Great crabbing in Galveston Texas is a way to enjoy the day with friends and family. There is nothing better for dinner than cooking up your freshly caught crabs! Whether you plan to just drop a string into the water, use a crab basket, or a crab trap, you can let your bait do most of the work! Here are some ideas on the best places to catch crabs in Bolivar, Galveston Bay and the Gulf!
Two of the most common crabs you can catch locally in Galveston are stone crabs and blue crabs.
Stone Crabs
Stone crabs are characterized by their relatively small brown body with a pair of large claws. The claws are rounded and made for crushing to crack open snails, clams, and hermit shells. At one time, stone crabs were numerous in Galveston Bay, but numbers have declined in recent years. Stone crabs are a great catch, but remember you only take the claw from this crab and then release them.
This video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKHybQdzsik&t=28s shows how to remove the crab’s claws without harming them so that they can regrow the claws.
Blue Crabs
Blue crabs are very common and are usually found in coastal bays and along shallow waters of salt marshes. This makes the water in Galveston Bay a perfect place to catch blue crab. They take shelter in marsh plants or dig right into the mud. Females prefer areas that are more salty, water passing into the gulf. Male blue crabs prefer less salty water and seldom leave the bay.
Females carrying eggs are referred to as “sponge females” and are most often found in the shallow gulf waters near estuaries or structures near the beachfront because these are the ares where they lay their eggs. It is illegal to catch sponge female crabs.
Male blue crabs are biggest in the fall months and are most often found on the bay side of the island.
WHERE TO GO FOR GREAT CRABBING IN GALVESTON TEXAS
There are plenty of places to go for great crabbing in Galveston Texas. As we previously discussed, crabs like salty water but males like the areas that are slightly less salty, which include tidal water like marshes and bays. You’ll find the best crab on the bay side of Galveston Island and they prefer to be near structures located under the water such as bridges, piers, docks, and pilings.
On the gulf side of the island, you can crab off any of the fishing piers (61st street, 91st street) or near the jetty structures where you find other fishermen. The east end of the island offers a lot of shallow water fishing so you may want to try that area.
While seasoned crabbers have their favorite places on the island, here are a few places on Bolivar where you can start to set crab traps or drop a line into the water.
Hop on the Galveston-Bolivar Ferry (it’s free) and go across Galveston Bay. There are several great places to go crabbing on Bolivar including the North Jetty Bait Camp and further east. Find a spot along the inland waterway on the north side of the peninsula. You’ll do better if you look for a jetty or rock groin, as this is where the crab like to hang out.
In Bolivar, here are a few places to crab.
Broken Bridge
Broken Bridge is a non-official name for an area on the Northwest side of Bolivar right after you land from the ferry. To get there, exit the ferry and start out on Hwy 87 east. Your first main street is going to be 7th street. Take a left, pass the famous Bolivar lighthouse. (Stop and take a picture if the lighting is right, it is one of the most photographic spots in this area with a lot of history behind the lighthouse.) Drive on 7th for about a half mile until you get to Overton Ave. As you continue, the street turns into 1st Street at the bridge.
North Jetty Bait Camp
The North Jetty is a popular fishing area which means the crab are there too. Stop in and pick up some supplies at the Bait Camp and settle in for some crab trapping. The crabs here are said to be plentiful. Just make sure you check for sponge females and throw back anything smaller than 5 inches. This is also a popular fishing spot but you can find sometimes it is pretty quiet too.
In Galveston, here are a few places to crab.
Jamail Bay Park
Located right on 61st about a quarter mile from the I-45 exit in Galveston is the newest and one of the nicest parks you’ll find on the island, especially for fishing and crabbing. Plus, they have grills right there in the park so you can catch, clean, and cook right there in the park. There is also a boat ramp there, and usually you’ll find plenty of parking.
Seawolf Park
Seawolf Park is actually on Pelican Island about a stone’s throw north. This is an amazing place to fish because of it’s location along the ship channel and Galveston Bay. Along with great fishing is great crabbing! On the island, take Broadway to 51st, going North this crosses the Pelican Island Causeway onto Seawolf Parkway. Keep going until you dead end onto Seawolf Park.
There is a small entrance fee to get into the park unless you live in Galveston. Be sure to tell them at the gate if you are a resident. Once you arrive, set your traps and explore all there is to do on Pelican Island.
East End of Seawall Blvd.
If you drive east on the Seawall, you will eventually end at the Fort San Jacinto Historic marker near Boddecker Rd. You can’t miss it because Seawall Blvd literally ends there. This area is known for fishing as there are lots of shallow areas along the ship channel. This is right were Galveston Bay, Galveston Harbor, and the Galveston Ship Channel all meet up. Find a good place to park and drop your bait!
Galveston State Park
(No license required in some cases!)
Galveston Island State Park (GISP) is a great place to visit for the day, weekend, or longer. The state park is located on the western end of Galveston about 8 miles west of the Seawall, on Hwy 3005. (If you aren’t familiar, Seawall Blvd turns into 3005 as soon as you get west of the seawall itself. This is at Diamond Beach resort near Cove Blvd.)
There are two parts to the park: the gulf side and the bay side. Your best bet for great crabbing in Galveston Texas is going to be on the bay side of the park on a day where there is little to no wind. The park is clean, patrolled by Texas Wildlife and Parks Department, and there is plenty of fishing, swimming, kayaking, and boating going on in the area.
All that, and you aren’t required to have a license to fish in the state park. As long as you are fishing from shore, no license is required. However, if you get into a kayak or wade out into the water you need to have a valid license. The official website for more information on requirements for a fishing license in Texas is, Learn How to Get your Texas Fishing License (takemefishing.org).
Please follow my weekly blog posts. My latest posts cover Successful Saltwater Fishing in Galveston-Part 1 through Part 5.
- successful saltwater fishing in Galveston-Part 1 (mygalvestonrealtor.com)
- Successful saltwater fishing in galveston-Part 2 (mygalvestonrealtor.com)
- successful Saltwater Fishing in Galveston Texas-Part 3 (mygalvestonrealtor.com)
- successful galveston saltwater fishing-Part 4 (mygalvestonrealtor.com)
- successful saltwater fishing Galveston Texas-Part 5 (mygalvestonrealtor.com)
There are many great crab recipes. Here is one, I found on YouTube for crab cakes, OUR FAVORITE CRAB CAKES RECIPE + DIPPING SAUCE – YouTube. And another recipe for cooking crab legs, How to Cook Crab Legs – YouTube.
Next week I will be discussing crabbing by dropping a string into the water, using a crab basket, or using a crab trap, plus a few other Great Crabbing Places in Galveston and the surrounding area and some tips and tricks so your crabbing experience is fun and carefree. I may also include a few more crab recipes for you to enjoy!