crabs, yet using peelers at that time simply doesn’t catch as many cod as you would think. It tends to be squid and worm baits that do the damage.

In spring, cod will readily take crab baits fished either uptide or downtide. Each spring, and throughout summer, peeler crabs can be collected from around the shoreline, often found hiding under rocks and weed beds submerged by water at high tide.

You can fish a whole peeler crab during spring for species such as rays, codling, bass, wrasse and the first run of smoothhounds, or cut them in half for smaller species such as flounders, plaice and eels.

Hermit crabs are used primarily in river estuaries and along the South Coast. They can also be deadly for spring codling when fished two or three at a time.

For some reason, not many anglers seem to use hermits; I don’t know why. There are bait companies that sell them blast frozen, but they are quite easy to collect. Do this by simply dropping down a pot for a few hours, or, if there’s not much tide, even using a drop-net with a lump of fish bait tied inside.

The best way to get a hermit out of its shell is to break the shell with a hammer, taking care not to crush the crab inside.

One of my favourite spring baits for bass and codling is a crab and squid wrap – you can see how it’s made by turning to page 64-65. First, though, here is how to prepare the hermit bait…