Spider Crabs

Perhaps not a truly angling question but can Spider Crabs be caught off the piers or rocks in Co's Sligo & Mayo ?
Cheers .

they can be found all around the coast, whether or not you can catch one on purpose is another story

killary harbour is full of them in the summer

Many thanks
I guess there should also be good numbers up at Westport then ?

Hi Guys,

any idea, how can i catch them? I mean sometimes you get on your rig, but chance is very high to loose them.
What if i like to catch them? Any idea how should i prepare a rig?

Been fishing for 20 years and never caught one on rod and line! They move very slowly and don't hold onto baits like shore crabs do. Only chance of catching one is to land on top of one and hope it tangles itself up! Sorry if that disappoints

Been fishing for 20 years and never caught one on rod and line! They move very slowly and don't hold onto baits like shore crabs do. Only chance of catching one is to land on top of one and hope it tangles itself up! Sorry if that disappoints

I got a huge one in Cork, Fountainstown, but it cracked my 50lb shockleader on the shore...
My idea is, to make a huge "birdnest" around the hook and might baiting with some stinky fish...
hm.... jummy....

Been fishing for 20 years and never caught one on rod and line! They move very slowly and don't hold onto baits like shore crabs do. Only chance of catching one is to land on top of one and hope it tangles itself up! Sorry if that disappoints

I got a huge one in Cork, Fountainstown, but it cracked my 50lb shockleader on the shore...
My idea is, to make a huge "birdnest" around the hook and might baiting with some stinky fish...
hm.... jummy....

Nice work! I've dived some of the areas I fish and seen loads of spider crabs about so I'm confident they are there but I never see them caught?? The bird nest idea could work and if your like me I tend to have plenty of birdies going spare!

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Nice work! I've dived some of the areas I fish and seen loads of spider crabs about so I'm confident they are there but I never see them caught?? The bird nest idea could work and if your like me I tend to have plenty of birdies going spare! [/quote]

I will take an other rod with me and test it

They actually move pretty fast (like all crabs in water) but don't forget there is only a few months when they come in shallow enough to catch.

They actually move pretty fast (like all crabs in water) but don't forget there is only a few months when they come in shallow enough to catch.

Is it now???

I think they are only inshore during summer months but am sure someone can be more specific than that .

What prompted me to start this thread is that I was night-fishing fishing off a pier in Dingle . Very few fish were landed by anyone but I saw some lads chucking back what I thought was a decent sized spider crab . They caught 3 more within about an hour and gave them all to me . Cooked them that night and they were delicious . There was nothing edible within the body but the legs were good and meaty .

I didn't see what rig the lads were using but they were actually trying for Bass so I presume it was a standard fairly simple rig with a big bait . They were dropping straight down beside an isolated rocky area .
I will try with a drop net -- weighted and baited with mackerel . Might even bring up a conger ! ( wouldn't eat it tho' . Tried once and that's enough ) .
Good luck

Maybe if you baited up an onion bag and tied it to your rig the spider crab might get caught in the netting?Just an idea

Maybe if you baited up an onion bag and tied it to your rig the spider crab might get caught in the netting?Just an idea

Sound good, looks similar to a birdnest... Worth to try thanks for the idea

Is it now???

It is.

During warmer summer months, thats when the fisheries for them runs also and you can sometimes spot them at low springs on the sand.

Whilst you may see and catch them in deeper water all year round this would be an exception... espcially from teh shore, its just too cold for them.

Maybe if you baited up an onion bag and tied it to your rig the spider crab might get caught in the netting?Just an idea

a normal little crab makes short work of an onion bad never mind a big spider !lol

we seen them during the summer at a rock mark literally a foot under the water climbing on the sea weed, put a hook with some mackeral next to him and he grabed it but once u get him to the surface he lets go. i wouldnt be too keen on trying to grab him either

Just turn him upside down... he draws his claws in to protect his stomach and is docile now.

PS previous poster mentioned there is not much meat in the body... this is true but there is a goldmine of meat at the knuckles where the claws meet the body, you can pick it out or hammer it out (as I emjoy )

Spider crab is much nicer than normal crab

Just turn him upside down... he draws his claws in to protect his stomach and is docile now.

PS previous poster mentioned there is not much meat in the body... this is true but there is a goldmine of meat at the knuckles where the claws meet the body, you can pick it out or hammer it out (as I emjoy )

Spider crab is much nicer than normal crab

i have got plenty of them from killary harbour in the summer when fishing for ray useing a single hook flapper on a long snood 4/0 hook with a big bit mack for bait and they seem to get themselfs tangled in the long snood when feeding on the bait

Catching them ... have been looking on a few other forums ... best tip I have seen is to put bait in a small-meshed bag ( one says like the type you get with washing m/c tablets but I have no idea what those are ) . When the crab's legs poke into the net the barbs on them get snagged . Apparently a bit of fresh pigskin is a good and almost indestructible bait .