Attracting crabs is a science and an art. Commercial crabbers use all manner of superstition and experience to draw crabs to their traps. For recreational crabbers, all it takes is some good bait. Some people try to use rotten chicken and while crabs may eat rotten chicken, working with stinking, putrid bait is disgusting. Handling rotten flesh brings along a long list of potential health problems. The best bait for crabs is fresh fish. The second best would be meat scraps. Chicken is popular because it is less expensive and the bones make it easy to secure to the trap. Treat the bait like you would treat meat you plan to eat: Keep it cold and dry.