I want to know if any where sells live fiddler crabs.or what and where the bedt ways to catch and save them.
Both Haddrells Point locations sell live fiddlers
HADDRELL’S POINT TACKLE & SUPPLY
Your Complete Sportfishing Center
www.haddrellspoint.com
Duncan’s Stop n Shop on Red bank Rd sells Fiddlers
Key West 186 Sportsman
Suzuki DF140
“You’ve gotta try your luck at least once a day, because you could be going around lucky all day and not even know it” - Jimmy Dean
A broom and a dust pan work well If you no where to find a marsh with a sandy patch. Fiddlers sun on those patches in herds in the morning 9-12 depending on how the sun is that day. I’ve also heard if you lay a white sheet in a flat spot in the marsh and shine a spot light centered on it at night the fiddlers will gather on there and you just shake them to the middle and fold it up. But not every marsh has a lot of fiddlers.
17ft Key west
Dear Rat…You can literally catch them with your fingers, but being quick in the plough mud is an advanced localized skill. Low tide is your friend, and the herd mentality of the china back fiddler crab make them a strategical target. Once locating an area of accessibility and firmness you can take an empty coffee can(or washtub for that matter) and bury it up to the rim in the mud…go sit down for 20 minutes, then return and proceed to rally the baits into the can. 1st check the general direction of retreat when you get to a spot, then strategically place your empty can. A variation of the same approach places a tarp on the mud with the can buried in it’s middle…wait, then having 2 people advance on the tarp, grab each corner and lift, dumping the baits into the can. You can toss some dead mud minnows or dead shrimp into the formula to move them to your can location. It’s a lot quicker to buy them, but I think it’s fun to put some effort into the entire process. It’s a great adventure for introducing kids to the saltwater environment, and getting them active and involved. Don’t bother with saving them. Put the ones you don’t use back in the marsh, and they won’t end up stinking up your yard. Good luck.
Sol Mate
Mako 20B
225 Optimax
My advice:
Young and energetic = venture out and find them yourself (not that hard)
Work 40+ hours a week = Haddrels Point
Areas with shorter marsh grass (less than 1-2 feet high) will have a harder bottom that you may be able to walk on. Their holes go in at an angle, so when I see them scamper into the hole, I jam my finger in the mud/sand about 1 or 2 inches back from the hole to prevent them from scampering deeper. Use your finger like a scoop bringing it back towards you. Drop in bucket.
If they are herding, sometimes you can double scoop them with your hands.
I usually use them immediately. Keep water out of the bucket and keep the sunlight off of them. Absolutely never forget about them and leave them in your vehicle.
I usually get a Gatorade bottle, cut the top off, put a string through both sides and wear them around my neck. Like some people do with crickets.
Narcosis
To save them, get a large Rubbermaid tub. Wet a bunch if newspaper and make several layers across the bottom 1/3 of the container. Keep is the shade (always). Re wet newspaper every few days, but do t add so much there is water sitting i. The bottom. Feed them cat food. They will live for over a month. If you see any that die, remove them.
danggg where’s all the love for the Cha Cha Charelston Angler? we got crabs!