Now is a time for a crabbing adventure

The first time I ever ate crabs was way back in 1984. I’m not talking about those Alaskan king crab legs that are rapidly processed, quick-frozen and shipped to a chain restaurant or grocery near you.
No. I’m talking about good old Louisiana blue crabs, while envisioning a point-to-point measurement of no less than six inches.
I had recently moved to Louisiana, and back then, our little family lived in a modest singlewide trailer located in Fanco Trailer Park along the Lower Atchafalaya River in Bayou Vista. We had access to a private wharf and a few crab traps that I’d bait with some catfish heads or whatever else we caught fishing that I cleaned.
Life was simple. When I got off work, we’d walk to the bayou to see what we caught.
Without fail, just like the day before, there were always enough crabs — a dozen or so — to boil. I’d empty the traps into a five gallon plastic bucket, re-bait and toss them back into the water.
That went on for quite some time until one day my pant size had changed. I went from weighing 197 pounds to 217.
The summer of ’84, I put on 20 pounds eating the most delectable, the most delicious, sweetest meat I had ever tasted.
According to Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries “Fisheries Management Plan,” Louisiana leads the United States in commercial dockside catch, equating to roughly $47.8-million.
Additionally, Louisiana’s commercial catch represents 62 percent of the entire Gulf of Mexico catch that includes Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and Texas. No doubt, the popularity of Louisiana seafood has a huge economic impact for the state.
Several weeks ago, I made a trip to Marsh Island with a couple of buddies trying to find some clear water with the intent of catching a few fish. With the wet weather we’d been having and the water all stirred up, we didn’t have much luck.
But, the one thing I noticed out on the island was the large number of families having a blast with nothing more than a string, piece of chicken and dip net catching crabs — the pretty blue-clawed kind.
There we were, with nary a piece of chicken in the boat to go to a plan B.
Moreover, what a shame because they were catching the tasty crustaceans like nobody’s business.
Howard Scully, a native of Morgan City now living in Baton Rouge, said to me as he was dumping a pretty crab he’d just caught into a basket,
“Today I’m out here with my brother and godchild,” Scully said. “But, we were out here a couple weeks ago and man — we caught some pretty crabs! And we caught our 12 dozen limit that day.”
The one thing that made our afternoon trips to the bayou so special all those years ago was the excitement the kids had that was seemingly new each day.
On one hand, they would have this sort of apprehension that comes with getting pinched by a blue crab. But on the other hand, a daring inquisitiveness and emotional brush with something they deemed dangerous that made them more confident with each encounter.
Moise Guillot, who has a camp on Cypremort Point, was also out on Marsh Island with his family.
Guillot said, “It’s a great place to bring the kids. It had been at least 10 years since I’d been out here. They really have this place fixed up nice. When we first got here this morning, there was nobody here, but now it’s crowded.”
Crowded or not, there is plenty of room out on Marsh Island for crabbing, throwing a cast net for shrimp or just taking a plain old nature-viewing adventure.
At one weir, some young people from Lafayette were tossing a cast net for shrimp, while their other friends were crabbing, when a large alligator decided to crawl from the inner side of the weir to the canal side.
The large, nearly 12-foot reptile paid little attention to the crabbers. You wouldn’t have known it from the excitement you heard, but, that’s how memories are made when you live in the Sportsman’s Paradise.
With the kids out of school for the summer, you don’t have to launch a boat and go out to Marsh Island to enjoy a day of catching crabs. Day trips to places like Grand Isle State Park to the east and Sabine National Wildlife Refuge to the west have facilities set up where recreational crabbers can enjoy the day and catch plenty of crabs in the process.
But, be careful. Eating too many crabs can be hazardous to your waistline.
If you wish to make a comment or have an anecdote, recipe or story you wish to share, you can contact John K. Flores at 985-395-5586 or gowiththeflo@cox.net or on Facebook at gowiththeflo outdoors.