Birmingham age-herald., 1894-08-08
POINTS ON GRABBING.
ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING SPORTS
 ON THE CHESAPEAKE.

How the Toothsome Crustacean Is Taken
 by Those Who Are Familiar With His
 Nature-simpIe Tackle Is Used, but Some
 Skill Is Necessary.
 Comparatively few persons who eat crabs ever saw ono in its native element, and there are very many others who would not know one if they should see it. There is no use denying that this delightfully."- favored little animal is a flendish looking creature, and his looks do not belle his dis position for he is the most aggressive of all aquatic game. Now of all the sports of the Chesapeake, none is more exciting than grabbing when it is done scientifical- ly, for in this, as in everything else, all depends upon how it Is done, and to get at the true inwardness of crabbing one must learn tho ropes. The first thing to be considered is the tide, and just here it is perhaps well to say, for the information of those not already familiar with the fact, that crabs are tidewater production and arc peculiar to salt waters.
 The proper time to go grabbing is on the flood tide, for then the crabs como in the rivers hungry, and the fun begins if the bait is the proper kind This is not con fined to one particular article, although the best thing is bird, tho head and en- trails of chicken, or, being somewhat of h oannibalistic turn, they will eat the body of less fortunate comrade
 The bait must be tied to good, stout lines several yards in length, depending upon the depth of the water, since the lines must be sufficiently long to allow the bait to touch the bottom. Unlike fish ing tackle, the crab lines require no angle but arc secured to the sides of tho boat by tying to the oarlocks or the washboards A sinker is necessary adjunct to each line. This sinker may be anything from nail to an oyster shell. The latter, which is in popular favor OH the Eastern Shore, has one disadvantage-it is deceiving from its weight, making many a small boy stand on the tiptoe of expectation as he slowly and he believes surely draws in crab, which proves to be the sinker. Then the vials of wrath are emptied upon the head of the crab which should have been there, but was not. It is interesting to watch the way in which the crabs hold the bait They do not coquet with it in the manner of their fnny neighbors. They grasp it in their claws with firm grip and feed in the most unconcerned way. It is interesting to feel their vigorous pull
  ing the captive to the surface Then it is that a second person must be ready with net to dip him in, for he cannot be jerked nor coaxed. He must be taken bodily. This necessity for companionship. in grabbing makes 1t all the more enjoy.a able and sociable looking than does the lone fisherman who can be so selhshly happy The crab net is rather novel concern. It consists of a long wooden handle, at the end of which is an iron hoop, which sup ports the netted bag made of macreme cord The entire art of grabbing depends upon tho expertness with which the dip net is used, for, although the crabs will fol- low the bait to the surface of the water, they let go at the sight of the net. Some dexterity, then, must be exercised in pass ing the net under them and throwing them into tho boat. What scrambling time there is, then, if any girls are in the party The sensation caused by the ap- pearance of 8 mouse is Insignificant in comparison, and justly, for a crab will make himself felt as well as seen if he finds the chance.
 What is known as a trot line affords rather more enjoyment in grabbing than the usual mode, Instead of fastening the lines to the boat, two poles are driven down about six or eight yards apart, with strong rope stretched between them From this rope are suspended as many lines as one may choose, all baited for grabbing The occupants of the boat then push backward and forward examining the lines to see if they have any bites, and if all things arc favorable they are kept pretty busy hauling in and dipping, as the first line is generally ready by the time the last is left. The fashion of grabbing with lines and net Is comparatively modern and is decidedly an improvement upon the primitive mode of walking around the shore with two pronged stick, in which the crabs were pinned to the ground when one could accomplish the wonderful feat of sneakine upon them. After fixing them with this improvised fork the sports man secured the crab by taking hold of his two hind fins This manner of grabbing was certainly not fraught with the present enjoyment Soft grabbing, however, is. done somewhat in this way, although no fork is used, ss they can be picked up with the hand without any danger of being bit ten. The reason why tLey cannot be caught like hard crabs IS that in their soft state they do not move about much and have not the strength to hold on to bait with their claws. Perhaps there are those among the readers who do not know that, although so different in appearance and flavor, the hard and soft crabs are identical, their relative conditions being entirely ef- fected by the tide and the moon. During the three summer months. crabs shed at the change of the moon, and they are then soft until several tides pass over them, rendering their shells hard again. In the transitory state or when in the process of shedding they are called busters. :" rather, an appropriate name, as they "bust" out of their shells and are as large again al- i, most when they escape. Indeed one can scarcely believe sometimes that the great { fat soft crab lying beside a much smaller shell could have come out of it, but 1t Is so, for this is their manner of growing, :