When chasing bull reds in the surf you always here about using shrimp, whiting, mullet, blues, etc for bait but I don’t ever hear anyone say they surf fish with crab. Is it something that’s just not mentioned or is it more of a hassle to deal with them than its worth?
Ive used the crab many times and it does well. A little bit of work, but not too bad. I do prefer cut fresh fish better, it stays on the hook better. After a little bit the crab comes out of the shell and your just left with the skeleton. It tends to sling off the hook easier, even when running it through the hole where the leg goes.
I caught my personal best bull in the suds on a frozen softshell crab . 44 inches . Got a bag from Marvin’s Seafood during softshell season.They get picked apart by bait stealers but they work great on redfish and bonnethead sharks.
I have caught a couple reds last year on blue crabs cut in half in the surf. Just hard for me to catch them this year.
Thanks guys. Might see you on the beach soon Stevo.
Key West 186 DC