Dr. Strange Pot

Spend enough time on the water and you will come across all kinds of things floating along. As a family, we always try to bring back a load of trash. Not hard to do with the amount of litter casting along with the currents.

The brush we use to clean the mud from the deck we found bobbing along. Josiah climbed up into the marsh to fetch a colorful kite that caught his sister's eye. Our bait bucket was another gift from the sea.

I have never seen but had heard stories about vast islands of trash swirling around in the ocean where the currents collide. Our friend, Frankie Eubanks, says there is one such trash heap off the coast of Virginia where the Gulf Stream curls off the coast above the Outer Banks of North Carolina. When he commercial fished they would go to the 'trash plie' if they needed coolers, cushions, gaffs, and all manner of items, nautical or not.

In my time at crab fishing I have pulled my share of peculiar bits from below. Once while crabbing behind an old plantation, I pulled a pot with confederate money caught in the mesh. Along that money theme, in the middle of a string of 'good pots' (traps full of crab), I pulled a blank (trap with nothing in it). I had been robbed. When I noticed an envelope in the bait well. Along with a roll of cash was a note that read, "We anchored here for the night and got hungry. Hope this covers the cost of dinner."

Today Sarah pulled a trap that topped the puzzling chart for me. Let me remind you that a stone crap trap has only one 'gate'  (entrance) located directly on top. She open the lid and pulled out a ... golf ball!

Did I hear anyone say ... hole in one!

Stone Crab Helpful Hints

The SCK's received a 'kind' email from a fellow crab lover in Wilmington, NC.  In part, his email expressed the lack of information available on the web about stone crab, which has prompted me to compile a list of  helpful hints we have discovered, stumbled over, repented from, or had gracious folks share with us after we really messed up badly.  Note: The former sentence should provide some insight into the SCK's standard research method. Pretty sad isn't it?

1. Stone crabs bury themselves in the mud for the winter. Early in the spring, we discovered that the first stone crab came out of the mud in very shallow water. Local crabbers told us that it was because the shallow water allowed the mud to warm up faster. Hence, the crab climbed out earlier.

2. Firm mud is around oyster banks have been the best inshore harvesting grounds.

3. The type of bait ( pig feet, chicken, menhaden, venison, etc. ) did not make as much difference as much as the 'double thaw'. A researcher from Duke University taught us that freezing, thawing, re-freezing, prior to baiting produces the best scent trail. The flesh cell structure is significantly damaged during the second freeze and quickly breaks down in the water during the second thaw. Flesh is water soluble. Oil is not.

4. Harvesting claws is a learned skill that just takes practice. Take a look at Josiah's harvesting video in the how-to section of the blog. If meat is hanging off of the claw when harvested it is likely that the crab will die. However, even the best harvester is going to grab a crab that has just molted and .... break off the whole joint. The fact is when harvesting, some crabs are going to die. That's why the SCK's harvest only from male stone crabs.

5. Boil and blanch the claws as soon after harvesting as possible. But in the meantime soak them in a bucket of water fresh from the river, not ice made from fresh water. The salt within the claw will absorb the fresh water diluting the flavor. It will also raise the claw weight which is an old crabber's trick for getting more pounds of catch. Same works for shrimp. Another reason not to use ice is that we have found that the meat sticks if we use ice prior to blanching.

6. Use a little vinegar in the boiling water, not enough to taste but a little vinegar will help keep the meat from sticking within the claw.

7. A stone crab can pinch with nearly four times more pressure than an alligator can bite. So ... keep your fingers away from those claws. However, should you find yourself in the grip of a stone crab claw, don't panic, and place the crab on its back. Stone crabs are similar to alligators in that when they are placed on their back, they tend to relax. He will either relax enough to get finger free or you can roll the claw across his belly and snap the claw.

I'll post more tips later. However if any of our visitors have any tips you want to share ... please send them on. The Lord knows we can use all the help we can get !!!

SCK's first research presentation !!!!!

Last night the SCK's did their first research presentation to the West Ashley boat club. The kids did great and the club members were quite gracious.

Sarah explained about the data collection and how to determine males from females. 

Josiah discussed the difference between blue crabs and stone crabs, as well as demonstrating the difference between the types of traps. 

AnnahBelle explained about how strong the stone crabs are:  a human can grasp at a max of 300 psi, an alligator bites at about 5,000 psi, and a stone crab can pinch at 19,000 psi. Try to imagine something clamping down on your finger three plus times harder than an alligator.

AnnahBelle also did a crab claw cracking demonstration which went over huge. Folks gathered around and did some serious crackin' and eat'in!  

Sarah found some good eat'in of her own!!!  Ice Cream!!!

Dark Skies and Lightening Strikes.

Tomorrow the 'Stone Crab Kids' give their first presentation in front of about 40-50 fellow mariners. AnnahBelle is going to demonstrate how to crack open claws and we thought it would be a neat idea to have some cooked claws there for folks to try to crack and eat.

This afternoon we checked the weather forecast ( lights breeze and 10% chance of T-storms ) and went out to pull traps to gather claws for the presentation.  As we prepared to pull the last couple of traps the skies rumbled and clouds rolled. Soon columns of rain appeared in the distance and lightening strikes darted to the ground. We were about to get every bit of 9.999% of the projected 10% chance of T-storms.

