Asheville daily citizen., 1894-11-27
CRAB CATCHING.
A Popular Fall Sport on tho At
lantic Coast.
Points for the Uninitiatcd In the Art Of
"NAbbing" the Nimblc Crustacean-An
Inexpensive Pastime for Old
and Young.


Out of the wide-sprcading Hacken
sack meadows and along the Shrcwa.
bury in New Jersey, in all the shallow
bays and inlets Of Long Island and the
Connecticut shore there nowadays is
great fun atloat, says the New York
World, Every man, woman and child
that can pole a square-cnded scow or
handle n scoop-net is prowling along
the sedgy creek banks or drifting up
the shoal coves netting crabs, This is
the heart of the crab season.
The biggest and fattest of the blue
claws are now hunting tidcway and
creek, coming and going with every
tide, hungry and eager as they sail in
on the flood, and coy and well fed as
they lazily depart on the ebb. Every
one who wants to go grabbing and
can't is profoundly to be pitied, and
the few who can and don't want to
either do not realize what satisfying,
all-absorbing pastime it is or else they
nave loSl lultTcSl III lllC.
1t is an inexpensive pastime and the
fishing grounds are near at hand. For
the matter of that Il man may take his
wife and children along, He has only
to look up the time of tide and train
schedules. buy a net for a quarter. a
dozen bats of tough, raw meat and n
ball of twine for line, shoulder his
basket and start. He must try to time
his departure SO as to reach the creek
on the rising tide, for Mr.. Crab comes in
very lame and hungry from the sea
and bites eagerly then what few
hours later he will turn mp his wcll-fed
nose at and ignore.
If YOU cannot, or do not care to, hire
boat, the accommodating crab will
humor you and let you capture him
from the muddy bank. Bank fishing
is done by driving little stakes in the
edge Of the shore at about n rods dis
tance apart, and to each Of these tying
a line about twelve feet long, on which
YOU have tied bit Of meat. If the
current bothers you You should have
some small sinkers along, for If the
meat floats on top few crabs will no.
tice it.
Ten or doze n lines are all one party
can manage generally for the crabs feed
like ncwsboys at Il Christmas dinner
The man who handles the net will
have his hands full running from one
line to another, as some one yells
"llerc, don't wait all day; there are
two old lappcrs here" or: Come
quick. Come quick. This one will LEI
go!" One of the beauties of the sport il
that the children can all help. Ever
the little shaver of eight or nine car
be shown how to draw in his cral
gently and slowly and then how tc
tenderly lift him till the net has hin
fast.
The womenall like It, too; like to shout
over slipping in the mud, like to scream
when n crab gets out of the basket ol
net and runs sideways at their feet
and like, above all, to have found III
outdoor sport'in which they can joir
their husbands and boys. And it l.
not like wooing the trout or tickle blacl
bass, when one may toll day after day
with little or no profit, just because hi
has not on a darker or brighter fly.
II one is not blcst with wife and lit
tie one and is going alone, he may tr,
still more exciting form of the sport
That is what is technically known n
"nabbing." "Nabbing' consists il
floating up with the tide over shal
lows and scooping up the crabs u
they feed or run without the us
of bait. Now, from the numbc
Of his pedal extremitics, the quick
ness of his queer bulging eye
and his ability to start in any direction
without turning the crab could not b
called by his bittercst enemies a slug
gish or clumsy fish. When he has
| particular reason for going up creel
toward a certain bed of eel grass or Sc
letticc and gives his personal attention
to the subject 1t takes n gentleman o
considerable agility TO intercept hi
flight. No dreamy, absent-mindcd o
profoundly thoughtful person shoul
try to nab" The thread Of thei
reasoning is apt to be abruptly severe,
by plunge into the black ooze of tn
creek.
The "nabber" stands at one end, OF
II there are two "nabbcrs," one at eac,
end and they simply let the boat drit
with the tide. Along the shore Is
favorite haunt Of crabs rather than i
the middle of the bay or creek, perhap
because floating bits Of food are apt
lodge in the sedge.
The net whose thirteen or fiftcel
inch frame seemed SO large when 70
bought it now seems us small as a
arrow point when you drive
at a vanishing crab and miss hi
clean. Too vicious thrust often sticl
the net deep in the mud bottom, and
you are not lively in rescuing 1t IL
boat passing over will smash IL
handle or the sudden wrench will hui
you into the water. Then once you al
fouled in such way the most temp
ing sort Of opportunities always pr
sent themselves.
Big luscious crabs come slowly, la
guidly by, blinking in peaceful securit
as if they realized your predicamen
and guardian crabs take advantage
that particular moment to scurry pa
with their soft-shelled wards. You a
! wiser and hotter, and usually tir,
after you have succeeded at last in pr
ing that net loose.
At high tide one may only skirt Il
shore, catching what stray crabs
may find clinging to the sedge ai
reeds, for out in the bay the depth
too great. When the tide turns y,
may go down with it, catching just
many or more than you took going u
for the midday meal has made his era
ship more slow and lazy in his NOV
ment. Expert "nabbcrs" can tu
with one crab captured in the nj
plunge for second and third al
even a fourth, and ut last fling Z
whole quartette swapping and kickll
into the bottom of the boat.
Nv HAI@\AIc