The boys and I got outdoors for a local cultural tradition of blue crabbing along the beautiful coast of Daphne, AL today.

So many times on our walks along the piers of Mobile Bay we have witnessed the very effective technique of using chicken quarters mixed with raspberry sauce or well prepared turkey necks to catch blue crab. The chicken and turkey are typically baked in the sun for hours to attract blue crab to the rotting scent of poultry. Something to think about is spoiled chicken and turkey are known to produce protein toxins and bacteria that are certainly not native to estuaries that blue crab reside in.

Considering the risk, I have been wanting to find another way of effectively catching blue crab with my boys without having to use the same types of bait. So, my boys and I made a trip to our neighboring seafood carrier and picked up two dozen locally caught shrimp. We rigged up the crab net with a two-drop nylon leader rig that enabled three hooks to be attached. After all, blue crab are opportunistic feeders and they are attracted to shrimp as a native food source.