Don't worry: Be Crabby

Crabbing is a great summer activity for new arrivals, parents with young children or anyone who would enjoy doing something outdoors that doesn’t require complex tackle, a boat — or even knowledge about local waters.

The best part? You can outfit yourself with a fairly complete set of equipment for less than $20.

Where to go
Some spots are better than others, but basically any tidal creek will have crabs in it. Ask around at your neighborhood bait-and-tackles to find out where the locals are catching jimmys and jennys these days, or just go exploring. A popular place for beginners is the Pitt Street Bridge in Mount Pleasant, which provides easy public access to Cove Creek. 

(Photo: That's Scott Fish of Pittsburgh, Pa., and his 11-year-old son Mitchell "pulling and dipping" at Pitt Street Bridge. You can also barely make out his younger son, 9-year-old Justin, too. The Fish family takes the crabs they catch back to the Sea Cabins pier on Isle of Palms and use them to catch bonnethead sharks. Mitchell caught a junior-record bonnethead using blue crabs for bait this week. Dan Conover photo)

The “get” list
Less is definitely more when it comes to crabbing, and few recreational crabbers do it because they like the nifty gear.

Must haves: 1. A dip net (48-inch spread on a plain wooden handle, $7 at Haddrell’s Point Tackle and Supply in Mount Pleasant) for scooping up crabs; 2. A hand line, to which you’ll attach the bait. You can make do with regular twine, or you can chuck out $2 for a 25-foot, pre-weighted crab line with a hook to hold the bait in place; 3. A standard 5-gallon plastic bucket (if you have to buy one expect to pay about $8) with handle.

Nice-to-haves: Collapsing crab traps made of wire or cotton cord ($2 and up). Go-withs: Extend the reach of your collapsing traps with a 50-foot line ($3.29); You can also bring a standard cooler and fill it with ice, which mellows out live crabs quickly.

Bait: The preferred bait is the chicken neck (less than $2 will get you four of them at a fishing store), but crabs will bite just about anything. Check your kitchen for old, freezer-burned chicken wings and drumsticks before you pay good money for bait.