PEELER CRAB PREPARATION STEP BY STEP FOR RESOURCE

Here we have a step by step photo guide to how to prepare a peeler crab for bait use or for freezing down for the winter cod.

We hope you find this a useful resource.

Regards the admin team

THE COMMON SHORE CRAB

SIGNS ITS PEELING

VIEW OF THE BELLY

REMOVE THE LEGS

THE UNDERSIDE PLATES

REMOVE THE TAIL PLATE

LIKE THIS

NOW THE BELLY PLATES

NEXT PLATES TO REMOVE

REMOVE THE SIDE PLATES

EXPOSED LUNGS REMOVE AND THE BONY SIDE PLATE UNDER THEM

NEXT THE MOUTH SHIELDS

THEN THE BACK SHELL

THE LEG SEGMENTS

IST & 2ND SEGMENTS

PULL OFF THE 1ST SEGMENT

THE FINISHED PREPARED CRAB

Here are a couple more direct links to peeler crab preparation and presentation for you to resource.

We will add more as we find them

Regards the admin team


http://www.btinternet.com/~kevin.l.j.knight/Peeler.htm

http://www.gofishing.co.uk/Sea-Angler/Section/how-to/Sea-Fishing-Advice/Fishing-Tips/Sea-fishing-baits/Using-crab-as-bait/

Here we have found some useful youtube videos on peeler crab collecting and preparing peeler crabs as a resource for you to use.

We hope you find these a useful guide for you to use and answer a lot of your questions on how to collect crab and prepare it.

We will add more as we find them.

Regards the admin team.





How to collect & peel crab





Step by step preparing and peeling a crab

Here we have found some crab collecting studies and surveys on the south west estuaries also a very useful crab collectors code for your resource we hope you will find useful.

We will add more as we find them.

Regards the admin team

http://www.fishingdartmouth.co.uk/crab_collect.htm ( crab collectors code)

http://www.ukmarinesac.org.uk/activities/bait-collection/bc13.htm ( crab shelters study )

http://www.exe-estuary.org/index/local_information/studies_and_research_/crab_tile_survey.htm (exe survey)

http://www.ttef.org.uk/Reports_information/crab_tile_code_of_conduct.htm ( crab collectors code )

Here we have a little experiment with some peeler crabs showing how the crab moults.

While preparing crabs for freezing we done a little study of some popping their shells excuse the quality of some pictures as the sunlight reflecting off the water on zoom made it a little difficult will try again and get some better pictures.

But it was a nice interesting little study in which we saw one completed moult out of 10 so if that is the casualty rate in captivity then a 50/50 in the wild is a good estimate and gives us a better understanding of why fish get pre-occupied with crabs in the moulting seasons of the warmer months plenty of free food.

It also explains the large amounts of crab shells and dead crabs we find on the shorelines in summer.

We hope you like this and find it interesting.

We will try to get some better shots of the next lot we freeze.




Fresh collected peeler crabs.



A popper as they are known as the start of the shedding process.



The popper pumping water



Still pumping itself up the upper shell lifting off.



Lifting the legs out and shedding its old lungs



Now we have 2 crabs ???



As you can see the old shell and the jelly crab as it is called in this state sacrificed some legs and a claw to survive the moult.

Notice they leave the old lungs behind!!!!