Blue Crab
Callinectes sapidus
Blue crabs are not fish but rather decapod crustaceans with blue-tinted claws and olive-green carapaces. They are popular targets for recreational crabbing and commercial harvest.
Blue Crab at a glance
- Scientific name
- Callinectes sapidus
- Typical size
- 5-9 inches carapace width
- Water
- Brackish
- Habitat
- Inshore
- Rarity in the Fishdex™
- Common
Habitat
Blue crabs inhabit estuaries, bays, and nearshore waters along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Anglers typically target them using crab traps, drop nets, or hand lines baited with chicken necks or fish heads in shallow grassy areas and around docks.
Catch one and it is yours
Log a blue crab through the Cobia Camera and this entry fills in with your photo, your personal best, and the exact conditions on the day. The app also carries the slot and season rules for wherever you are standing.
How the Fishdex™ worksBlue Crab questions people ask
Blue Crab is Callinectes sapidus.
A typical blue crab runs 5-9 inches carapace width. Cobia records the length and weight of every blue crab you log and keeps your personal best on its Fishdex entry.
Blue crabs inhabit estuaries, bays, and nearshore waters along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Anglers typically target them using crab traps, drop nets, or hand lines baited with chicken necks or fish heads in shallow grassy areas and around docks. It is a water species, filed under inshore in the Fishdex.
Yes. Log one through the Cobia Camera and this entry fills in with your own photo, your personal best, and the conditions on the day you caught it. The app also carries the slot limits and season dates for wherever you are standing. It is free.
Tomorrow morning starts tonight
Set your home water, pick a drive radius, and wake up to a plan.
iPhone with iOS 17 or later, or Android 8.0 or later. Setup takes about a minute.