How long does crab keep

[Kleyny]

I'm not a crabber A.......hole but wifey wants crabs for a xmas dinner.
She has given me a leave pass for as long as i need to come up with the goods.

So my question is how long do they keep either alive or dead?

The dinner is Friday night so when should my first trip be?

The funny thing is I dont want crabs pots anywhere near my boat and she doesnt understand why ( MUD, WEED, BAIT all stinky and messy i say) But what wifey wants wifey gets.

HAPPY WIFE = HAPPY LIFE I say.

Any hints?

Oh borrowing pots off the old man as I dont even own pots.

thanks

neil

[Genesis]

hi Neil,

not really sure how long they survive for out of water but just to give you an idea - I got 2 massive mud craps on Friday night 11pm, keep them in an esky with the lid shut and they were still kicking strong on Sunday night 6pm before they went into the pot so that's almost 2 full days.

A good mate once told me its imperative that you keep their sensitive eyes away from mozzies, flies, etc because once they go blind, they die off pretty quickly.

hope that helps

glenn

[Kleyny]

Thanks mate, might bring some salt water home to cook them up and leave them in the esky for a day or so.

What about once they are cooked?

[Didley]

Chewy is the man for this one Neil, personally I'd find a procraber and give him $10 a crab and spend the time chasing Jacks (but don't tell the missus)

[Kleyny]

Yep Dids,
Sounds like a plan. Hopefuly Chewy sees the thread if not I'll P.M. him.

Gunna spend the gaps between chasing the Jacks.
Never done it before either so gunna be a week of firsts.

You never know I might jag both lol.

neil

[ActiveAngler]

Hi mate...Ok..firstly..at this time of year..id try sourcing a couple green ones somewhere..some of the pros will sell them live. How long they last depends on a few things. First off,if they have come from a river that has a bit of fresh in it,they wont last too long. I have had ones die on the first night On the other hand.if they have been handled ok,and come from a salty river,they will live for a week at a stretch...4 days easily. Once cooked i will not eat them after 3 days..but thats just me. also..the colder they are kept during this time the better. I think you wouldstruggle to get a decent crab down ur way at this time of year. A heap of crab came in up here over the weekend,but it will be two weekes before any of them are worth chasing in my humble opinion..

[Mick Baker]

They never last long at our place lol
Cheers, Mick

[robersl]

Hi neil
there will be some around the passage but i would not let your pots out of sight this time of year there are some good morning making tides later this week get them up close to the mangroves i normally put mine on a bank that is out of the water at low tide but you would be able to sneak up there after about 3 hours of run and crab for till anout 1-2 hours after the turn other wise you get stuck if you want to know where flick me a pm mind you i do leave mine there overnight on the low tide if it is late at night as no one can steal them it is to muddy to walk on and it is a fair way to the channel
shane

[3Macks]

Make sure you throw some mangrove leaves in with them if you don't tie them - stops them fighting.
3Macks

[ActiveAngler]

Cant do that anymore 3 macks..down here,regardless of what crab you have,you will be fined $200 bucks on the spot for mangrove destruction..