Nothing beats a good pair of crabbing gloves when it comes to handling live blue crabs.
Robwear Brand Chesapeake Bay Crabber's Delight gloves come in a variety of styles and perform well. These gloves are widely available at most fishing supply and hardware stores on the Northern Neck. While gloves protect your skin from being cut by the crab's sharp claws, they do not protect you from the extreme pressure exerted by the crab. The trick is to know where to hold them. Pick up the crab from behind, grabbing it at the base of its swimming fin where it connects to the main body.