The daily morning journal and courier., 1894-06-28
POINTS ON cHAnnrXa.
Not so Exciting as Tarpon Fishing. but 1t Has ifs Merits.

lffnm the Baltimore Amefienn.l
 Comparatively few persons who eat crabs ever saw one in It's native ele- ment. 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 Ia a tiendish-looking creature. and his looks do not belle his disposition. 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 1t is done scienin- cally. for in this, nsin everything else. all depends upon how 1t is done. and to get at the true inwardness of crab bing one must learn the ropes. The first thing to be considered is the tide. and just here 1t Is perhaps well to sny. for the information of those not al- ready familiar with the fact. that crabs are tldewater production and are pe- culiar to salt waters.
 The proper time to go grabbing is on the flood tide, for then the crabs come in the rivers hungry. and the fun begins if the bait Is the proper kind This Is not confined to one particular article, although the best thing Is n bird the head and .entralls of chicken or, being somewhat of cannibalistic turn, they will cat the body of less fortunate comrade.
 The bait must be tied to good, stout lines several yards in length, depend ing upon the depth of the water. since the lines must be sufficiently long to al- low the bait to touch the bottom. Un- like fishing tackle, the crab lines re- quire no angle, but are secured to the sides of the boat by tying 10 tho oar locks or the wash-boards. A sinker is a necessary adjunct to each line. This slnker may be anything from nail to an oyster shell. The latter which Is in popular favor on the eastern shore, has one disadvantage--it Is de- ceiving from its weight--making many a small boy standt on the tiptoe of ex- pectation as he slowly, and he believes surely, draws in crab which should have been there, but was not II Is interesting to watch the way in which the crabs hold the bait; they do not coquette with 1t in the manner of their finny nighbors; they grasp it in their claws with firm grip, and feed in the most unconcerned way. It is interest ing to feel their vigorous pulling as one slowly hauls the line in, bringing the captive to the surface. Then 1t is that a second person must be ready with net to dip him in, for he cannot be jerked nor coaxed; he must be talk en bodily. This necessity for compan- ionship in grabbing makes it all the more enjoyable and more sociable looking than does the lone fisherman who can be so selfshly happy.
 The crab net is rather q novel con- cern. It consists of a long wooden handle, at the end of which is an iron hoop, which supports the netted bag made of macreme cord. The entire art of grabbing depends upon the expert ness with which the dfpnet is used, for although the crab will follow the bait to the surface of the water, they let go at the sight of the net. Some dexterity,, then, must, be. exercised in passing the net under them and throwing them into the boat. What q scrambiing time there is then, if any girls are in tLe party The sensation caused by the appear ance of g. mouse is insignificant in com parison, ard justly, for a crab will make himself felt, as well as seen, if he finds the chance. .s What is known as a trot line affords | rather more enjoyment in grabbing than the usual mode. Instead of fastn- ing the lines to the boat, two poles are driven down about six or eight yards apart, with a strong rope attached be- tween them. From this rope are sus- pended as many lines as one may choose, all baited for grabbing. The occupants of the boat then push back ward and forward examining the lines to see if they have any bites, and, if all things are favorable, they are kept pretty busy hauling in and dipping, as the first line fis generally ready by the time the last is left, The fashion of grabbing with lines md. net is com paratively modern, and is decidedly an improvement upon the primitive mode
 
 two-pronged fork, in which the crabs were pinned to the, groupd when one could accomplish tho wonderful. feat of sneaking upon them. After fixing them with this improvised fork, the sportsman secured the crab by taking hold of his two hind fms. This man. ner of grabbing was certainly not fraught with the present enjoyment. Soft grabbing, however, is done some what in this way, although no fork is used, as they can be picked up with the hand without any danger of being bitten. The reason why they 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. Per haps there are those among the renders who do not know. that. though so diff ferent in appearance and flavor, the 4 hard and soft crabs are identical, their relative conditions being entirely ef- fected by the tide and the moon. Dur ing 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 procesa of shedding, they are called busters" rather an ap- propriate, name, asSthey i'bust" their shells and are as large again almost when they escape. Indeed, one can scarcely believe sometimes that the great fat soft crab Tying beside a much smaller shed could have come out of 1t; but it is 50, for this is' their manner of growing, and, unlike people, when they get ''too big for their skin" they dis