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Crabbing: 10 Trot-Lining Tips

February 2, 2025

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Crabbing is a great way to spend time on the water, and trot-lining is a very effective and fairly easy way to fill the bushel basket. Crabbing in my family started when I was very young, when I would go out with my dad and have a fun morning—and then an even better afternoon as we got to feast on the succulent crustaceans. Then I started my own business crabbing commercially for the past two summers. Here are 10 things I learned while trot-lining on the bay.

running a trot line for crabs — You want to catch a bushel of prime jimmies? Trot lining is the way to make it happen.

1. Don’t be afraid to pick up and move your line. Crabs are very depth- and bottom-oriented. If you’re not in the right area, you simply won’t catch crabs. Although moving the line may seem like a waste of time when you’re out on the water, if you’re only catching a crab or two that are keepers every run, it’s worth it to try a different depth. The type of bottom you’re over also plays a big role. If you notice that your trot line is flinging mud off your baits and you’re not catching crabs, go try a spot where you know there’s a shell bottom.

2. Use a heavy enough anchor. I highly recommend using mushroom anchors. Mushrooms are very easy to handle, can be dragged if necessary, and work on all bottoms. When buying your mushroom anchor, it’s crucial to choose an anchor heavy enough to stick on the bottom when you pick up the line to start running it. If your anchor is too light, you’ll drag it as the boat moves forward. This process will create lots of slack in your line, and will ruin that run—while also creating a problem (all that slack) that you need to fix. An anchor anywhere from seven to 10 pounds should do the trick. Although heavier anchors are harder to move around the boat, it is more important that you can run your trotline effectively.

3. Tighten or tie baits as tightly as possible to your line and snoods. Crabs are very tricky carnivorous devils. Whatever bait you are using, you should tie or tighten your snood as tightly as possible. On a good day of crabbing, especially if you are using chicken necks, after a couple of hours your baits will start to go missing. If you don’t tighten down the baits to your line to the full potential, even more will be missing. Crabs are able to dislodge baits from the line and they will scuttle away with it whenever possible, freeloaders taking that bait you paid for and painstakingly put on the line.

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4. Use clips or carabineers at the ends of your main line. It’s great to use metal clips or carabineers for attachment points. They allow you to connect your anchor and float lines to your main line in a timely fashion. This will make setting out your line much easier, because all you must do is put a loop (at the end of your main line) in the clip and then you can keep feeding your line overboard. Also, this allows for easy storage of your anchors and floats because when pulling in the line you can simply unclip it and leave the rest of the rig on the boat until next time. When using a 1200 foot line it can be advantageous to have clips in the middle of your line, too. If you’re uncertain where crabs are going to be, you can split your trot line into two half-lines and lay them in different areas, to test where the crabs are.

5. At each end of mainline, use a short length of galvanized chain. This will ensure that the line is resting on the bottom, so crabs are able to locate the baits and hang on until the scooper is ready to attack. When using a long trot line, some people like to add another short length of chain in the middle.

This is the kind of bushel basket we like to see – one full of blue crabs!!

6. Keep enough slack in the line. Although too much slack can ruin your run and impede on the operations, it’s crucial to make sure that your line is not too tight, either. In most cases it’s obvious when your line is too tight; it will be stretched out so you see baits a mile away, and in turn, you will watch as crabs drop the baits because they see what’s headed for them. If this is happening to you, it’s actually very easy to fix. Go to the end and grab the anchor line, pull it until you feel the anchor lift off the bottom, and then simply drop it back down. This will add a bit of slack into your line and after you run it a few times, the line should level out and run more effectively.

