I know the size limits of blue crabs don't make it especially easy to collect large numbers.

Are there any good bait shops that you guys can recommend around the Galveston/Freeport areas that have a supply of blue crab year round?

Or maybe there is a way to collect large numbers LEGALLY? Lol.

I'm in Dallas area and I get mine at the Asian Markets. Look for Asian markets in Houston on your way down to the coast.

I fish in the Freeport area, and I usually make a stop by a dock and drop a dead fish down under it. Couple seconds later I pull up a crab. Works better in the summer. I don't know if you have anywhere that you can do this in Galveston but I hope it helps.

I think I'm gonna try both of yall's suggestions.

Freeport is pretty close to Galveston. Mind telling me (PM?) which dock you collect crabs off of? I would have thought that this method would be too slow/illegal to work well.

If you're by the Houston area on your way to your spot, heb can get you some live blue crabs but I don't think theyll let you leave with them alive. Fiesta mart does the same thing. If not alive they can certainly get them to you freshly dead. They'll even take the shell off for you making it one less thing to do before hooking it. And the best part is, it's much MUCH cheaper than a bait shop. You'll also get a steal on dead shrimp too. Plus you can get them according to size instead of a mixed bag like most shops. Hell, some shops even give you all small shrimp. I still support my local bait shops though

Also if you're in a hurry just drop a peice of chicken on a string under a dock or near a shore or something. Wait 10 minutes with a net and boom you got yourself a crab. Sometimes two on the same peice of chicken. Throw multiple peices of chicken out for more productive time and results

Not a bad idea... I wonder though, will the stores let me take their already dead crabs for free? Lol.

Now that winter is here, do crab work better as bait compared to cut shad/mullet for red/black drum?

Well if there's anything I know is that drum LOOOOVEEE crabs. It's best if you specificially want to target drum.....just remember that croaker are in the drum family too lmfao. Watch a YouTube video to learn how to hook a crab, you'll want to because if you do it wrong all the meat can fall off the hook. If all else fails the nylon stocking technique works lmao