Community Corner
No. 88 - Blue Crabs and Snappers
Fishing and crabbing are great activities for everyone to do in the summer.
We know Bayport-Blue Point residents may think they know everything that's going on in the area, but there are events, programs and places that even a lifelong resident may not be aware of. Bayport-Blue Point Patch wants to highlight all that's fun, interesting and new in B-BP so residents can take advantage of the opportunities for entertainment our community offers. Every week, we'll post something to try in the area, eventually counting down to #1.
A tug on a fishing pole or scooping up a net full of feisty crabs – there is nothing like that feeling, and the summer is the best time to reap this harvest from the Great South Bay. In our communities there are many places to take advantage of fishing and crabbing. It's a great activity that anyone can easily do.
Snappers and crabs are attracted to sheltered areas, so the best place to catch them is off of any dock on the bay in Bayport and Blue Point like – , , Bayport Beach and Brown's River Marina or if you have access to the many marinas or private docks in the area.
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Snappers are small fish that are easy and fun to catch. It's a great way to get little fisherman and fisherladies hooked on fishing. To go snapper fishing, the only equipment that is needed is a fishing pole with a hook and bobber and a bucket to put the fish in. Then stop off at in Bayport to pick up shiners for bait. New York State requires anyone over the age of 16 to sign up for a no fee fishing registry and you can catch up to 15 snappers a day. If you do not plan on cooking up your bounty from the bay, you can release the snappers back into the water to grow up to be a bluefish or use them for bait to catch crabs.
Blue crabs like to hang onto the side of docks, when they are doing this you can easily scoop them up with a crab net. Make sure there is a bucket nearby to drop your catch into, you do not want to get pinched. At night shining a flashlight onto the surface of the water will bring the crabs to the surface, making it really easy to catch. You do not need to, but you might try using some bait like snapper fish in a crab trap to catch these crustaceans. New York State allows you to catch up to 50 blue crabs a day.
