# Big fiddler crabs for bait



## johnf (Jan 20, 2012)

Ive been coming down there pretty regular for a while now with my senior band kids. We will run the beaches a night or two catching fiddler crabs. Mostly just cchasing each other with them, being stupid teenagers. I know the little ones make good sheepshead baits, but what about the big ones? Could you rig them up like a blue crab and expect to catch anything?


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## NoMoSurf (Oct 2, 2007)

Are you talking about Fiddler crabs or ghost crabs? Fiddlers are in the marshy areas, are reddish or brown, and get about the size of a quarter or half dollar. Ghost crabs live on the beach and are white. They get about the size of a baseball. Some do live off from the beach and they may be a chocolate brown. Never seen one off the beach that was bigger than a dime. I'm sure there are bigger ones though


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## johnf (Jan 20, 2012)

I guess the ghosts crabs then.


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## NoMoSurf (Oct 2, 2007)

I've used the small ones as bait on occasion and caught nothing on them... But I havenet used them enough to say they dont work. Probabaly used them twice or three times in 30+ years of saltwater fishing. Tey are just too much effort to come up with in any numbers. I imagine a big one cracked would make excellent redfish bait. But no idea for sure.


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## laboy (Jul 18, 2013)

Used to catch drum on em in louisiana. I actually put one on a few weeks ago t the beach. Reeled it i. And it was bit in hal and it was a mid sized one. So bout 2 hours later i had a real big one on casted way out. Something slammed it i grabbed my rod and it was peeling drag. Then came off. My 4/0 was bent to where the tip of the hook was straight in against the shaft. So tried again with no luck. Im guessing shark but only the man up stairs truly knows what it was.....


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## NavyDoc (Feb 27, 2014)

I use them when I run out of shrimp or just to change up the bait. I have caught a couple nice black drum and a red on them recently


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## lowprofile (Jan 6, 2013)

You can find blue crabs in the wade gut after dark, most of the time they are on the bottom but sometimes they'll be swimming around. Drum really like them. Pretty sure that's why the big reds are seen in only 2ft of water at night.


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## Chapman5011 (Mar 7, 2013)

We cleaned a big red fish yesterday and his stomach was slap full of crab claws


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