See also The Dark Side… Night Fishing for Big Brown Trout Let’s Face It, in Most Cases Those Big Brown Trout in Your Local River Aren’t Falling Victim To a Size 10 Woolly Bugger or a 16 Prince NymphTo be honest, you’re probably unaware of what lies beneath the surface tucked against a log jam or wedged under that giant boulder mid-river that you’ve fished countless times. In most cases in my night fishing experience, there’s almost always a much bigger fish that shows itself at night than any other previous fish you’ve might have seen during the daylight hours.The majority of the largest trout I have ever seen were at night in less than 24” of water. Some of the most dominant predators on the planet feed at night… and brown trout are no different.Before we go further into tips, tactics, and tackle, I’d like to preface that night fishing obviously has its additional challenges and even dangers. Safety is by far the utmost importance when fishing, especially night fishing. Understanding every inch of the river you plan on night fishing is extremely important. Knowing every boulder, drop off/ledge, and casting obstruction can prevent you from going for an unexpected swim, broken rod, or even a hook to the face (speaking from experience). Always wear eye protection (clear or light illuminating lenses), two headlamps (you’ll drop one in the river), and try to take a fishing buddy with you just for peace of mind.Where I live in Pennsylvania as well as many places in the country, night fishing is more of a seasonal approach. By all means, you can night fish every month of the year and find some success, but there is definitely a “prime time” to be on the water. Typically, I personally begin my night fishing season during the “post hatch” season. After the majority of the caddis and mayflies hatch in May, and the water becomes skinny and shallow, this is when I find brown trout to be starved and more eager to eat larger meals.This Will Change the Way You Fly Fish Pressured WatersNight fishing in May, June, and even early July definitely produces plenty of fish, but not THE fish we’re all looking for. Once August rolls around and water temps begin to drop into safe fishing temperatures, that’s when you need to fish until the wheels fall off. Sleep becomes a thing of the past and coffee becomes your best friend. Your best shot at consistently catching brown trout 20”+ and even 24”+ is between August and October.The worst conditions for daytime fishing are your best conditions for night fishing. Low and clear water is by far the best water conditions to target big brown trout at night. Dominant brown trout adapt and hide so well during these conditions during the daytime which make them almost impossible to target. Once the sun begins to fade, the fish will migrate out of structure and move into feeding areas for the night.Swing It! Spey Streamer Fly Fishing TipsA mistake anglers often make is fishing the same deep hole they typically would fish during daytime. Brown trout will move into shallow sandy tail-outs, or push into the head of a run where the water might be less than 24” in depth. The inside seam of a deep pool also offers a great ambush point for a large brown trout.Tackle used when night fishing is very similar to fishing big streamers. Any 6wt, 7wt, or 8wt will suffice. On larger rivers, a trout spey or switch rod works great for swinging streamers or skating rodent patterns across the surface. A floating fly line is the most versatile line for night fishing in my opinion. You can fish surface flies, “pushers” that sit barely subsurface in the surface film, or even a streamer if you want to swing a baitfish into deeper pools. Your leader is extremely important when night fishing as well. Typically when fishing a surface style fly, keeping the leader short and stout is critical. Two feet of 20lb tippet to a blood knot, followed by three feet of 15lb tippet is typical when fishing surface style flies. Your leader needs to be strong and abrasion resistant. It’s not “if," it’s “when” you toss your flies into a tree.I have personally witnessed brown trout eat mice, rats, bats, baby birds, and even water snakes. A large brown trout over 24” is not much different than a musky. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box when night fishing. The biggest brown trout I’ve hooked at night was on a 6” rat pattern. The most important aspect of fly design for night fishing in my opinion is how much vibration, water displacement, or surface disruption you can create while not sacrificing your hook gap. Thin, but wide profile deer or foam body mouse flies work great. If using streamers, a pusher style fly that rides high in the water column seems to be extremely effective as well.Tied with a Surface Seducer Double Barrel Popper & Slider Body.How to fish you fly is totally dependent upon on moon phases, cloud coverage/ambient light, and speed of the current. A mouse is not going to swim upstream against the current.The two most effective retrieves are: Down and across just like you would swing a wet fly Casting upstream and working the fly back to youIf the current is a classic soft dry fly drift, I almost always work the fly down and across. Your rod tip height as well as your casting angle will dictate the speed of the fly. While fishing short and soft inside seams of a faster run/pool, orienting yourself downstream or below the fish will enable you to cast directly upstream and work the fly right to your feet. This is also a fantastic approach to work upstream along parallel with a heavily wooded bank. I have seen countless times where a fish will strike multiple times with this approach and ultimately eat the fly at your feet after missing 3-4 times in one drift.Be sure to always start your casts short, most fish are sitting right at your feet!At the end of a long night as the sun begins to rise; rest assure, that legendary fish most likely got away. More times than not, they have to make a series of mistakes in order for you to land them. Whether it ran you into a long jam, bent a 1/0 hook, or it came off just short of the net; the giants of the dark will keep you coming back for more. Tip your cap, swig some spiked coffee and keep after it. More often than not, they’ll leave you with a memory rather than a photo that you will never forget. Some nights, all you’ll have left is a fly patch full of chewed up foam. Want More Content Like This? Join the Flymen Mailing List at the bottom of the page!About Stephen Nymick:Stephen Nymick is owner of Stephen Nymick Fly Fishing LLC, and a Guide for Steelhead Alley Outfitters. He began fly fishing at just 5 years old on his local streams in Western Pennsylvania. The day his father took him out to get his first fly rod, he also came home with his first fly tying kit. Stephen has been fly fishing exclusively for over 20 years and has guided for 7 years. Throwing big streamers or mice for brown trout and swinging flies for Steelhead are Stephen’s true passions. You can follow Stephen on Instagram @stephennymick. For further questions, email Stephen at paflyco@gmail.com. To book a trip, contact Steelhead Alley Outfitters at 888-453-5899. Written by Stephen Nymick Filed under brown trout, fly fishing, fly fishing tips, fly tying, freshwater Tweet Comments on this post (8) Feb 26, 2024 Hi Sir/ We are manufacturers of fishing flies based in Uganda. We have qualified tiers who can maintain the best quality that a customer needs, we strictly deliver on time and use the right size of hooks.We tie all types of flies according to the customers orders.We are now looking for someone whom we can partner with for progress in both parties. Thank you as we wait to hear from you soon. under management by Fred— Fred luyali Apr 21, 2022 Hi,Re night time fishing for trout article.Thank you for a thoroughly informative article.Could you let me know what the chewed up flies in the picture are called and do you have any tying instructions you could send me?Kind RegardsDerek Coles— Derek Coles Oct 31, 2021 Dear Sir, I am Betty, a professional custom fly tier and the owner of a tube fishing flies fly group in business. With an experience of 20 years in fly tying in fulling mill company, I do produce all categories of fly patterns etc,Nymphs,Dries,Wets,Salmons,Saltwater, Pikes,Terrestrials etc. The quality of flies lies within my finger tips. I am always impressed with each and every fly that comes out of my vice.I have 20 good fly tiers who have experience in producing quality flies for the fly market globally. I will be glad if you would test my flies sample to match the quality of the same. I can assure you that with my flies you will emerge the best in the flies industry. If you are ready to foster flies business with me, I will be supplying you with a lower price per 1 dozen.I am eagerly waiting to hear from you. Best regards— Fred luyali May 04, 2021 This piece really got me thinking about my terminal obsession with netting three footers out of the Colorado where I live. I’ve actually landed a couple of those ghost browns @ zero-dark-thirty, and broke off even more. Your piece has me plotting already for some unconventional post-hatch, stealthy Ninja type spey missions.— Matthew Fullenwider Mar 18, 2021 I’m gonna be that guy and say that my biggest after dark brown came at 11:55 pm in mid-March…but overall I agree that late summer is the best time to raise fish in the late hours of the night. I would also add that a full moon is bad for mousing but great for streamers.— Patrick Houlton Mar 17, 2021 Nice article. Exactly what areas do you guide ?— John Kersting Mar 17, 2021 Great article, very insightful.— David Mar 17, 2021 Excellent article. I just started drifting my big tailwater after sunset last September to get the feel of casting streamers and catching fish after dark in big flows. Managing the boat and maintaining situational awareness is not for the faint of heart. One thing I wish the article had mentioned was technical specs on headlamps for night fishing— Drew Gilchrist Leave a comment Name Email Message

