What is the Best bait for Sand Crabs

[Big-D]

Hi to all the best crab catchers out there,

Doing a trip to Nambucca Heads in two weeks, So i need to know the best bait for sand crabs,and if you would like to share your secrets with me.I would be much appreciated.

Cheers Pete,(Big-D) Mums the word.

[Axl]

I've had pots out with whole mullet in a couple and whiting frames in the others and they will go for the whiting before the mullet, grinner are also very good crab bait.

But when I have no whiting frames I simply use whole mullet.

[rosco1974]

best bait for sandies and muddies by far are tailor frames then i would say fresh whiting frames,mullet and have found the mackeral frames do alright as well

[Linedropper]

Mullet and whiting frames go good for me.

[timddo]

Cheapest bait available. Currently mullet at $2 a kg.

Herring are good also

[Lucky_Phill]

Cheapest bait available. Currently mullet at $2 a kg.

Herring are good also

WHERE ? I need to know where........ that's a fantastic price, considering the best I could do last year ( season ) was 3kgs for $10.

cheers LP

[timddo]

WHERE ? I need to know where........ that's a fantastic price, considering the best I could do last year ( season ) was 3kgs for $10.

cheers LP

I got it at seafood house durack 2 weeks ago. Got 15 kg in fact

[Dignity]

Your big toe or your index finger, seems all crabs like them. Whiting, mullet but not reef fish frames as the theory seems to be that they avoid the fish that hunt them even though they are dead. Don't know if it is true but I do know that my pots with Venus Tusk fish frames are generally poor producers so now bury them for the garden. Could be they aren't in a good spot, don't know enough except the fresher the bait the better.

[Agrav8_and_Lulu]

A couple of weeks ago put 4 pots out, seems to go with the trend with all the other posts. 2 pots whole mullet with the back sliced open got 2 sandies. 2 pots whiting frames and got 2 sandies, take your pick. The pots where only down for 1.5 hours. I've always done better with fresh baits. Usually I only get fresh mullet and that does the job.

[robersl]

summer whiting frames or whole winter whiting they love just change baits every few hours

[hodges4]

I see nobody mentioned chicken frames, are they no good. Could explain why I don't do too well using them. I also had great success years ago using rabbits cut up. Don't know what it was about rabbit but it sure attracted crabs.

John

[timddo]

I heard Ginger CATS are good too

[Silent]

noticed grinners works well

[tunaticer]

One bait that has never ever worked for me is a flathead frame, always is untouched.
After doing some reading on mudcrabs I am going to try a mussell cluster next time that has each shell cracked, aparently they are 80-90% of a muddies diet.

Usually I use whiting frames, mullet 1/2's, garfish or squid. Get more bycatch with squid as well as the crabs.

[Lucky_Phill]

Oh bugga, just re-read it.

Was that whole or fillet, Tim ?