On Wed, 28 Oct 2015 02:16:02 -0400, wrote:

On Tue, 27 Oct 2015 20:31:55 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 10/27/2015 8:15 PM, wrote:
On Tue, 27 Oct 2015 16:32:33 -0700, Califbill billnews wrote:


Our Dungeness crabs have lots of meat, so worth banging. Couple times I
had soft shell crabs, did not impress me.

I picked one out down in the market in San Francisco once. It is OK
but not as much flavor as a real Chesapeake blue crab.
The crabs down here are not as good. It probably has to do with the
fact that then never hibernate. The best crabs are right before the
first molt of the early summer.

On soft shells, freshness is a big deal. Frozen ones will not be as
good. Usually they are lightly sauteed in butter with a tiny pinch of
old bay. Don't over cook them. On your coast they may have been
steamed before they were shipped.


During my last two years in the Navy, stationed in Annapolis, MD, we'd
go get chicken backs and necks, tie them to the lines of our fishing
poles, cast out, let the chicken sink to the bottom and pull up two or
three soft shells at a time. Problem was the sea gulls we attracted.


"Soft shells"?

That is unusual. I have netted up a few but usually they keep a pretty
low profile until the shell hardens because everyone eats soft crabs,
including other crabs.
You must have had a sweet spot where they go to hide,

I think the warm water here hardens them up pretty fast because none
of our local crab guys ever seems to get a soft shell in their traps.
I did show them how to spot a peeler because that is prime bait for
just about anything but they are here rare too.

Soft shells are caught in traps just like the hard shell. They make great rockfish
bait. I'd put a quarter of a soft shell on a hook. Usually had pretty good luck. But,
using soft shells for bait is not cheap.
--

Ban idiots, not guns!

On 10/28/2015 9:45 AM, John H. wrote:
On Wed, 28 Oct 2015 05:39:32 -0400, "Mr. Luddite" wrote:

On 10/28/2015 2:16 AM, wrote:
On Tue, 27 Oct 2015 20:31:55 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 10/27/2015 8:15 PM, wrote:
On Tue, 27 Oct 2015 16:32:33 -0700, Califbill billnews wrote:


Our Dungeness crabs have lots of meat, so worth banging. Couple times I
had soft shell crabs, did not impress me.

I picked one out down in the market in San Francisco once. It is OK
but not as much flavor as a real Chesapeake blue crab.
The crabs down here are not as good. It probably has to do with the
fact that then never hibernate. The best crabs are right before the
first molt of the early summer.

On soft shells, freshness is a big deal. Frozen ones will not be as
good. Usually they are lightly sauteed in butter with a tiny pinch of
old bay. Don't over cook them. On your coast they may have been
steamed before they were shipped.


During my last two years in the Navy, stationed in Annapolis, MD, we'd
go get chicken backs and necks, tie them to the lines of our fishing
poles, cast out, let the chicken sink to the bottom and pull up two or
three soft shells at a time. Problem was the sea gulls we attracted.


"Soft shells"?

That is unusual. I have netted up a few but usually they keep a pretty
low profile until the shell hardens because everyone eats soft crabs,
including other crabs.
You must have had a sweet spot where they go to hide,

I think the warm water here hardens them up pretty fast because none
of our local crab guys ever seems to get a soft shell in their traps.
I did show them how to spot a peeler because that is prime bait for
just about anything but they are here rare too.


I don't recall it being unusual back then (late 70's). My understanding
is that "soft shell" crabs are simply Blue Crabs that have shed their
shell and the new one hasn't hardened yet. We used to catch a lot of them.

One guy I knew then used to get oysters from a boat (near the shore),
crack them open and eat them on the spot. I didn't, although I've done
my share at the Union Oyster House in Boston. At least the ones
served there have been processed and cleaned. It was a favorite dining
spot for some of my company's customers from other parts of the country
and I used to take them there for some wineing and dining.


What processing and cleaning would be done. I used to get them by the bushel, open
them, and eat them. Maybe throw some on a grill to steam.

Varies, state to state but MA has very specific regulations on the post
harvesting handling of oysters and other shell fish that are intended
for distribution to restaurants, etc. Icing in a slurry that is
temperature controlled, rinsing, prevention of exposure to direct
sunlight, etc.