7. Work with the tide and wind, not against it. When it is a bit choppy or windy it can be very hard to crab. Try your best to set the line in a calmer area that’s sheltered from the wind. If you know where the crabs are but your spot is troubled by wind, it is crucial that you run your line with the wind at your back. By doing this you will avoid many troubles; going too slow while the wind pushes against your bow, not being able to control where your boat is going, and your bow crashing against the waves and scaring off crabs. Don’t worry too much about how this affects your speed, because as long as you remain at idle it’s rare to go fast enough to cause crabs to drop off, even with a strong wind at your back.

8. Judge soak-time by trot line length. How long you wait before you begin scooping crabs again, after finishing a run, depends on how long your line is. When using a 600 foot trot line, it’s important to let your baits sit for 10 minutes (give or take) before running it again. This is because with a shorter line you will run it faster, and there will be less time for the baits to rest on the bottom. If you’re using a 1200 foot trotline, however, by the time you finish your run the first baits you scooped on have already been resting on the bottom for a while so you can go back to the start and run it right away. If crabbing is really hot, even with a shorter line you should start a new run quickly—in some cases the crabs will just eat off your baits, if you give them any extra time.

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9. Use a wire-mesh net. Using a nylon or cotton mesh net is a very common mistake for beginner crabbers. Making an investment into a nice wire-mesh net is very important and will lead to a lot less frustration down the road. When using a nylon or cotton net, the crabs will get stuck in the mesh much easier or the mesh will tangle in the line. You have a lot less control with the mesh, and in turn will miss more crabs.

10. Try your best not to cast a shadow over your trot line. When running the line on a bright day, it’s important that you run the trot line in a direction so that your shadow doesn’t cast over top your line. If the sun is to your back and a shadow appears over your line, the crabs will see it and let go of the baits before you have time to scoop them. It may mean changing the direction you run the line in or even how you have your trot line laid out, but either way, eliminating that shadow will mean catching more crabs.

The more you go and do it, the more crabs you will catch. Every boat and every trot line is a little bit different, and it may take a season or two to get the trot-lining process down with confidence. But scooping crabs as you watch the sunrise is very relaxing—and eating crabs as you watch the sunset may even be better.

– by Max Rudow

Want to learn how to go trot lining from a kayak? Check out this video:

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