Crab Alternatives

Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 12:48 pm

Currently struggling to get hold of any fresh peeler and having to resort to frozen ......... which I don't like !

Are there any alternatives (squid ?) that can be used as a suitable alternative for Smoothhounds etc ?

Cheers,

Dave

Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 2:13 pm

if you can't get peelers then small hard back crabs can be a suitable alternative, and they should be fairly easy to collect on any rocky shoreline at low tide, otherwise i am sure large squid or mackerel baits will work, but crab is king

Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 5:48 pm

rag and squid . i fished selsey last week had 14 smoothies 11 of them came to squid 1 to rag and 2 to crab , which just goes to show when they hungry they will take most things . hermet crab is another top bait . if you can get them peeling spider crab . 1 crab will last you a whole session . used to get them at hill head on big spings under the weed at low water . hope this helps

Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 6:02 pm

I had a 14lber and an 8lber (see Cuckoo's last report) last trip out on frozen peeler. It's a good bait if it's frozen straight away and kept air-tight, for example wrapped in cling-film or a food bag.

As mentioned hardbacks and hermits are good too. If you can't get crab at all I'd go for rag/squid as a substitute. Fish baits are no good for smoothounds.

Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 8:03 am

Thanks for the replys gents - I'll give rag/squid a bash next time out.

Cheers,

Dave

Member Joined: May 27, 2010 Posts: 5 Location: portsmouth

got to be frozen crab then m8 or ragworm or squid ive never known smoothie caught of macky.

Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 1:20 pm

I had problems with frozen crab on Monday ....... but it could've been something to do with the fact that my bait elastic is about 20 years old ! (and the fact that it cost £4.99 for 4 frozen peeler !)

Dave

Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 2:02 pm

sorry, i feel i must retract my statement about maccy as an alternative to crab, seems like thats not the case, i was just hypothesiszing really, as the only thing i have caught smoothies on is peeler and hardbacks, sorry for any misunderstanding, i will research my answers more thoroughly in future and try to stay within the bounds of my knowledge and experience (which is not extensive, haha)

Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 2:26 pm

Lol - no problem mate !

I think I'll have to try hermit as well !!

Cheers,

Dave