How To Make Crab Knuckles To Catch Pompano, Redfish, & Black Drum
- By: Courtney Woznek
- on
Want to catch pompano, redfish, and black drum from the beach?
Crab knuckles are an incredibly effective bait to catch a ton of fish!
But you’ll need to know how to prepare this bait, how to hook it, and the best way to keep it on the hook.
Check out the step-by-step process in the new video below!
How To Make Crab Knuckles [VIDEO]
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Prepare Crab Knuckles For Bait (Step-By-Step)
- Remove the pinchers
- Using your bait shears or scissors, clip off the legs right above the knuckle (keep the knuckle intact)
- Cut through the middle of the crab’s body
- Pull the top shell off of the halved crab
- Cut in-between the knuckle to create the bait (you can cut in between each knuckle or every two knuckles depending on if you need a larger or smaller piece of bait)
How To Hook A Crab Knuckle For Bait
Take your circle hook (I recommend a 1/0 or 2/0 sized circle hook), and put the hook point through the hole of the knuckle and out through the meat.
You can also make the hook point go into the knuckle hole and out through the shell for a better hold.
In order to keep the crab knuckle from sliding down the hook and potentially covering up your hook point, tip the bait with a small piece of Fishbites.
Now you have an amazing bait to add to your arsenal the next time you hit the sand!
Note: When using live blue crabs for bait, you can put them on ice which will essentially put them to sleep so when you prepare the crab knuckles, it’s done humanely.
And if you know someone who wants to catch more fish from the beach, please TAG or SHARE this with them!
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Have any questions about how to prepare and use this bait?
Let me know down in the comments!
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Thanks for the info ill be using it the next time I go out.
Awesome tip Courtney!! Been seeing a lot of blue crabs in the surf… I’ll be using this tip soon!
Thanks Wyatt!!
Hi Courtney, Does this inshore as well?? Seems like it would be like using mud crabs, but just bigger pieces. What about sheepshead and other fish?
Good video that was simple to follow.
Hi Jeff! Yes, you could definitely soak these bigger pieces on the bottom for reds. I have not tried this for sheepshead; I’d probably stick with muds and fiddlers for sheepshead!
Hey Courtney , first time seeing one of your videos. I’ve been using peeler crabs for over 40 years and I read other comments before posting. You are throwing away ( it looks to me a lot of valuable bait off that crab. In Virginia we use everything , claw meat legs and all, pulling that top shell off also allows you the soft new top sell . We also prefer the V8 or young female . we use them for everything from spot and croaker to trout and drum . I also prefer to use a stiff fillet knife to cu mine . Never used fish bites as a hook stop before but never thought about needing it . Tight lines and looking for more of your videos .
Great tips David! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks !! i will try this next time , Tight lines !!
Awesome, Horst!! Have fun!
Can you use this in the jetties
Yes but definitely push that hook point through the shell as well as tip with Fishbites. The current through some inlets will pull that crab knuckle down the hook 100%.
Good stuff. One thing that may make it easier for you is to tear the top shell off before you cut the crab in half. Will make cutting easier and provide more leverage when removing the top shell.
Thanks Michael! I have found the opposite. I think it’s easier to pull after the 1/2 cut because the integrity of the shell is then degraded. But that’s just me!
I learned about crab knuckles a while back but did not know about bait shears or the fish bite trick. That’s going to make my presentation so much better! We like to use crab when fishing the MS/LA marshes. My husband caught his PB redfish from the bank at a boat launch at Davis Bayou with a crab he snagged! Sheepshead love them, too. Thanks for all your tips and tricks!
Good stuff, Teri!! Bait shears are a game changer for sure! We just got a nice pair from Danco that actually act as a multi-tool.
Good to see you back. Another good video, thanks
Thanks so much David!
Great video. I would like to know what is your recommendation for surf rod length. I have one 12 ft rod and plan to make a few more.
Hi Capt. Tom! 12′ is typically my go-to “all around” length but I also use a 10′ (that can dual for bait and artificials) and a 13′ for the big game.