Waterman's Notes

Louisiana Derelict Crab Trap Closures: What They Are and When
Why your basin closes to traps every winter, how the derelict trap program and rodeo work, and what to do before the dates hit. Read more...
Louisiana Busters and Peelers: When You Can Block Your Rings
Louisiana lets you block escape rings April 1 to June 30 and September 1 to October 31 to hold peelers. How that fits with the immature-female ban, the softshell exception, and the work-box rule. Read more...
Louisiana's Escape Ring Corner Rule, Explained
Since July 2022 every escape ring on a Louisiana crab trap must be within one mesh of a corner. Where the rule came from, why corners, what passes, what gets a $950 ticket. Read more...
Chesapeake Eel Pots: Gear, Bait, and the Maryland Rules
Round and rectangular eel pots, the 1/2 inch mesh rule, bait, where you can set, and who can fish them in Maryland, from commercial eelers to crabbers catching their own trotline bait. Read more...
Crab Pot Designs by Region: Why a Louisiana Pot Isn't a Chesapeake Pot
Chesapeake cube, Jersey panel pot, Carolina three-ring, Florida 2x2x2, Louisiana corner rule, Texas four-vent. The regional differences in blue crab pots come mostly from the rulebook. Read more...
How to Measure a Blue Crab, and How They're Graded at the Dock
Point to point across the spines, and what the number has to be depends on the state and the date. Plus how crabs are graded at the dock and why you should grade to a notch. Read more...
Why Crab Pot Door Hooks Break (and the Two Places They Do It)
Door hooks fail in two places for two reasons: points snap under a stack, and the cinch cracks at a sharp corner. Both are design problems with design fixes. Read more...
How to Rig a Crab Pot Door: Hooks, Rubber Bands and Bungee
Hooks, bands, door wire, tension, and how many per pot. Most hook trouble is the rig, not the hook. Read more...
Maryland's July 15 Size Change and Why Your Cull Stick Is Probably Short
Maryland's legal hard crab goes from 5" to 5-1/4" on July 15. Most plastic cull sticks are already a sixteenth short. Here's what that does to your basket, and what to check before the switch. Read more...
What Crab Pot Door Hooks Actually Cost (2026 Buyer's Guide)
Door hooks sell for anywhere from 25 cents to $2.75 apiece depending on where you buy. A look at what the supply houses, marine retailers and dock shops actually charge, and what's worth comparing. Read more...
How to Measure a Crab Pot Door Hook (Overall Length Lies)
Suppliers list door hooks by overall length. That's not the dimension that decides whether a hook fits your pot. Here's how to measure center to center, and why it matters. Read more...