Much is due to close to shore ocean areas that have become contaminated
over the years.

On Wed, 28 Oct 2015 10:28:43 -0400, "Mr. Luddite" wrote:

On 10/28/2015 9:45 AM, John H. wrote:
On Wed, 28 Oct 2015 05:39:32 -0400, "Mr. Luddite" wrote:

On 10/28/2015 2:16 AM, wrote:
On Tue, 27 Oct 2015 20:31:55 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 10/27/2015 8:15 PM, wrote:
On Tue, 27 Oct 2015 16:32:33 -0700, Califbill billnews wrote:


Our Dungeness crabs have lots of meat, so worth banging. Couple times I
had soft shell crabs, did not impress me.

I picked one out down in the market in San Francisco once. It is OK
but not as much flavor as a real Chesapeake blue crab.
The crabs down here are not as good. It probably has to do with the
fact that then never hibernate. The best crabs are right before the
first molt of the early summer.

On soft shells, freshness is a big deal. Frozen ones will not be as
good. Usually they are lightly sauteed in butter with a tiny pinch of
old bay. Don't over cook them. On your coast they may have been
steamed before they were shipped.


During my last two years in the Navy, stationed in Annapolis, MD, we'd
go get chicken backs and necks, tie them to the lines of our fishing
poles, cast out, let the chicken sink to the bottom and pull up two or
three soft shells at a time. Problem was the sea gulls we attracted.


"Soft shells"?

That is unusual. I have netted up a few but usually they keep a pretty
low profile until the shell hardens because everyone eats soft crabs,
including other crabs.
You must have had a sweet spot where they go to hide,

I think the warm water here hardens them up pretty fast because none
of our local crab guys ever seems to get a soft shell in their traps.
I did show them how to spot a peeler because that is prime bait for
just about anything but they are here rare too.


I don't recall it being unusual back then (late 70's). My understanding
is that "soft shell" crabs are simply Blue Crabs that have shed their
shell and the new one hasn't hardened yet. We used to catch a lot of them.

One guy I knew then used to get oysters from a boat (near the shore),
crack them open and eat them on the spot. I didn't, although I've done
my share at the Union Oyster House in Boston. At least the ones
served there have been processed and cleaned. It was a favorite dining
spot for some of my company's customers from other parts of the country
and I used to take them there for some wineing and dining.


What processing and cleaning would be done. I used to get them by the bushel, open
them, and eat them. Maybe throw some on a grill to steam.

Varies, state to state but MA has very specific regulations on the post
harvesting handling of oysters and other shell fish that are intended
for distribution to restaurants, etc. Icing in a slurry that is
temperature controlled, rinsing, prevention of exposure to direct
sunlight, etc.

Much is due to close to shore ocean areas that have become contaminated
over the years.


When stationed at Ft Benning, GA, we used to go to a place called 'Jimmy's Oyster
Bar'. There, for 60 cents a dozen (in early 1970) one got his oysters shucked with
sauce and crackers. We'd go to Pritchett's Fish Camp for the all-you-can-eat catfish
and hush puppies (about $5.95 as I recall), then off to Jimmy's for dessert - two or
three dozen oysters.

It's a wonder I don't weigh 300 lbs.
--

Ban idiots, not guns!

On Wed, 28 Oct 2015 05:39:32 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 10/28/2015 2:16 AM, wrote:
On Tue, 27 Oct 2015 20:31:55 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 10/27/2015 8:15 PM, wrote:
On Tue, 27 Oct 2015 16:32:33 -0700, Califbill billnews wrote:


Our Dungeness crabs have lots of meat, so worth banging. Couple times I
had soft shell crabs, did not impress me.

I picked one out down in the market in San Francisco once. It is OK
but not as much flavor as a real Chesapeake blue crab.
The crabs down here are not as good. It probably has to do with the
fact that then never hibernate. The best crabs are right before the
first molt of the early summer.

On soft shells, freshness is a big deal. Frozen ones will not be as
good. Usually they are lightly sauteed in butter with a tiny pinch of
old bay. Don't over cook them. On your coast they may have been
steamed before they were shipped.


During my last two years in the Navy, stationed in Annapolis, MD, we'd
go get chicken backs and necks, tie them to the lines of our fishing
poles, cast out, let the chicken sink to the bottom and pull up two or
three soft shells at a time. Problem was the sea gulls we attracted.


