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Identifying Crabs
You will need to know the crab's life stages when you go crabbing. Adult crabs are generally those you want to catch to eat - with a few exceptions.
To identify males from females, just turn them over!
The male crab, or jimmy, has blue claws and an underside "apron" which looks like an upside-down T or the "Washington Monument." Large male crabs are also called channelers. |
The she-crab or immature female crab has an inverted V-shaped apron. Females have orange tipped claws. |
A mature female has a widened apron with a semicircular bell shape that looks like the U.S. Capitol building.
She is called a sook. |
A Sponge Crab is a female that has an egg mass that looks like an orange sponge on her belly. Let these go, so there will be many productive crab harvests in the future.
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Scientific Facts
Take A Kid Crabbin'
How to Catch Crabs By Hand
Crabbing With Pots & Trotlines
Always check the Maryland Crabbing Regulations before you go!
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The terms below are widely accepted though in a few towns on the Shore you may find they have their own vernacular.
Hardshells have hardened shells, usually within 4 days after shedding.
Keeper is a crab that is big enough to keep, usually around 5 inches.
Peelers are about to "peel" their hard outer shell. Peelers you can eat must be 3 1/4" if caught April 1 - July 14; or 3 1/2" if caught July 15 - December 15.
Busting describes a crab that is emerging from its old shell.
Softshells have emerged from their old shells and now have a very thin, soft shell. Softshells are delicacies that are eagerly awaited by crab lovers each season. Softshell season is marked by the first full moon in May. It continues through early fall. Folks who live on the water often keep crabs in live wells so they can harvest the soft shell crabs as soon as they are ready. Soft shells must be 3 1/2" inches to keep/eat them.
Sheds are shells left after crabs have discarded them, sometimes softshells are called "sheds" also.
Papershell crabs are softshells whose shells have stiffened some.
Buckram crabs are at a stage following papershell when the shell is starting to harden but is still pliable.
Some other things to watch for are:
Pink Sign is a pink dot that appears on a crab's back fin about a week before it begins to molt. It is the appearance of a new shell inside the one the crab is about to shed.
Doublers (also Buck and Rider) are two mating crabs, moving as a unit, with the male above and female below.
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