Beating those crafty crustaceans

[christian kimber]

I fished 3 hours of the ebb at Eastbourne beach yesterday and didnt get one bite...from a fish that is. Bloody crabs stole my bait within 10 mins of it hitting the sea floor so how do the fish stand a chance?!

 

Can anyone give me some idea's on lifting the baits up off the sea bed and away from the clutches of these crafty crustaceans! i was thinking of using cork to keep the bait away from the sea bed or short traces way up from the lead tho not sure on bait presentation.

 

Though i always like to have a bait hard on the bottom but cannot see this as being a possibility with so many crabs around,though if anyone has any idea's would be great.

[Ken Davison South Wales]

I fished 3 hours of the ebb at Eastbourne beach yesterday and didnt get one bite...from a fish that is. Bloody crabs stole my bait within 10 mins of it hitting the sea floor so how do the fish stand a chance?!

 

Can anyone give me some idea's on lifting the baits up off the sea bed and away from the clutches of these crafty crustaceans! i was thinking of using cork to keep the bait away from the sea bed or short traces way up from the lead tho not sure on bait presentation.

 

Though i always like to have a bait hard on the bottom but cannot see this as being a possibility with so many crabs around,though if anyone has any idea's would be great.

 

You can buy floating beads, various sizes and colours.

[christian kimber]

You can buy floating beads, various sizes and colours.

 

 

 

Yeh have looked at the floating beads will lift a worm off the sea bed but not a squid bait. Looks tho that beads are the only real possibility.

[Ken Davison South Wales]

Yeh have looked at the floating beads will lift a worm off the sea bed but not a squid bait. Looks tho that beads are the only real possibility.

 

You could try a small bubble float.

[macky1]

The way i look at it is if u use floating beads to pull the bait out of the path of the crabs, u are also pullin git out of the way of the fish.

 

on my local patch, if the bottom is paved with crabs u will prob find ther eis no fish in the area

if u find a patch with no crabs u usuually pick up a few fish aswell

 

all u can do at the end of the day is experiment

 

good luck

 

mack

[Phil Arnott]

The way i look at it is if u use floating beads to pull the bait out of the path of the crabs, u are also pullin git out of the way of the fish.

 

on my local patch, if the bottom is paved with crabs u will prob find ther eis no fish in the area

if u find a patch with no crabs u usuually pick up a few fish aswell

 

all u can do at the end of the day is experiment

 

good luck

 

mack

 

Totally agree Chris if the crabs are very active there are not a lot of big fish about although sometimes I think shrimp have a go at the bait.

 

Having tried floating the bait off the bottom I found that fish can still find the bait even flatties have no problem with it and this is in cloudy water. I think it's more a case of having confidence in the method. It would certainly have little effect in clear water and might prove a winning method but I would tend to keep the bait within a foot of the bottom in mucky water.

 

If beads are not big enough to do the job then tie some polystyrene to the bait.

[gareth1234]

a 3 hook flapper type rig, to at least keep some bait off the bottom. i find a string ( of 3 ) baited mackeral feathers works quite well.