Cage

What do you need to do to cage crabs in the gulf of mexico?

I know I need to buy a crab cage, what type of cage is the best? What do I do to mark it? Do I need a lisence? What are the best way to attract the crabs (Bait). How do I make sure no-one steals my cage? I would have to swim out and drop it off a beach how deep of water should I put it in? Anything else I should know? Thanks for all the help, Fl-Fishermen12354. List any websites that you could.

Public Comments

1. No you dont need a trap the easiest way is to tie a piece of chicken or fish to a string, lower it in the water , let set for 10 or 15 minutes , and GENTLY pull to the surface . The crabs will be biting the bait and you can often lift them in. If you dont catch one in 30 minutes try another place here is trapping info Blue Crab Allowable Harvesting Gear Maximum of 5 blue crab traps per person as described in the summary of blue crab trapping rules below dip or landing net drop net fold up trap with a square base panel no larger than one foot square hook and line push scrape trotline Blue Crab Trapping Rules Five trap maximum per person Buoy must have a legible “R” at least two inches high, permanently affixed to it. Buoys are not required if trap is fished from a dock. Trap shall have harvesters name and address permanently affixed to it in legible letters. Traps must be pulled manually (not by a trap puller). Any vessel that is rigged with a trap puller will be considered a commercial vessel and the appropriate licenses will be required. Traps must be pulled only during daylight hours. Traps must not be placed in navigational channels of the intracoastal waterways, or in navigational channels maintained and marked by any county, municipal, state or federal governmental agency. No harvest allowed with any trap out of state waters (seaward of nine nautical miles from shore on the Gulf of Mexico or seaward of three nautical miles from shore on the Atlantic Ocean). A Florida recreational fishing license is required to harvest blue crabs under the recreational fishing regulations. Blue crab trap specifications are the same for recreational and commercial harvesters. Trap specifications may be found in Rule 68B-45.004, Florida Administrative Code. here is the code https://www.flrules.org/gateway/ruleNo.asp?id=68B-45.004 Most people use boats to set crab pots , I never have I always caught them by hand off a line near docks and piers in 4 to 10 feet of water on average also read this on licence info etc I hope it helps http://myfwc.com/fishingareas.html