Blue Velvet Swimmer Crab

[MPS]

Im interested in collecting Blue Velvet Swimmer Crabs to use for bait fishing for Ballan Wrasse. Does anyone have any good tips or techniques for collecting blue velvet crabs?

[scottish_and_mental]

get a snorkel ?

not sure how your gonna target swimmers unless you're actually in the water pulling them out ..
A pot means you will catch allsorts but tbh the bigger ballans will happily take a 50p sized shore crab and munch it in half !

[TURBOTAKER]

Originally Posted by MPS

Im interested in collecting Blue Velvet Swimmer Crabs to use for bait fishing for Ballan Wrasse. Does anyone have any good tips or techniques for collecting blue velvet crabs?

Have a word with a potter/creel fisherman and see if you can purchase a few????? I get given a few now and again or catch a few in my pots,a very good bait for wrasse but as said it may be easier to use normal hardback shore crabs.

[lazy hooker]

Originally Posted by MPS

Im interested in collecting Blue Velvet Swimmer Crabs to use for bait fishing for Ballan Wrasse. Does anyone have any good tips or techniques for collecting blue velvet crabs?

We get loads of them down here on the gower....

best tip i can give is to keep your fingers away from them....they have serious attitudes!!! and don't let go when they've got you!!!

look for broken ground with plenty of water around for them...they don't like getting too dry.

another problem you'll have with them is keeping them alive....they tend to roll over quite easily compared to other types of crab....they don't cope at all with temp change like a warm bucket!!

[Portland Pirate]

I use a drop net with a bit of Mackerel in it. I pull it up every 10 minutes or so and take out what I like. Normally Velvet Swimmers and prawns.