GRAYS WHARF....MITTEN CRABS

[joliroger]

I've just been reading an article about 'Mitten crabs' an invasive alien species originating in China that have turned up as far as Staines London, apparently they are as at home in freshwater as the tidal river............could these be the little buggers we are finding @ Grays ??, there M/O is taking, stripping your hooks so gently no indication of a bite is detected ............this is typical of my last few trips to the Wharf.............does anyone know if they would make a decent bait themselves????.



JOLI

[aston74]

hi mate
there are zillions of them at grays
they are armour plated little gits, and vicious with it
i dunno about the good as bait factor cos any fish that tacles one must be brave

i have had loads of small ones, nothing big though

the chinese love to eat them, but they eat anything

if i get one out, it goes straight under my foot, they apparently beat up our own crabs too

[dontcatchmuch]

hi joli firstly yep a real pro on the hampton court area of the thames ,yep good chance they are what have been nicking you bait at greys as there was on cought at the last charity match there ,cant see why they wouldent make good bait as when they get big they make good eating to the degree there starting to catch them up the hampton court area and above for the resturant trade
steve

[joliroger]

Little blighter's they should leave our boys alone, but seriously if they are the local food source maybe it is logical to make use of them i.e. cut them in half and bind them on with elastic that should slow them down a bit....... but as you say there are shed loads of em and they ruin the fishing, if you can't use them got any suggestion on how to avoid them??...................maybe using a boom up the line out of their reach??, what do you think??.


JOLI

HEY STEVE..................Maybe they are the ones setting the nets up.................................lol lol ...........Cheers JOLI

[aston74]

someone on here mentioned the use of corks to somehow elevate the bait to a degree where it will stop crab action but still keep it low enough for fish to be interested

looking on the bright side though, with the cold weather coming up, that should slow the crabs down a bit hopefully

[dontcatchmuch]

nets oh my god how will i know what one it is they all look the same i do know that they got hear on the bottom and in the balast on the boat coming to tilbury in the 70s and i think they can swim up in the water to but wouldent swear to it so all you could do is try a boom up the line
steve

[kopitecol]

gordon ramsey was on tv recently during one of his programmes saying that local fisherman have turned to harvesting them. i think some of the eel men have taken up the mantle instead of flogging a dead horse.

[jay180]

there was a series on blighty about the tidal thames and if they show mitten crabs to be clean of disease and a viable trade they will start to catch/sell them, deptford creek was full of them. medway is same at mo, had a short session, 2 pouting and loads of crabs, 3 i see fall off, 2 jelly fish and a whelk, sometink i suppose
jay

[kopitecol]

found this for info purposes

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/about-us/news/2009 ... 27526.html

[aston74]

cheers kopite
got any recipes for the nasty blighters

[kopitecol]

not of hand!!!........not sure i would want to 'shell' out for some! need handling with kid gloves i would say as well..............Also might need to check that there aren't any special claws's covering there capture and removal!!

[aston74]

boom boom !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

col, you should be on the stage

theres one leaving in 20 minutes

be on it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Cabrat]

Kopite should be on stage !!!!!!

Sweeping up lol lol

Good bit of usefull info on the little blighters though.


Cabbus

[joliroger]

If you are concidering eating these little beauties be careful of 'Deadmans fingers'..........................Nasty or what !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!..............JOLI