By CAY SONNIER GIBSON

Let’s Go Crabbing

Posted August 23, 2009 at 1:13 am
Filed Under Entertainment, Family Fun | 2 Comments

So we continued our search for the perfect crabbing causeway. And we found it. It was right past Blue Crab Recreation Area on the right. A tranquil grassy nook where cattails flagged us down, a white-shell half-moon shuttled our truck, three tiny dirt paths bid us entry, and marsh grass provided us a small curtain. pathway

We parked the truck on the shell and got down to business…unwrapping and cutting turkey necks.

necks

They’re slimy and even slimier once they go into the water. Our children learn this early. It is important to wrap and tie the string tightly in the middle of the turkey (or chicken) neck because you never know what is at the bottom of the waterway ready and hungry to eat your bait. From there it’s a simple lesson in biblical “by-the-sweat-of-your-brow” work and old-fashion patience. You sit and wait.

patience

It certainly gives you a taste of how Cajuns use to live off the land. It isn’t simple. Simple would be pulling out a chair at Prejean’s in Lafayette and eating Crab Cake Covington. No, siree, it isn’t simple but it is simple. It’s basic dirt on the seat of your pants, deer flies and mosquitoes humming off the minutes, and the Louisiana sun stroking the back of your neck. Your net pay is literally in your net. Nothing less and nothing more, but no taxes either. It’s simple. crab

There were no mosquitoes the day we went and the deer flies were more interested in the roadside crustacean than they were in us. My youngest quickly caught onto the rhythm of this toss and pull game. It was a game of “fetch,” but with crabs instead of the dog. She was a little too anxious to pull her bone out of the water and across the sun-bleached shell to inspect it. We slowed her down a bit and she began gathering little pulls and tugs on her string like beaded necklaces at a Mardi Gras parade. When the marsh tossed a doubloon-shaped crab at her feet, we scooped it into the net. She was sure she had caught the prettiest little crab in all of Louisiana. It was sweet victory with a pinch of attitude.

And so we tossed and reeled and caught and laughed and talked. Our little rat terrier, fifteen years and two months, became a puppy again. Her slender feet danced in the water. She zipped between our three spots, sniffed at the nets, and jumped at the nipping-Eskimo kisses to her nose.

crabbing

Our armies were smaller than the battalion our son had brought home only weeks before but it didn’t matter. Each crab added his own hollow-shelled cymbals to the symphony of noises erupting from the plastic bucket. Flailing claws waved revengeful picket signs of protest. Slowly the bucket revealed its increase. We had a surplus; so it should not have surprised me when another eager crabber invaded our crabbing spot.

To be continued …

Comments

2 Responses to “Let’s Go Crabbing”

Roxanne on June 11th, 2010 5:43 pm

One question, is it necessary to have a fishing license?
Angel on June 23rd, 2010 3:12 pm

Roxanne, it is not necessary to have a fishing license in Louisiana for recreational crabbing … from the wild life and fisheries …
There is no minimum recreational size limit for blue crabs. The daily and possession limit is 12 dozen
per person, daily and in possession.
There is no minimum recreational size limit for stone crabs or stone crab claws.
Any person using crab nets or crab lines for the purpose of taking crabs for recreational purposes shall
not be required to purchase or possess a basic recreational fishing license or be required to purchase a
gear license. However, persons using crab nets or crab lines on LDWF WMA or refuges must possess
a basic and saltwater recreational fishing license or a Wild Louisiana Stamp