Crab’n Accessories
Bait Holders
These bait holders are designed to enhance your crab-catching experience, ensuring that the bait remains secure and enticing to the crabs therefore preventing them from escaping the pot prematurely. Choose the option that best suits your needs and enjoy a successful crabbing adventure.
Bait Bag
Our 35cm long by 15cm diameter black 30 ply 55mm mesh bag is an excellent choice for holding a wide variety of bait, including medium-sized reef frames and heads. With one end closed and the other open, it allows crabs to slowly consume the bait without devouring it too quickly. Equipped with stainless steel hooks on both ends, it can be easily attached to the ring or mesh of the pot, either across the bottom or from top to bottom.
Bait Ezy
As the name suggests, this product simplifies the baiting process for your crab pots. It consists of a small plastic cage with a base plate that is placed on the outside of the pot’s bottom. By inserting the pin through the mesh and into the hole at the center of the cage’s base, you can securely attach it to your pot. The lid, equipped with a lanyard, remains connected to the base and easily clips on once you’ve filled it with your preferred bait. Made from durable plastic, it can withstand the persistence of even the largest mud crabs. The small holes in the cage allow for a wide variety of bait options, such as pillies on Spanner crab trays, prawn heads for crabs, or cat and chicken food for redclaw. The height of the bait cage ensures that water runs through the bait, enhancing its effectiveness compared to traditional “gutter guard” bait holders.
Escape Vents
Escape vents are an apparatus that are compulsory in commercial mud crab pots in Queensland, but their use in recreational pots is also encouraged. The vents enable sub-legal sized mud crabs and fish to escape the pot, making it easier for crabbers to sort their catch and reducing the risk of overcrowded crabs injuring each other.
Crab’n Gear TS5 pots that are available to Licensed Professional crabbers have the vents pre installed, with an oyster mesh pad underneath the vent to reduce rubbing. There are three different size vents that are legal in Queensland waters all of which must be attached to the bottom ring of the pot and are made from 3mm tumbled aluminium.
120 x 50mm rectangle
105mm diameter round
75 x 60mm square - 2 required per pot
Pot Tags
Pot tags are an essential accessory whether you are crabbing for muddies, sandies, spanner crab or redclaw in Queensland.
In Queensland a pot or dilly must have a tag attached with the surname and address (number, street, town, state and postcode) of the person using the pot/dilly – this information must be clearly visible, legible and in English.
Pot tags are not required in NSW
3 Way Crab Measure – QLD
Made from strong 2mm aluminium Crab’n Gear’s 3 way measure is the one everyone is trying to imitate. Laser cut to ensure 100% accuracy the measure has three cut outs to measure Mud Crabs 15cm min, Blue Swimmer 11.5cm min and Spanner Crabs 10cm min. There is a hole in the corner to tether the measure to something and a handy bottle opener to keep you refreshed.
We do not market a NSW version as NSW DPI give away crab measurers for free at tackle shops funded through fish licensing.
Pot Spreader
One of the greatest inventions since sliced bread, the Crab’n Gear Pot Spreader makes it very easy to set up and collapse crab pots without having to turn yourself inside out.
Good quality pots are reasonably tightly strung. This keeps the funnels and most importantly the entrances tight so that the pot not only catches crabs, but holds them as well. As a result the pot legs need to only ‘just’ fit between the two rings. Our pot spreader is a simple two piece apparatus made from stainless steel that allows you to use leverage to make spreading the pot wide enough to insert the legs childs play. Simply stand the pot up on its end with the top of the pot closest to you, put the U shaped end of the shorter handle on the top ring (ring closest to you) and the U shaped end of the longer handle on the bottom ring. The end of the longer handle will be on an angle. By pulling it down you will stretch the rings apart from each other. When it is wide enough using your other hand swing the top of the leg into place and release the pressure on the handle! And you’re done! Note there is a bolt through the centre of the handles that can be moved between the two pre-drilled holes that allows you to change the length of the handles to suit different pot leg lengths. Once you’re ready to pull you pot down, put the pot the other way around with the top of the pot away from you to make the legs easier to fold down.
Crab Hands
Crab hands are a safe, efficient and easy way to pick up crabs. Great for beginners, kids and those of us who aren’t quite as quick as we used to be to pick up crabs for sorting, measuring and tying. The triangle apparatus on the end of the tong like handles is designed to be placed over the carapace of a mud crab. It works most effectively from behind the crab so that your hands are always a safe distance from the crab. Made from stainless steel they are a great addition to any crabbing kit.
Shark Clips
Made from 304 stainless steel, our shark clips have multiple uses in crabbing. Many crabbers use them to attach their ropes to either the frame of the pot or a loop attached to the float. The U shaped end of the clip provides a strong attachment mechanism that enables the crabber to quickly and securely attach the rope and then remove it for easy storage.
Replacement Spanner Tray Mesh
Spanner crabbing is a great pastime and the meat of them is well regarded around the world. However the spanner crabs live in an unforgiving environment and it is not uncommon for a shark, turtle, ray or other animal to attack the bait on the pot often tearing the mesh. Small tears can be easily repaired but sometimes the whole mesh needs to be replaced. The mesh is cut into a 1m x 1m square that will fit onto Crab’n Gear’s Spanner Trays. It is a 210 x 6 x 1 ¼ white mesh that is tailored to the specific needs of catching spanner crabs.