Blue Crab
Here you will find how to hook and use Blue crabs for bait.
there is a video link to show you how to break a crab into pieces.

In the Picture below this is not two Crabs this is a blue crab
walking out of it's shell, To Grow larger they must shed their entire
Hard shell, At this time they are a "Soft Shell Crab" I only bring this up
because I have had people ask for them as if they were a different type
of Crab,
As a soft shell if you can get them to stay on a hook, it is the best of baits
for almost every fish, like People it is a delicacy for them .

Crabs can be used in pieces or smaller ones we use whole,
 

Here you can see where the legs meet the body it is a soft spot in the armor of a crab
It has to be soft or they could not move their legs.
Insert the hook in-between the legs. going from the under side towards the top.

   This is a male.
 Yes it has boy parts,
  The ones with a flap underneath
 are the females,
 Both may be taken for bait
 But not if she has eggs.

 Here a young lady, is thinking a Sushi a la Crab
 
  But Crabs must be cooked before you eat them,
 I am not sure why but, parts that are slime Raw
 turn into wonderful food when cooked.
 Well I guess the same is true for Pizza when you think about it.

  The entire Crab may be eaten when soft, Yes they shed their entire
 outer shell and have to grow a whole new one, while this molting
 is taking place, the entire crab is mushy, Humm wrong word,
very soft even the claws are soft, making them excellent food for every thing from other
crabs to fish, or People. It takes a day or two for the shell to get hard again, During that shedding
time all they can do is hope they are hidden,

 

                 A pair of blue crabs, "Must be love" 
  Notice how dark one of the crabs is, and the lighter color, both are blue Crabs,  

 One would have been
 living in a sandy area,
 where a lighter color shell
 would be better for hiding,
 the other from deeper or
 darker water, where the dark
 colors would blend better,
 making it easier to hide,
 Keep in mind the reason
 they are such good bait
 is most fish eat them.

 Think of what their stomach
 must be like to swallow a
 whole live Crab, Claws and all?  

In this pic on the right see the white spot Just above the legs.
                                               That is a softer spot in the shell great place to bring your hook out.

            
This is another way to hook a Blue crab. Bu using the flipper or swimming leg.
Crabs can "let go" of their legs and just let them fall off,
But the swimming legs they really want to keep. Here you can see the soft tissue
around the legs. It has to be soft or they could not move their legs.

 So hold the leg tightlly and pu the hook in from the bottom bring it out.

From --->   

Here the arrows point to the white spots on the top of the crab, this is again a softer spot
 in the armor of the blue crab.
 so put the hook into the crab
 from the bottom, go in between
 the legs, the shell is soft there
 so the can move,
 then bring the hook out
 the top through the white spot.

 Once you have the hook in and you are ready to fish, often I will take a pliers,
 and crush some of the crab on the other side of the crab from the hook.
 I believe it makes him a tastier bait, letting some of the juices run out.

   "Big dangerous, CLAWS" 

    "Big CLAWS"

         yes

 they will hurt you,

    be careful