The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-08-29
Points on Grabbing.

arabs ever saw one In Its native element,
and there are very many others who would
net know one If they should see 1t. There
Is no use denying that this delightfully."-
Favored little animal is a flendsh looking
creature, and his looks do not belle his dis
position, for he is the most aggressive of
oil aquatic game. Now, of all the sports
Of the Chesapeake, none is more exciting
than grabbing when 1t is done scientifcal-
| ly, for In this, as in everything else, all
depends upon how 1t Is done, and to get at
the true inwardness Of grabbing one must
| learn the ropes The first thing to be
considered is the tide and just here IL Is
perhaps well to say, for the Information of
those not already familiar with the fact,
that crabs are tidewater production and
are peculiar 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 II the
bait Is the proper kind. This Is not con-
fined to one particular article, although
the best thing is a bird, the head and en-
trails Of chicken, or being somewhat of
a cannibalistic turn, they will eat the body
| of a 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 are secured to the sides of the 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 on the Eastern Shore,
has one disadvantage-it is deceiving from
its weight making many small boy
stand on the tiptoe of expectation as he
slowly and he believes surely draws in a
crab, which proves to be the sinker Then
the walls of wrath are emptied upon the
head of the crab which should have been
there, but was not 1t 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
1t is interesting to feel their vigorous pull
ing as one slowly hauls the line in, bring
ing the captive to the surface. Then it
is that second person must be ready with
a net to dip him in, for he cannot be
jerked nor coaxed. He must be taken
bodily. This necessity for companionship
In grabbing makes it all the more enjoy
able and sociable looking than does the lone
fisherman who can be SO selhsbly happy
The crab net is rather novel concern. 1t
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 the EXPERIENCES 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 the boat What a scrambling
time there is, then, if any girls are in the
partyl The sensation caused by the APP
pearance Of a mouse is insignificant in
comparison, and justly, for crab will
make himself felt as well as seen if he
finds the chance.
What Is known as 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 are 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 sneaking upon them After fixing
them with this improvised fork, the sports
.l.x1l
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, as they can be picked up with
the hand without any danger of being bit
ten. 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. 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 eff
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
most when they escape. Indeed one can
scarcely believe sometimes that the great
fat soft crab lying beside much smaller
shell could have come out Of 1t, but it is
SO, for this is their manner Of growing,
and unlike people, when they get too big
| for their skin ~ they discard IL and swell
out.-Boltimore american.