Do smoothounds take hard back crabs

Member Joined: Apr 20, 2005 Posts: 8

hi agian can any one tell do smoothounds take hard back crabs happy

Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2005 6:08 pm

I have never tried it mate, and i havn't heard of it either. Have you tried peeler?

Member Joined: Feb 18, 2007 Posts: 12

yer they always work when i tried and thats been for about five years

theyare brilliant what a bait

Posted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 12:04 pm

I used to fish with hard back crabs off a boat for smooth hounds snap off a back leg and stick the hook in!

Caught me a few fish so deffinatly works!

Posted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 11:25 pm

Cod being caught in the Bristol Channel are stuffed with hardback crabs, wrasse will take them too as will any big fish. Fish haven't got the patience to hang around waiting for the crab to peel and their stomach juices will dissolve anything !. I've thought about using a treble hook with two of the points stuck through the edge of the shell with one point left to do the business all held on with some bait elastic, never got round to trying it though.
I suspect that big squid or fish baits work because they attract crabs and the noise and vibration of them scuttling about fighting over the bait attracts the fish. Explains why you sometimes get the huge bite with no fish.... they've just swiped the crabs off and missed the hook.

Member Joined: Oct 08, 2006 Posts: 15 Location: Portsmouth

Mostly all the smoothys ive had have been on hard back crabs, in my opinion its top bait. I usually go the night before down a harbour at low tide an grab a bucket full, i like to use the ones about the size of a golf ball maybe a bit bigger. Best way is to snap the claws off and present the hook (preferably 2/0) through the one side and out the other of the claw holes, this gives a good presentation and the crab lives for longer.