"Soft shells"?

That is unusual. I have netted up a few but usually they keep a pretty
low profile until the shell hardens because everyone eats soft crabs,
including other crabs.
You must have had a sweet spot where they go to hide,

I think the warm water here hardens them up pretty fast because none
of our local crab guys ever seems to get a soft shell in their traps.
I did show them how to spot a peeler because that is prime bait for
just about anything but they are here rare too.


I don't recall it being unusual back then (late 70's). My understanding
is that "soft shell" crabs are simply Blue Crabs that have shed their
shell and the new one hasn't hardened yet. We used to catch a lot of them.

One guy I knew then used to get oysters from a boat (near the shore),
crack them open and eat them on the spot. I didn't, although I've done
my share at the Union Oyster House in Boston. At least the ones
served there have been processed and cleaned. It was a favorite dining
spot for some of my company's customers from other parts of the country
and I used to take them there for some wineing and dining.


I am not sure what processed and cleaned means. They just put them in
a bucket of water and knock the mud off from all I have seen.
Guys who like raw oysters usually eat them right out of the water.
It was never something I was interested in. Oysters and clams are bait
in my opinion and that was only intensified when I started doing water
sampling and understood what was in the water. Scallops are about the
only bivalve I eat and that is just the muscle.
Everyone else in my family ate them and the fresher the better. When I
was bringing them down from Maryland, they were right off the boat at
Schiebels.
This is one of those foods that would be made a lot safer with
radiation.

On Wed, 28 Oct 2015 10:28:43 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:


Varies, state to state but MA has very specific regulations on the post
harvesting handling of oysters and other shell fish that are intended
for distribution to restaurants, etc. Icing in a slurry that is
temperature controlled, rinsing, prevention of exposure to direct
sunlight, etc.

Much is due to close to shore ocean areas that have become contaminated
over the years.


Down here a lot of the inshore areas have been closed to shell fish
harvesting and I bet if the politicians were not involved there might
not be any oysters taken at all. The same is true in the Chesapeake.
At the end of the day you have to realize these are filter feeders and
they tend to concentrate any contaminant in the water. I don't eat
liver or kidneys either.
OTOH oysters are excellent for water quality, just because they do
filter out a lot of stuff we would rather not have there.

On Wed, 28 Oct 2015 09:47:44 -0400, John H.
wrote:

Soft shells are caught in traps just like the hard shell. They make great rockfish
bait. I'd put a quarter of a soft shell on a hook. Usually had pretty good luck. But,
using soft shells for bait is not cheap.
--

I guess you don't see peeler crabs up there anymore. They are as
attractive to the fish and stay on the hook better.
It is basically a blue crab in mid molt. You can crack it and pull out
the meat along with a very tough skin that holds it on the hook.
Rock fish were virtually endangered when I was up there but it was
excellent for hard heads and trout. You really did not need a lot of
bait, A little chunk would do fine. One crab might be 8 or 10 baits.

On Wed, 28 Oct 2015 11:51:08 -0400, wrote:

On Wed, 28 Oct 2015 09:47:44 -0400, John H.
wrote:

Soft shells are caught in traps just like the hard shell. They make great rockfish
bait. I'd put a quarter of a soft shell on a hook. Usually had pretty good luck. But,
using soft shells for bait is not cheap.
--

I guess you don't see peeler crabs up there anymore. They are as
attractive to the fish and stay on the hook better.
It is basically a blue crab in mid molt. You can crack it and pull out
the meat along with a very tough skin that holds it on the hook.
Rock fish were virtually endangered when I was up there but it was
excellent for hard heads and trout. You really did not need a lot of
bait, A little chunk would do fine. One crab might be 8 or 10 baits.

The rockfish have gotten more demanding.
--

Ban idiots, not guns!

On 10/28/2015 9:45 AM, John H. wrote:
On Wed, 28 Oct 2015 05:39:32 -0400, "Mr. Luddite" wrote:

On 10/28/2015 2:16 AM, wrote:
On Tue, 27 Oct 2015 20:31:55 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 10/27/2015 8:15 PM, wrote:
On Tue, 27 Oct 2015 16:32:33 -0700, Califbill billnews wrote:


Our Dungeness crabs have lots of meat, so worth banging. Couple times I
had soft shell crabs, did not impress me.

