How are the blue crabs running this year in your neck of the woods?

I want to take the grand children crabbing one weekend in August.

Can any of you locals recommend an area with a good pier to go crabbing and have a picnic?

LN, where are you when I need you?

No one on this board knows how the crabs are running in the Annapolis region?

Hi there Budman!!

Crabs are running pretty well but you're asking for a pier to take the grands to and go crabbing and I honestly don't have one for you. I've been trying to learn of one but so far, no luck.

For picnicking I would recommend Quiet Water Park - it's a beautiful park on the South River that you can reach via Aris T Allen Blvd which turns into Forest Drive and then take a right onto Hillsmere and the park entrance is right there.

I'll call around tomorrow and see if I can find some piers that the kids can drop some chicken necks on lines from.

Have a good, safe trip!

thre's a place called "Crab Alley"....near Stevensville...right across the Bay Bridge ( 10 minutes or so from Annapolis) Thats the place you're looking for

Crab Alley? Thanks. I can see Stevensville on the map. How do I get to Crab Alley -- is it well marked? First exit over the bridge?

Jimmy Cantlers in annapolis can't be beat. Its a small family owned crab shack right on the water with outdoor seating. Very casual with excellent crabs. Been there twice and will keep going back.

brando, we are looking to catch them, not eat them.

Is there a place where we can crab from the pier?

Budman, you can always pop down to our dock here in SW Fla...we have been averaging 6 7 inchers a day. Makes those NE crabs look like wannnabees .

Judy, I'd love to -- thanks for the invite.

A 5"er here in NJ is considered good. They're too small and too much work. I can remember Annapolis as having some whoppers, but they just weren't running the last few years. That's why I'm asking for this year before I gather the family. I don't want to disappoint the little ones.

Well I'm back Budman and hopefully I can give you one or two places to try your crabbing.

I will ask you first if you're driving down from NJ for this auspicious moment. The reason I ask that is because there's a way of driving down 301 on eastern shore and picking up the Miles River just above St Michaels. In that area there's a place called Dividing Creek where the crabs tend to run like Judy described. Dividing Creek runs just above St Michaels on a map and is like a U on the Miles. There's a couple public piers along Dividing Creek too and it might be even closer for you to get to.

Now for Annapolis - if you're coming south to Annapolis on I-97 or east on Rt 50 you'll come to Exit 22 Aris T Allen Blvd - take that and head over to the end right - Rt 2 South. You'll stay on Rt 2 south and go through 2 traffic lights - you'll soon seen "Yellow Fin Tuna" a restaurant next to the bridge - you can pull in there and go to the right and follow down to the marina and crab from the piers there or over on the other side of Rt 2 at Liberty.

For bait you'll need either chicken necks or chicken wings (break the wing in half and get two uses! People also use bull tongue around here but it's not easy to find. Tie each wing onto a long string or put them into the small traps you can buy at West Marine or hardware stores (maybe you already have them) and watch to see those strings start to bobble up and down.

If you are in the Rt 2 south area and would like to find a crab house then follow my directions back to Aris T Allen Blvd and head west on it for one intersection to Riva Rd. Let me know if you want any more of this direction.

The crabs are getting nicer - but August is still a heavier month.

LN, thanks for all your help. I'll be driving down from NJ and my son and daughter will be coming from Fairfax, VA, and we'll meet in Annapolis. I'm looking for a nice weekend in August. They should be nice and plump by then.

This thread reminds me of a funny story... before passing away, my dad lived on a tributary to the Chesapeake-- each day he would row out past the dock and anchor a crab trap. One day we heard screams of laughter coming from dads boat--seems his mischevious aussie neighbor the night before had meticulously glued together a lobster he had eaten, painted it green, and placed it in dad's trap. Dad "got him back" by placing a For Sale sign in his yard

Good to hear Budman - wish you and your family lots of luck catching, cooking, and eating those crabs!!!

LN, one more question, is this a public pier? Can we bring coolers and a portable gas grill and picnic in the area?

Public piers in the Annapolis area are very hard to come by. Quiet Waters is a lovely, very large park with picnic areas, and it's on the water. There is a $4-5? fee for parking in the park. Not sure about the crabbing.
Truxton park is another public park in Annapolis for picnics. Also on the water, but not nearly as nice as Quiet Waters.
Sandy Point is another public park out at the Bay Bridge. On the Bay.
Most waterfront is private - owned by individuals or community associations that don't allow anyone else to enjoy the amenities.
Quiet Waters is hard to beat for a picnic and scenery, hiking, biking, pets are okay, etc.

If you go to Quiet Waters ($5 per car), very nice. I live about a mile from there. I dont know if you can go fishing or crabbing thou down by the water. Ive never seen anyone fishing and I go there everyday almost. There is large dog park and dog beach located inside the park. There is also alot of bike and running trails, perfect for the kids to ride their bikes. You can also rent canoes, kyaks there thru Amphibious Horizons Sea Kayaking. Their website is www.amphibioushorizons.com here is also the website to quiet waters http://www.aacounty.org/RecParks/Par...park/index.cfm .

P.S. check out the websites:
visit-annapolis.org and aacounty.org
There should be information about the parks and public areas and maps.

Thanks everybody for your help.

There used to be a place on the USNA grounds where you could park your car and crab off a quay wall. There was a parking area, and several people would crab and picnic from there. Of course, that was 20 years ago. That would be an ideal place, but I don't know if it's still allowed. Anybody know?

I'm looking at the weekend of 21 August. Is that about the time the new class of plebes arrive?

Sorry Budman I was off looking for that elusive 7 1/2 crab!!

As other posters have said here it's pretty difficult to find a public area where you can crab and set up a picnic. Quiet Waters allows you to picnic but I'm not certain about the crabbing (I doubt it based on stories I've been told)

The area I told you about is where two marinas converge so that you would be able to sit on the pier and crab to your heart's content (I've never known them to ask people to leave). I can't say what policy would be on the grills.

There's possibly another little place I can tell you about just below Annapolis. You would drive down Rt 2 south from Aris T Allen Blvd. to the 5th traffic light (Mayo Road) and make a left there - then you would continue to (I believe) the next traffic light (Londontown Road) make a left there - go down about 1 mile to a 1 1/2 and make a left and the round will take you to Shore Drive where there's a public area and picnic tables I believe. Should be some crabbing there too.

Enjoy your crabbing time with those grands!!

Wow, I am delighted to remember the summer days at my parents' house X the Chester River from Chestertown on the Eastern Shore of MD in the early 70's when I was a Navy Doc at Bethesda.
We trapped 3 dozen "keepers" every day and made great crab imperial, crab
cakes, etc.
My then toddler companion deck hand sons are now in their mid 30's.
M