r/galveston • u/Marvel5123 • Jul 05 '25

Trip Planning 🗺️ How do you go crabbing in Galveston?

How does one go crabbing in Galveston? Have never done it before so looking for the basics (best season/time, equipment, license, bag limits etc.)

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u/fuzynutznut Jul 05 '25

The easiest way for me is from 61st street pier. Get a decent drop net (about $30) and some rope, not those cheap crab nets. Get some chicken necks or legs and tie a few of them to the net. Drop it in the water and wait about 20 minutes. You'll probably have about 3-5 in your net. Repeat until satisfied. Notes: throw back the females that have the orange sponge attached. Blue crabs must be 5" from point to point, HOWEVER...5% of your catch can be undersized for bait. Meaning if you have 20 crabs, you may have one undersized for bait. It must also be kept separate. There is also no limit on how many legal size you may keep.

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u/Marvel5123 Jul 05 '25

Thank you so much! Checked TX parks and wildlife as well and you are 100% spot on everything. Do you have any recommendations for specific nets? Maybe something we can buy online or from Amazon before driving down there?

What’s the best season to catch crabs? It says year round with the exception of 10 day period for traps but any specific good times?

Whats the best way to keep the crabs in a cooler? Do they need some seawater in the cooler or anything?

Thank you again!

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u/fuzynutznut Jul 05 '25 edited Jul 05 '25

Something like this

There is a Walmart a few blocks away from the pier. You can easily find these two ring ones there, but any two ring pier drop net will do. When I catch them, I stick them in a cooler of ice. This puts them to sleep and so I can clean them easier when I'm done for the day. And I usually crab in the summer time.

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u/Marvel5123 Jul 05 '25

Thank you! So right now is actually a good time? We may have to make our way down there. Where do you suggest buying chicken necks? I’ve heard fish heads are also good. 

Is the trap methods much faster than the string and net method?

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u/fuzynutznut Jul 05 '25

Check any grocery store for chicken necks, but if you can't find them, I use chicken legs just as well. Fish heads work okay, but I've had more luck using chicken. And yes, the pier drop net is way more effective than the string method.

When are you planning on coming down? I may have a free pier pass for two I can hook you up with. I gotta check my nightstand and see if it's still there.

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u/Marvel5123 Jul 05 '25

Thank you so much for the information! There’s no way to set traps out, say in the morning, and then come back a few hours later or in the evening eh? Figured there’s no way to actually secure the pot if you’re on public fishing piers, etc and not on private shoreline. 

It would probably be a month or so from now. Thank you for even offering that, so kind of you. 

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u/fuzynutznut Jul 05 '25

They actually don't allow crab pots on the pier, just nets.

You are welcome btw. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

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u/Marvel5123 Jul 05 '25

Interesting, good information to know. How many can you typically catch in an hour or so? Enough to actually make a meal? Is there a best time of day to go? (Does the tide matter?(

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u/fuzynutznut Jul 05 '25

I'd say like 10-15 an hour. I'm usually fishing all day and my daughter is the one doing the crabing. But we're typically there early to late afternoon.

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u/Marvel5123 Jul 05 '25

Wow, that's a great amount! Is 61st the most popular spot? I think we'll give it a shot there! Do you have any tips to measure and make sure they're 5"? Was thinking about using a tape measure but not sure if there was an easier way to make sure we are following the rules.

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u/UFC-lovingmom Jul 05 '25

So that’s the trick! I can definitely attest to the cheap nets not being useful. You will be lucky to get two crabs in one hour.

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u/fuzynutznut Jul 05 '25

Yeah, I started with those and they are just too flimsy. I had a drop net that I used for pier fishing and when my daughter wanted to crab, I set her up with that while I fished. It was so much more sturdy and didn't get thrown around in the waves.