One of the most highly sought after and highly rated baits among sea anglers, peeler crab justifies its reputation by consistently attracting a range of species and specimen fish to angler
’s hook. Popular species such as bass, cod, wrasse and smoothound are all more than willing to snap up a juicy peeler crab mounted on a hook.
Peeler crabs are crabs which are in the middle of the process of growing. Crabs have a hard and inflexible exoskeleton and in order to grow they must shed this tough outer carapace. They begin this process by growing a soft new shell under their existing body. Once they have done this they find an out of reach place to hide from predators and take on water. The water swells the crab to the point where the pressure exerted on the outer shell becomes too great for it to take, cracking the old shell, effectively
‘popping’ the crab out of its old body. It is at this point of cracking or ‘popping’ when the crabs are in their prime to be used as bait. Once they have clambered out of their old clothing the crab’s remain soft for a few days, taking on water to swell up to their new size before the new shell hardens.
Crabs peel during the warmer months of the year although here in Devon it remains sufficiently warm year round for crabs to peel throughout the year. Devon peelers are known nationwide in angling circles and are rated as among the biggest and best available. Crabs can be mostly collected from the tidal estuaries and are found under rocks and weed well away from marauding fish and birds (always replace rocks and weed as you found them if searching for your own bait). A search over low water of likely spots, particularly from March to September, should see you uncover a few crabs for your bait bucket. Look for cracks in the shell or try to peel a leg to see if you have found a peeler. Crabs can also be purchased from local tackle shops but supplies will vary depending on time of year and the tides, they also don
’t come cheap! If you do decide to collect your own do NOT ‘raid’ the traps laid down by other (usually bits of guttering sticking out from the mud) or you can expect a very hostile reception if you’re caught. The people who place these traps are very territorial over their traps and any crabs which they may contain – give them a wide berth!
Preparation:
To prepare a crab to use as bait start by removing the legs and claws.
Continue from here and remove the remaining hard shell.
The next step involves cutting out the lungs or Dead Man’s Fingers, found under the body section of the crab.
You now have a fully peeled crab which you can cut in half and mount separately to make two small baits or onto one hook as a larger bait.
Thread the crab onto the hook and bind it on using bait elastic to stop the soft bait from flying off during casting.
If you have any crabs left over at the end of a session don’t throw them away. Peel them, remove the lungs, wrap individually in cling film and freeze to give you a supply of quality bait during time when peelers are scarce.
