We are planning to try noodling for Stone Crabs this Saturday afternoon in Port Aransas.

Any tips or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Happy fishing.

Just in case you don't know the regulations on stone crab

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/regulations/fish_hunt/fish/crabreg.phtml

They are easy to catch. I use a net around pilings or rocks. As you said, just reach in and grab them. Read the regs because a lot off people try to keep the whole crab and get in trouble. You can only keep the right claw and there are measurments involved. There is nothing beter. Boiling up some stone crab claws on the beach at night. YUMMM.

IF you can obtain one or two crab traps (check the regs on this) from the locals who make them, bait them with some greasy bait of some kind, make sure it lands perfectly square with the bait well down, and make sure that it is completely closed with the rubber bungees, and find a shell area. Check your charts for known oyster reefs.

When you catch them, please take only one claw, break it off clean without ripping the whole poor soul in half - to be honest there is a technique to this. There are less stone crabs now due to pollution and overfishing.

You'll see blue crab too, those have to be 5 inches point to point and throw back the females with sponging (eggs).

This was some of the most fun fishing/hunting I have ever done... After figuring out how to find them, and developing the courage we became successful noodling those suckers out............. some crazy stuff!

Details please! and pictures if you have them...