7 Tips For Rigging Blue Crabs For Bull Redfish (Plus Video Proof)
- By: Tony Acevedo
- on
Want to see the best way to rig blue crabs for monster redfish?
These reds are cruising the flats looking for an easy meal, and if a blue crab is waiting there for them, they usually can’t turn it down.
This is especially effective if they’re finicky and don’t seem to want to eat anything else.
That being said, there are some things you want to keep in mind when rigging blue crabs.
If you don’t rig them properly you could lose your crab, or, even worse, lose the fish of a lifetime.
Watch the video below for seven tips on rigging blue crabs to catch bull redfish.
Enjoy!
Rigging Blue Crabs For Bull Redfish [VIDEO]
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What a monster red!
Here are 7 tips for when you’re rigging up blue crabs for redfish:
1. Remove the claws.
This will help you not get pinched, and make it easier for the fish to eat the crab.
2. Pinch the tips of the crab shell off.
This will make it easier for the fish to eat the crab and release scent into the water.
3. Hook them through one of their fin or leg holes.
This will decrease the odds of the hook coming out and causing you to lose your crab.
4. You can also hook them through the corner of their shell.
Hook them here and remove their legs to make them more streamlined. This is best if you’re fishing in an area with strong current.
5. Use a 4/0 or 5/0 circle hook.
If a fish is going to take a big blue crab, it’s going to be a big fish…
6. Make sure to leave the hook point exposed to get a good hook set.
If the hook is buried in the crab, you may not hook into the fish.
7. If you only have a few crabs, or there are smaller fish in the area, you can cut the crab into halves or quarters.
This will also help release maximum scent into the water.
Conclusion
If you want to catch picky bull reds cruising the flats, soaking a blue crab is an excellent way to do that.
Just make sure to hold on, because these guys put up a fight!
Have any questions about rigging blue crabs?
Let me know in the comments below!
And if you know someone who wants to catch more bull reds, TAG or SHARE this with them!
P.S. Now that you know a great way to catch bull redfish, join us in the Insider Club and learn where to find them! Click here to learn more about the Insider Club.
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I’m brand new to fishing. When you say you’re “soaking” the blue crab, does that mean you’re casting it out and letting it sit, or are you casting and retrieving?
Hey Catarina!
“Soaking bait” refers to casting it out and just letting it sit.
Thank you!
Are you buying the crabs or do you trap a couple when fishing? Any tips on a good crab location, depth, dock, grass, bridge piling? or a trap bait for a quick pick for 2-3 of them? What are you using for a leader anyhow? Thanks for the topic and the rigging info.
I prefer to buy them so I don’t have to waste time trying to find them. If you want to catch your own, a trap can be ideal if you set it out a day or 2 ahead of time. As you may see, many of the commercial guys set their traps in about 4 feet of water around the edges of flats. Docks and piers can also be ideal (just be courteous). I usually will find crabs close to the shoreline in about 1.5 feet of water near dead tree limbs, rocks, etc. and can easily scoop them up with a net. Backwater marshes are also good areas.
The leader I used in this video was 20lb Berkley Vanish Flourocarbon.
Nice Tony! Tip for members on cutting the crab, use a cutting board. The fluids leave a stain that’s very difficult to clean after it dries.
Thanks Rick! Great tip! Also good to keep a small wet rag handy to wipe down anything, and get a good grip on the crab when trying to cut it to avoid cutting yourself in the process.
Don’t be surprised if a big Snook gets the crab. Leaving the shell on protects from pickers. However, taking the shell off puts more sent in the water. I start with the shell off to get the sent going and then leave it on. Up North, Eastern Virginia Shore surf, we always used shedder crabs….killer bait.
Yep snook love them as well! We actually have a video on our site that shows a big snook chasing down a blue crab in shallow water:
https://saltstrongdev.wpengine.com/articles/snook-eating-crab/
Caught two citations on my first time outing thanks to my neighbor who is a commercial fisherman.
He said “ If I was after them that’s what I’d use” BAM!
Nicely done!
Thanks for putting this one together Tony! I’ve wondered “how” to rig blue crabs for Reds. I’m gonna give it a try soon.
No problem Guy! A jig head is also a good hook to use for cut pieces of crab to keep it on the bottom, especially if tossing it into a pothole.
what size Rod, Reel, line, and leader would you use for these big guys
You can honestly catch them on anything if your are fishing for them on the flats (open water). It’s all about how you fight them. In this video I am using a 7’6 Fast Action rod (Black Pelican Custom Rods) with a 3000 Shimano Stradic Ci4+, 10lb power pro braid, and 20lb flourocarbon leader.
If you are targeting them around heavy structure, or want to get them in quickly, I would recommend a 7 to 7’6 heavy action rod, 5000 – 6000 size spinning reel, 30lb braid and 30 to 40lb leader.
Blue crabs good on the west central gulf coast around Tampa?
Yes, Blue crabs are excellent bait. Here’s two methods of fishing them. If dropping a crab out of a boat, I’ll remove the top shell. If casting, I’ve had better luck keeping a crab together on a cast by hooking it though a leg hole and then brining the hook through the bottom of the crab’s shell, instead of the top shell. Always twist a hook twist point while penetrating the shell of a crab as not to break it into pieces.
Definitely! Blue crabs are found all over.
I fish in NC, at Bogue Inlet. What season is best and are blue crab aviable in the fall to late fall? And would reds eat it with all the bait fish in the water. Would they look at them as a delicious morsel over along with the bait fish?
For the big redfish, this current time of year is best (Fall) because they are schooled up for the spawn. They will eat pretty much anything. In this video, the reds were busting mullet on the surface and still picked up my crab that was floating around.
Inlets/passes are going to be your target area. Blue crab should be readily available this time of year. When we get into the colder months, blue crab become bit harder to find in the bait shops because they burrow themselves in the mud and don’t move around much (avoiding traps)