Let’s Go Stone Crabbing on Tybee Island in Georgia

The best thing about this inexpensive family fun activity is there is no need to kill the crab. You are only looking for the claw which will grow back by next season.

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Crabbing is at its best during the summer months when the creatures head to shallow water to spawn. A Georgia fishing license and a few basic pieces of equipment are all you’ll need to get your crab fishing expedition underway.

First Off

Tybee Island, Georgia is pretty pricy when it comes to accommodations so to stay true to the GoCheepNow concept we highly recommend taking a short and beautiful 20 minute coastal drive to Jekyll Island.

It’s the home of one of a kind Driftwood Beach and so many more options when it comes to affordable accommodations. We have all the information you will need on the link below.

JEKYLL ISLAND GA -A HIDDEN PARADISE –

Hurry Up and Do Nothing, this seems to be the vibe you feel on this beautiful eastern US island …

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TYBEE ISLAND, GEORGIA – CLICK HERE

Where to Go Crabbing

Tybee Island, 20 minutes east of Savannah, is one of Georgia’s most prolific crabbing areas, and all beaches are open to the public. Head for rock jetties on the far south end of the island near the mouth of the Wilmington River, as well as the jetties on the northern part of the island.

Along Georgia’s central coast, the small town of Darien nestles among tidal estuaries and marshes favored by crabs in warm months.

Jekyll Island lies 20 miles south of Darien, with blue crabs populating creeks, estuaries and ocean waters surrounding the island. In the far southern part of the state, Cumberland National Seashore has marshes where you’ll find both blue and stone crabs.

Stone Crabs can regenerate their claws.

While blue and Dungeness crab are valued for the meat from their legs, claws, and abdomen, stone crabs are sought after for their claws alone. The two front claws are not only delicately sweet, and powerful enough to crack an oyster shell (stone crabs feed on oysters, mussels, and fish)—they’re also “renewable.”

Stone crabs get their name from their appearance as they lie burrowed just beneath the mud in estuaries and seagrass beds.

Stone Crabs Habitat

Look for stone crabs near dock pilings, seawalls, and bridges in 6 inches to 3 feet deep water-filled holes. These usually have shells around the opening which the crab uses to dig deeper. They can also be found in knee-deep seagrass beds and reefs.

Some thrill seekers, or should we say pain lovers like to stick their hands and arms down these holes and try to pull the crab out by it’s elbow. This can be done but eventually luck always runs out. If a stone crab manages to get hold of you expect 1900lbs of pressure clamped down on your hand.

How to Catch Stone Crabs

You can catch these large crabs with a crab trap. Once you get one, fill the bait box with dead cut up fish (such as mullet, ladyfish etc) so that you can create some chum in the water. Look for the stone crab in a grassy area that has some patches of sand around it and has water running through it.

Drop the trap in the area with the bait box open and make sure that the opening is in the same direction that the current is flowing. Leave the trap for at least 24 hours and then check if any crab were caught in it.

Otherwise, the crab will not be able to feed itself after it is released and will die.

Stone Crab Trapping Tactics

Set the traps in a line at different locations and check them every couple of hours the kids might get to anxious and want to pull them up every two minutes but if you are patient good things will happen.

Tips for Catching Stone Crabs

Grab a stone crab over the top of the claws by the body and keep them pointed down and away

Stone Crab Season in Georgia

Fish for stone crabs year-round at any time of day with a valid Georgia fishing license. It is lawful to catch crabs in a variety ways in the state of Georgia. You may use up to six 2 foot by 2 foot crab traps at a time, provided you mark each with a fluorescent green float with your name and address. Lift rings are another easy way to catch crabs.

Simply secure your bait box inside a netted ring and lower to the bottom of the waterway. If there are crabs in the area, they’ll begin to gather around the bait box within 10 to 15 minutes. The crabs are captured in the net as you raise the ring back to the surface. Chicken netting involves tying a piece of decaying chicken to the end of a pole and scooping up crabs that come to feast on it with a long-handled dip net.