The weekend brought a welcome relief from work but also a promising result for a new bait technique. Friday I acquired some turkey necks from the local grocery store and that evening slipped out into the water to set gear. High tide was forecast for 8:40pm so I launched the Whitehall Spirit around 7:30 despite an impending rain storm and heavy cloud cover. As I scouted my crab spot I noticed that night was rolling in a bit early because of the storm and made a rapid deployment of my gear before heading back to the dock. By the time I pulled the boat from the water it was completely dark but I was satisfied that my crab pots were in the water.

Saturday afternoon I ventured out to check the bait and was extremely happy to find many crab in all three pots. The turkey neck held up nicely though it smelled quite foul. I knew that I'd be busy the next evening when I returned and was anxious to count my crab but I nonetheless returned home and patiently waited for the next day's haul. Sunday was a perfect day and when I pulled the pots with the help of my trusty brother-in-law first mate I managed to gather 26 total with 5 undersized and 21 keepers.

Later that evening I iced down the catch in a cooler to make them dormant and then processed the catch. Each half crab piece was carefully placed on a baking sheet and frozen for easier storage in a few large freezer bags. Each of the bags made the long trip home and I now have a nice store of fresh crab meat at the ready. Now all that's left is to find a few stout souls who'll enjoy the crab extravaganza with me.

The photo tour begins here