The pleasures of blue-crabbing with grandkids
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY BILL DUNSON
Bill Dunson Jr. and Isaac Dunson catch blue crabs in local brackish waters favored by the feisty crustaceans.
Male blue crabs have mostly bluish claws.
Females blue crabs have reddish claw tips.
Cooked blue crabs on a plate ready to be picked and eaten.
Margaret and Bill Dunson, Jr. enjoy a meal of blue crabs they caught locally.
Bill Dunson
One of the great pleasures in seashore living that I learned when we spent time in the Chesapeake Bay area was catching blue crabs with a hand line.
In Southwest Florida this is not such a popular pastime since blue crabs are harder to find in the brackish waters they favor, and there are so many other options for catching fish and shellfish. But I have found a special secret spot where I take the grandkids to learn this skill and encounter the ferocious blue crab in “hand to hand” combat. And it is indeed combat since blue crabs are one of the most vicious creatures in the sea and will pinch you in the most painful way if you allow them to do so.
