1. Picking a Blue Crab is easy if the procedure is followed. Place a news paper on table. Using a regular table knife, a small paring knife, a dish to put the picked backfin meat in and a wooden mallet to crack the claws.

2. The first operation is to remove the claws and set aside, then remove the rest of the legs and discard them.

3. Take top shell off the crab.

4. Remove apron.

5. Scrape off feathered gills.

6. Break crab apart at center.

7. With the table knife split one section in half.

8. This is how the crab parts should look.

9. Now you are ready to pick the meat.

10. With a small paring knife go into each channel and remove the meat.

11. This is what the picked crab meat looks like. I vacuum pack the meat in one pound packages.

12. Throw shells away,

13. Tap the claw shell with a wooden mallet. Meat inside usually comes out in one piece.

14. I pack all my crab legs in a large zip lock bag and freeze it to use in crab soup. The legs are tasty with great company and a mug of beer on a warm night.

"The history of my crabbing started in June 1964, while on duty in the service. I had a chance to go crabbing at a Navy Base in Maryland. I learned all you need for crabbing is a string, dip net your bait, (chicken necks work the best) and a bucket to put the crabs in that you catch. Another item for your good luck is a fishing hat and the best places to go are piers and docks boat landings, little tidal creeks, or really anywhere there is an open space around brackish salt water. You don't need a boat, just stand on the bank or pier. The best times are near low tide, or what the crabbers call ebb tide, day or night. The crabs are close to the shoreline and actively feeding."

"That trip caused me to look for a better way to catch crabs. I had a friend that came to the United States from the Philippines. He tried to explain about what the fishermen used there. Bamboo about 3” in diameter was split and tied in the center with strings. The nets they made were about three feet in diameter. I procured some Bamboo from a source. The laws of some states allow only traps of a specific size. I settled on a 12”X12” trap. These were used to try to catch crabs. From that same pier I caught a five gallon pail full in a 5 hour period. I have now improved this trap to what I believe is the best product that can be used in recreational crabbing."

Dick Morrison