Little Crab! Good For Bait?

[LureLessLeo]

Guys.

Came across aheap of these carbs at sandringham sand flats. Not sure what they are. Can someone help? Are they any good for bait? If so, to target what and where?

Thanks

[Jigholio]

They are soldier crabs. 3 or 4 small ones to a hook is top bait for bream & OS whiting, esp. on a high tide after dark where you caught the crabs!

Comical little critters

Jig

[Ray R]

Yeah they make a great bait, we have caught nice bream and whiting on them little suckers (soldier crabs), we also mashed up the dead ones and they make a nice berley trail.. Cheers...

[Dreamtime]

Guys.

Came across aheap of these carbs at sandringham sand flats. Not sure what they are. Can someone help? Are they any good for bait? If so, to target what and where?

Thanks

The soldier crab has a bag limit of 100 in total, unlike other bait crabs which are 10 in total.

[Hodgey]

Wander along the beach with a small hearth brush and shovel, and sweep 'em into your bucket. These little blokes are dynamite on the big blue-nosed bream, and stay on a hook longer than a nipper!

Hodgey

[brendong]

I recall a session i had in nambucca heads some 5 years ago. The flats were thick with soldier crabs and the tide was rising. Whiting were ervery where and it was as if they could hear them marching. Using an unweighted long shank we cleaned up and fishing no further than 8 feet from the bank we watched the biggest whiting i have ever seen engulf our baits. My misses nailed a 47cm unit and the rest were pretty much over 40cm it was rediculous..... next day we went back no whiting to be seen....right place right time i guess....

Outside of that session i have never had much success with them....i think the fact that they were active and marching played a big factor in the whitings feeding habits at the time.

I have notice that soldier crabs don't seem to like the wind though. That same day it was as still as and there were thousands out, the nor easter popped up and the crabs disappeared.

[Davemmm]

I'm going to be the voice of dissent here and say they are rubbish bait. I've heard a lot of stories about good catches on soldier crabs but have never witnessed it.

Hodgey is right about them staying on the hook longer than nippers as they are a lot firmer and the pickers don't take them first go but that is all they have going for them. I have occasionally caught good fish on soldiers but they have always been outfished by nippers.

I reckon there is so many of them on the flats cause nothing really wants to eat the buggers.

A bit of effort turning rocks over on the low tide and you can get better crabs that get better fish. Leave the small brown crabs and only take those that are about 2 inches wide, hook them so they stay alive and the bream smash them at times. If you are in the muddy bits the rocks also hide green nippers which are even better than the pink ones.

Sorry guys, I may be fishing them wrong but I have three generations of family that have all given soldiers a go and all say the same thing:- use nippers instead.

Dave