Best Way To Hook Pass Crabs For Catching Tarpon And Permit

It’s pass crab time again!

After my video post two weeks ago showing how I catch pass crabs and blue crabs in Florida, I had quite a few questions asking about the best way to hook them for tarpon and permit.

So that’s what we’ll cover in this video.

Rigging a pass crab, whole blue crab, or rigging a half blue crab is an easy task, and the best news is that a variety of gamefish love to eat them.

Pass crabs and blue crabs are most well known for being tarpon and permit bait, but you can catch many other species like black drum, redfish, cobia and the occasional snook along with many other offshore reef and bottom fish while using live crabs.

Tips On Hooking Pass Crabs (or Blue Crabs)

• To rig the crab you will first need to remove the claws for everyone’s safety (these claws will really hurt if they get ahold of you).
• You want to ensure that the crab is alive so be careful when taking off the claws and while inserting your circle hook.
• The best way to remove these is by grabbing them with a pair of pliers and crushing a part of the claw. Sometimes the crab will release the claw on its own but sometimes you will have to squeeze your pliers and break the shell for them to come off.
• After you take the claws off, insert the hook from the bottom of the crab in between the rear leg and the one next to it.
• When pushing the hook through, aim for the hook to exit the top of the shell where there is a light colored, almost white spot.
• You will want to move the hook back and forth to work its way through the shell without breaking it or making a larger hole than what is necessary.
• If you make a large hole or crack the shell your crab will most likely not stay in position on the hook very well.

Here’s the quick video on hooking pass crabs so you can see what I mean.

How To Hook Pass Crabs For Tarpon [VIDEO]

Conclusion

Pass crabs and blue crabs are like candy for tarpon and permit.

In fact, if I could only take one live bait while out tarpon fishing, it would be a live crab.

Of course, it’s pretty important how you hook the crab because it could mean the difference between a hookup and a lost trophy fish.

It could also mean the difference between a dead crab and a lively one.

As you can see in the video, hooking it in the white spot starting from the belly of the crab is the best way.

So what did you think?

Any tips on rigging crabs you want to share?

Let me know in the comments. We’d love to hear from you.

Related Video: How To Catch Pass Crabs And Blue Crabs In Florida

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