After the most intense storm of the summer dumped 4 inches of rain in 2 hours on Tuesday, we rescheduled our first Crabbing Excursion for Wednesday. Turned out to be the right choice!
Sunny skies and a cool breeze made for a beautiful ride up the Instracoastal Waterway to Captain Tyler’s secret spot. The Key West 21 works great for crabbing with its low bow and open interior providing plenty of working space with sacrificing comfort.
The most important thing to keep in mind when putting pots out is the depth of the water and the status of the tide. While the best crabbing tends to be in shallow water, it’s easy to go too shallow and have your pots dry at low tide. My rule of thumb is to put them in 10-12 feet of water at high tide.
We caught just enough to top off the steamer with our best pot containing 14 crabs! The Chesapeake Bay way is to put about a quart of water (and maybe a cold beer!) in the bottom of the steamer. Add the live crabs while pausing periodically to coat each layer with plenty of Old Bay (don’t be shy!). Fire up the burner and keep the crabs on for about 10 minutes once the pot emits steady steam.
With a couple of cold drinks to accompany the Old Bay seasoning we ate like kings and queens at the marina afterwards. Thanks for everyone who came out. This was so popular we’ve decided to add another one this season. Stay tuned for dates!