Winter surf fishing

[smokehound]

Catch sandcrabs while you still can! They will soon be gone!

With winter, come larger barred surf perch specimens, many will be 12 inches and up!

Mostly males, too, so you dont have to worry about females giving live birth.


Dont let the cooldown scare you away from the beach!

[murrieta angler]

Funny you mention that. My boy the other day was catching a boat load when 2 guys come over and ask him if they could have them. He looks at me and I say; " There your crabs kid, do what you want to do with them ", he then proceeds to dump them back in the water...lol
He hates killing anything...:Smile:

[fishtales]

I thought the sandcrabs weren't around this time of year or at least you had to wait until low tide if you were to get them at all?

How long will they keep? Alive? Dead?

Thanks

[smokehound]

Sand crabs will stay near the shore as long as the water is still warm. The last time I was at newport, the water was very comfy. They should start migrating back out though.


HOWEVER. As a good El Nino is forecast this winter, we may just see those crabs hang in there for a while...

Sand crabs actually keep for quite a while, provided their gills dont dry out.

If you keep them in a container with lightly damp paper towels on the bottom, they should stay alive for at least a few days. Just remember to change the towels every day, so their piss doesnt kill them.


To store them, lightly blanch them in boiling water til opaque (but dont let them turn red) this way you can freeze the crabs and they will keep way better. When they die, sandcrabs are notorious for spoiling really fast.

[fishtales]

Thanks, Smokehound!