Beach fishing with ghost crabs

[porl]

so they look as though they have to be a mainstay of something's diet out in the gutters but i have never caught anything with them. Read in Fishing Qld Monthly this edition that they are good whiting bait, how do you put a ghost crab on a hook that doesn't look like a hook ? i've only heard of hooking their behind so they are still alive but then you have a great piece of metal hook sticking out in a strange direction that does not look to me very natural. Any suggestions, am just looking for an alternative bait cause i am so bad at catching surf worms, so bad i've never even caught one, still trying though.

[Gorilla_in_Manila]

Porl,
Think the main things that eat ghost crabs are bigger ghost crabs. Think i remember reading somewhere they could be used as bait, but haven't heard any whispers of great success. You would think they would be eaten since they are a naturally occuring food source though. I'm guessing you might get a few stingrays.

Not sure if you want this next bit, since you were asking about ghost crabs, but might help or someone else might be interested. Just trying to help. Please ignore it if you know all about it already.

I've used rock crabs before and they are a brilliant bait. Bream will wolf them like there is no tomorrow, particularly if you fish them unweighted in the sudsy wash down beside the rock. Groper and others love them as well. So I can tell you how I present them if you think it would help.

For small crabs, I leave them whole, break off one front leg and insert the hook point in there, and push it toward the tail area and out between where the carapace meets the underside. Then turn the hook so the point sits down between the legs. Baitholder pattern hooks hold the crab up on the shank better, or you can push the eye of the hook right into the leg socket and throw a half hitch with the line on the leg beside the one you busted off or around a claw (if you are game to leave them on).
For larger crabs (about the size of a 50 cent piece on the back) I pop the carapace off. Just put both thumbnails in the back of the crab where the carapace meets the underside and prise it off, or a knife under there and a bit of a flick, come off fairly easy. Then I break off all the legs. Cut the remaining body down the middle (ie vertically between the eyes). Then poke the point of the hook through the front leg socket and out the back leg socket. Then thread a couple of legs on so it looks a bit like a crab again and they keep the half body up the shank. For really big crabs you can cut them into quarters and get 4 baits. You can smash up the carapace, extra legs and claws and chuck them in for burley.

They take a bit of catching. Make a spear by straightening out a 5/0 hook and binding it to a 2 or 3ft thin piece of dowel or 12 gauge fencing wire. Then look around the cracks in the rocks at low tide below the high tide level. Not sure you are allowed to catch crabs for bait in marine parks though, so better check it out.

Not sure if this would work so well with ghost crabs since their legs are pretty thin and attached a bit further underneath the body. I'd be just poking the hook through it diagonally starting from near one of the front legs and then putting a half hitch around one of the legs or a claw to try and keep point free and the crab up the shank.
Not sure how you would be able to present it live, unless you were going to lash it to the hook with cotton or something like that.

If you want to catch whiting in the surf though, think your time would be better spent learning how to catch worms. Little soldier crabs in estuaries.

Be interested to hear if you catch something on ghost crabs though.

Good Luck.
Cheers
Jeff

[SNAFU]

surf parot fish will take them but you have to have parot fish first and yes ,big bream will go them as well.i have found best crab bait to be soldier crabs and fish close in around rocks near white water.they work real well on rock walls like at amity for 6 bar blue parot(see grantspg 605) and xos bream .sweetlip will go them if in real close to rocks ,like on rocks.not to mention all other small stuf. best time is dusk/dawn on slack tide.blue claw crabs are good for xostusk fish around reef and ledges (near myora 60 lb line min)
SNAFU