Crabbing Brick Beach, NJ

[Pfishingruven]

Well, loaded up the family and headed out crabbing after dinner tonight.  Not the best time, but I can't complain since it was better than sitting home.  Original plan was to hit Mantoloking Bridge, but it was pretty packed!  Headed north towards Point Pleasant Beach and pulled into Gull Island County Park.  Not allowed to crab there and the River was at the top of the outgoing tide.  Headed south and ended up at Bayside Park in Brick Beach.  It is right off of Route 35S, just south of Used to Be's and the Brick Police Beach Substation directly oposite Brick Beach and the municipal parking between the highways.

Park is very nice.  Nice brand new boardwalk along the bulkheading in which you can crab all along the bay there.  Water is only about 3-4 feet deep on the sides and out in the front it is about 4-6 feet with a channel a good distance away.  Lots of eel grass and sandy bottom, ideal for crabs.  Did notice that the eel grass was covered in slimy algae.  Benches all along the boardwalk area, a park and playground for the kids.  It was very clean there and lots of ROBO cans to throw your garbage away in.

Now to the crabbing.  Crabbed from 1830 hrs which was the outgoing tide until 2130 hrs.  Wind was calm with a mild breeze, about 70 degrees or so.  Water felt warm.  Only had 6 keepers, but all 6+ inches with most 6 1/2 inches.  Had one crab right at the 4 1/2 mark and he was missing both claws and one of his swimming legs.  We caught a lot of throwbacks, mostly male and a few small females.  Crabs were super clean and the blue on their claws is very vivid this year.  Keeper to throwbacks was 20:1.  Crabbing was hot when we first arrived and died off as soon as it got dark.  We used 2 traps and 2 handlines all baited with bunker.  Bunker was the key.  Chicken was not hitting very well at all for the people around us.  Crabbing bunker was fairly cheap at $0.59/lb.

All in all a good night with decent crabbing.  Was hoping for more than 6, but there is always tomorrow!

[ped579]

Good report especially when it was done with the family...

[Pfishingruven]

Thanks Paul...it was fun!  Except for the weekend beach home teens that were more unruly than my 23 month old!  The few keepers we got were big crabs!  3 of the 6 crabs were 6 1/2 inches + some.  I really want to get out and get a few dozen for some nice crab cakes or stuffed chiken with crab stuffing!!

I also got to be a good guy again.  There was a lady and her son and his friends crabbing next to us.  The kids were all about 10-12 years old.  Several families from New York State had rented a few houses down here and because she had the crab traps she took the kids crabbing.  She had great traps and setups with nice plastic rope holders.  Only thing was the kids were holding onto the rope holders and throwing with their other hand.  Eventually one of the boys really threw the trap and out it went...but he forgot to grap the rope holder and out it went too!!  The lady who owned the trap didn't care, but when the boy who threw the trap...his mother got there she was so mad at him.  I generously offered to fish for the rope holder which was still floating about 50 feet off of the dock.  So, out came the pole with a 1oz Gibbs Floating Swimmer.  Got it on the second cast.  Not bad since I have never casted that surf lure on my small saltwater pole.  They were so thankful...

So even more, it was a great night!

 

[Luna Sea 5]

 

[IrishAyes]

Nice report. Good job in retrieving the shuttled trap.

Always nice to get out with family. Plus you got something good to pick on. 

[bayonne]

thats one of my regular spots suprized you didnt do better i usally spend the hole day with a buddy we use about a dozzen nets and always get a 1-2 bushell baskets filled with keepers and i have found chicken doesnt work as good any kind of fish baits my buddy goes to a farm pond and catches a bag of sunnies we use them and they last aloot longer than bunker
whats nice is if the wife and kids would rather be at the beach its across the street

[Pfishingruven]

Yeah, Bayonne...I have passed that park tons of times but never pulled in to look around!  It was nice and crabbing was busy, up until it got dark.  We went from crabs picking the bunker apart to NOTHING.  Like someone turned off the feeding switch!  The waters look really good for crabbing in with all of the eel grass and sandy bottom.  I am going to try there again during the week, but we are going to start out early in the morning and crab most of the day.  It was great there for the family.  Lots of room, not crowded at all, a playground and the beach is there right across the road.

  

[bayonne]

and the gazebo is nice for getting out of the sun and it has a power outlet for a boom box or coffe pot in the morning its actuly my favorite spot but on the week end you neen to get their early it does fill up quick