I picked one out down in the market in San Francisco once. It is OK
but not as much flavor as a real Chesapeake blue crab.
The crabs down here are not as good. It probably has to do with the
fact that then never hibernate. The best crabs are right before the
first molt of the early summer.

On soft shells, freshness is a big deal. Frozen ones will not be as
good. Usually they are lightly sauteed in butter with a tiny pinch of
old bay. Don't over cook them. On your coast they may have been
steamed before they were shipped.


During my last two years in the Navy, stationed in Annapolis, MD, we'd
go get chicken backs and necks, tie them to the lines of our fishing
poles, cast out, let the chicken sink to the bottom and pull up two or
three soft shells at a time. Problem was the sea gulls we attracted.


"Soft shells"?

That is unusual. I have netted up a few but usually they keep a pretty
low profile until the shell hardens because everyone eats soft crabs,
including other crabs.
You must have had a sweet spot where they go to hide,

I think the warm water here hardens them up pretty fast because none
of our local crab guys ever seems to get a soft shell in their traps.
I did show them how to spot a peeler because that is prime bait for
just about anything but they are here rare too.


I don't recall it being unusual back then (late 70's). My understanding
is that "soft shell" crabs are simply Blue Crabs that have shed their
shell and the new one hasn't hardened yet. We used to catch a lot of them.

One guy I knew then used to get oysters from a boat (near the shore),
crack them open and eat them on the spot. I didn't, although I've done
my share at the Union Oyster House in Boston. At least the ones
served there have been processed and cleaned. It was a favorite dining
spot for some of my company's customers from other parts of the country
and I used to take them there for some wineing and dining.


What processing and cleaning would be done. I used to get them by the bushel, open
them, and eat them. Maybe throw some on a grill to steam.
--

Ban idiots, not guns!


I imagine he's referring to the detoxification process that Maryland,
and sometimes other locations, need to do to make shellfish safe to eat.

On 10/28/2015 11:44 AM, wrote:
On Wed, 28 Oct 2015 10:28:43 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:


Varies, state to state but MA has very specific regulations on the post
harvesting handling of oysters and other shell fish that are intended
for distribution to restaurants, etc. Icing in a slurry that is
temperature controlled, rinsing, prevention of exposure to direct
sunlight, etc.

Much is due to close to shore ocean areas that have become contaminated
over the years.


Down here a lot of the inshore areas have been closed to shell fish
harvesting and I bet if the politicians were not involved there might
not be any oysters taken at all. The same is true in the Chesapeake.
At the end of the day you have to realize these are filter feeders and
they tend to concentrate any contaminant in the water. I don't eat
liver or kidneys either.
OTOH oysters are excellent for water quality, just because they do
filter out a lot of stuff we would rather not have there.



Contrary to popular belief, liver does not "store" toxins. It's role is
to neutralize them. Toxins that cannot be neutralized are passed on
and stored elsewhere (fatty tissue).

Like many, I used to despise liver and would gag when my mother tried to
disguise it as "steak". Now, I enjoy it. Don't eat it often but
when I do it's a treat.

I don't do lobsters anymore though.

On 10/28/15 11:51 AM, wrote:
On Wed, 28 Oct 2015 09:47:44 -0400, John H.
wrote:

Soft shells are caught in traps just like the hard shell. They make great rockfish
bait. I'd put a quarter of a soft shell on a hook. Usually had pretty good luck. But,
using soft shells for bait is not cheap.
--

I guess you don't see peeler crabs up there anymore. They are as
attractive to the fish and stay on the hook better.
It is basically a blue crab in mid molt. You can crack it and pull out
the meat along with a very tough skin that holds it on the hook.
Rock fish were virtually endangered when I was up there but it was
excellent for hard heads and trout. You really did not need a lot of
bait, A little chunk would do fine. One crab might be 8 or 10 baits.


You have to tie or rubber band a softshell on the hook for it to stay on
the hook. Live shrimp were always my favorite inshore bait in
Florida...all the fish seemed to like them, they were cheap, easy to put
on the hook, and if you did it right and were freelining, they'd swim
until someone gulped them down. They were a $1.25 a dozen when we lived
in Florida.