The light breeze had had a gentle ripple to the river. The on-coming weather churned the dark water into a confused chop. It was going to get rough and it was going to get rough fast. I powered up, headed away from the storm, and tied fenders ( flexible bumpers that keep the boat from banging against the dock ) to the rail. Nearby was a private dock with a covered shelter area.  As I turned the boat into the current to dock, the wind abruptly shoved the boat up against the dock. Amen for fenders.

We all survived unscathed and we didn't get nearly as wet as we could have.

Sometimes late at night I get anxious about putting my family through the upheaval to get this new boat ready to fish. But after a day like this ... I want that covered helm and a cabin to keep my children and the other little researchers that desire to tag along, out of harm's way.

Buying this boat may have a been a stretch but the alternative .... really stinks!

* Photos by - Josiah

Mudded In

 A Spring Tide is a tide just after and just before a new or full moon where the difference between high and low tide is the greatest.

During spring tides, the creek where our landing is located gets very low. Yesterday, we tried to pull some traps early before going to church ... but we couldn't get back to the landing. Although the kids could walk on water ... we missed church anyway!

Another thing that happens when the tides pull hard is that the water fills our traps with mud, trash, and silt.  This 'mudding in' of the traps reduces the catch as well as seating the traps to the muddy bottom. Some traps can get so deeply set in the mud that we have to tie the buoy line to a cleat and use the boat to pull the trap free.

Soak Time, the length of time that a trap stays in the water between pulls, can make a difference as well. In Florida they soak pots 7 to 14 days. Here in South Carolina, if we let the pots set that long they will get seated to the bottom.  So, we try to work on less than 7 day soak times, two and three day soaks if we can. However, work and school schedules play a role in how often we can check pots.





Editor's Video Comment: I believe the correct nautical term for my children's behavior is .... mutiny !!!

Fixing Up 'Dirt Clawd' and Getting Ready

While we are waiting for the engine's power head to be rebuilt, the girls and I took some time to work on Dirt Clawd's appearance. The previous owner had mounted stereo speakers in the gunwales. (Gunwales are the upper edges of the wall of a ship. Originally, gun walls were, of course, where the guns were mounted.) The girls helped me design, build, paint, and stain inserts for the open cavities for additional storage. And, we did all the work in our garage.

With the truck loaded with cabinets and tools we drove over to DeBose Marine where Whitney DeBose is rebuilding the engine. He graciously allowed us to invade his parking area and install the cabinets. 

And, we also re-mounted a bench that Capt. Dad had removed prior to realizing that the girls would be irrevocably emotionally scarred if the bench was not available for them to perch upon like .... some sort of maritime medieval  'girl-goyles'. 

Whitney DeBose says that the engine will be back together Friday and he will begin the 'break-in' process by idling the engine for a couple of hours on double oil. Saturday morning I will ride along for the final several hours of break-in on the water. If all goes as planned ... the Stone Crab Kids should be pulling pots Saturday afternoon on their beloved 'Dirt Clawd'.

Snagging the Buoy.

Time is money ... especially in the fishing industry. The largest expenditure of time is pulling pots. And, the greatest expenditure of fuel is consumed traveling between pots. A seasoned fisherman knows how far apart to place his pots to minimize the distance between while maximizing the amount of crabs caught. Not too far ...  not too close.

Crab fishing is a fuel economy nightmare. Up on plane to the next pot. Then drop into the hole and idle. Then back on top to the next pot. Up and Down. Full throttle, then idle. Back and forth. All day. A good crabber can pull as many as 400 pots a day.

Establishing a rhythm aids the process:  1) Drop in the hole aside the buoy.  2) Hook the buoy.  3) Retrieve the line.  4) Pull the pots on board.  5) Harvest and cull crab.  6) Re-bait.  7) Set the pot back.

Now, an important trick is hooking or snagging the buoy. As we have mentioned before, we approach the buoy from the downstream side so that the line is stretched out up stream of the buoy. That keeps us from running over the line which could tangle the line in the propeller or cutting it. Right when the boat reaches the buoy, we pull back on the throttle, put the engine in neutral, and glide forward up the line. That way there is the maximum amount of slack line to readily bring aboard.

So, what happens if a buoy is missed? Missing that buoy as it come by wastes time, energy, fuel, .... money! So on our crab boat, if you miss a buoy and the boat has to be turned around ... you owe the captain ... a root beer!

So Capt. Dad is employing a Missed Buoy, Root Beer Count. If a SCK misses a buoy, that kid owes Capt. Dad a root beer. If Capt. Dad makes a bad approach and causes the miss, then he owes the whole crew a root beer.

This could get .... sud-sy !!!

'Dirt Claw'd' is home !!!

Josiah and I got up at 4:00AM Saturday morning and drove to New Bern, NC to pick up the BIG boat ... christened ... Dirt Claw'd !

We spent Saturday and Sunday learning about fiberglass and gelcoat work. Frankie spent extra time with Josiah making sure he was up to speed. And, he sent me to the store for materials. I am starting to suspect Frankie thinks I'm ... worthless. Naaaay! I'm just a safe driver.

There is still a lot of aesthetic work to do. But, we have to remember .... this is a crab boat.  And, they are going to be scraping pots up the sides.


The new floor was put in the cuddy cabin and the first coat of gelcoat applied. The seals in the hydraulic steering were changed. Chips and nicks patched and painted. New bow rail to be mounted. Lots of sanding and buffing. Hubs greased, gas'd up, and we're ready to head back.

And after a weary six hour drive back to Charleston SC,  Dirt Claw'd  was home and getting a much needed bath.

Now let's get this engine rebuilt and get on the crab !!!