The Fiddlers Of The Marsh

Except for Sheepshead fishermen, the common fiddler crab is one of the most overlooked and under utilized baits in our area.

Fiddler crabs are a common sight in Central Florida marshes and they are "candy" to redfish, black drum, sheepshead, pompano, permit, and a variety of other inshore species.

Several varieties exist throughout the world but in Florida we have three subspecies that inhabit sandy and muddy areas in the marshes.

Sand fiddler (Uca pugilator)

The Sand fiddler (Uca pugilator) is pinkish purple with a bright patch of purple in the center of its carapace.

Their legs range from brown to orange, and they are prefer sandy substrates. Sand fiddlers are common along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts from Massachusetts to western Florida.

 The Mud fiddler (Uca pugnax) has a brown colored carapace

with the front of the shell and it's eye stalks colored a blue to turquoise.

Their legs are darkly banded and the large claw of the male is a yellowish white to orange in color. Mud fiddlers prefer a muddy marsh habitat free from mangrove or other heavy roots.

The Red jointed fiddler (Uca minax) is larger than the other two species and can be identified by the red color at the joints of the male's large claw.

They prefer low salt and freshwater marshes and usually stay away from tidal zone marsh areas.

All three species spend most of their time on land, breathe oxygen, have gills, and will drown if kept under water. They stay close to water to keep their gills moist and are usually found in colonies where they burrow into the substrate. Their burrows protect them from temperature extremes (below 60 degrees or above 90 degrees), predators, and serve as an underwater refuge during high tide periods.

Although fiddler crabs seldom grow over 1 1/2", they are a tasty snack for raccoon, frogs, toads, wading birds, and any fish that will eat a crab.

They are a great bait, easy to catch, and easier to keep.

Find a marsh flat where they congregate, dig a hold large enough to bury a 5 gallon bucket flush with the ground, and get a couple of 2X4s. Form the 2X4s into a "V" so the fiddler crabs can be funneled into the bucket and just herd the crabs into the bucket.

Some guys just cut the top out of a plastic laundry basket and just drop it over a group of fiddlers and pick them out into a container for bait. Both methods work well but if you're in a hurry, most bait shops keep a supply of them during the season.

When fishing them, you can keep them alive by using a small #1 or #1/0 hook and hooking them through their underside just inside of the middle two legs and bringing the point out of the upper shell. The point should barley exit the top of the shell to keep the crab on the hook.

When fishing for sheepshead, remove the large claw from male fiddlers. The sheepshead usually grab that claw off of the crab first resulting in a missed fish.

You can also hook them on stand up jig heads when trying to locate reds or black drum in the the marsh. For tailing redfish or drum, use a short shank #1 bait hook with a small split shot a couple of inches above the hook. In deeper water, some guys use a small crappie float above the bait and cast over or ahead of the fish to bring the bait to the fish.

 The best way to fish for tailing reds with fiddler crabs is to use light enough line to cast to the fish without any weight.

You can keep the fiddlers you don't use for future fishing trips by filling a wash tup or other suitable container with about 7 or 8 inches of beach sand and sprinkling enough water on the sand to keep it slightly moist. Too much water will make the sand "soupy" and kill the fiddlers.

Put the container in a shady area away from extremely hot or cold temperatures and sprinkle a handful of dry bread crumbs over the sand to feed them. The fiddler crabs will stay healthy and happy for a couple of months or so, as long as the sand is kept moist.

I decided to write about fiddler crabs when I was fishing with them in Mobile, Al. along a bridge going to Dauphin Island. A couple of fishermen were using them and nailing the sheepshead and black drum while everyone else was just dunking their baits.

I have used them in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on occasion when the water levels in the marsh are high and the redfish, drum, and sea trout invade the shallows to forage for shrimp, crabs, and small baitfish. Unfortunately, I get stuck on using artificials instead of live baits.

After watching the guys in Mobile tear up the fish using fiddler crabs, I plan to start using them more often in the "swamp".

Till next time,
Tight Lines.