A warm Saturday in October afforded us the perfect opportunity to feast on one of Virginia's great treasures, the Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab. Now, there are many ways to catch a blue crab. The commercial crabbers use 3 ft by 3 ft wire pots tethered to a buoy floating on the surface. Pier and bridge crabbers use one of a number of kinds of pull traps, triangular, round or square. But, to us, the most fun is the string method, perfected by Virginia youths, along the marshes and tributaries of the bay over hundreds of years. With the string method you get to enjoy the tug on the line that every fisherman yearns for. Its all about the tug!
The historic Colonial Parkway, from Jamestown, first home of the colonists, to Yorktown, site of the English surrender and the end of the Revolutionary War, winds alongside the James River, king tobaccos highway, to the South and the wide blue waters of the York River to the North; with the colonial capital of Williamsburg in the middle. Travelers visiting this tree lined coastal byway and congressionally designated federal park share their day with bicyclists, hikers, fishermen, swimmers and beachcombers along its twenty three mile length, each enjoying the beauty and fresh sea air in their own way. Five miles up river from the Chesapeake Bay, Indian field Creek flows under a small bridge and empties into the York. This peaceful little tributary is a great place to catch the makings of a weekend crab fest.
One important thing to keep in mind when hoping to catch these eight legged culinary delights is to be sure to crab the incoming tide, with four hours before the high tide up to when the water starts flowing back out being the optimum time to net the big ones. Your tools will be few, a ball of twine, fishing sinkers, chicken legs and a net on a pole. The leg of the chicken being the best piece because the little joint at the small end keeps the string from coming off with necks and backs coming in close seconds.
The technique is a simple one; tie the chicken and a one once sinker or a small rock to the end of a piece of string about fifteen feet long. Wade out until the water starts to drops off and toss in the bait. Patience is difficult but necessary, you have to let it sit a while, as the flavor of the chicken lures them in. In a few long minutes it's time to check your line, gently pull a little tension on it. When you feel the string pull back you may even experience goose bumps or feel the hair on the back of your neck rise up. Of course, you have to hold your mouth just right as you carefully, slowly pull the string hand over hand until you have him coming in with the bait. Crabs are dumb and hold on for the ride, but, they are smart when it comes to quickly darting away when they see that net. You need to hold it very still until the last second and then quick like Z flash scoop him up in one fell swoop and whisk him away to a waiting basket. The first of the day soon to be joined by a bevy of his blue green brothers, pinchers snapping.
