Yet another peeler crab question

[Russnofish]

Sorry to keep on about peeler crabs but, as you can probably gather, this is a new bait for me but seems to be the way forward for catching Bass.

Is a peeler a particular species or does this refer to any crab which is about to shed?

If after doing the 2nd to last leg test on a crab, and it turns out to be a peeler but has a hard shell, can I still use it or do I have to wait for it to turn soft? Do I have to dress it or can I use it whole?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Cheers.

[scottish_and_mental]

Any crab will peel but the most used are the green shore crab,velvet swimmer and the larger spider crab .
it wont have a hard shell AND have a new leg formed underneath unless the back is already showing signs of splitting .
Hardbacks can be used whole for smutts and wrasse but i doubt Bass will show much interest, infact if your planning fishing the south coast i would seriously stick to better bass baits - sandeel,mackerel and squid .
Fished crab quite a lot over the last 4 months and don't know of a single bass caught on it ..