"Crabs run with the tide", so Jody and the crabbing crew head out early on Bodkin Creek to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. Even in midsummer the early morning rain and wind cause chilly conditions. Foul weather gear is essential. "If the crabs are running, you stay out as long as you can". Few provisions are on board a small boat; the crab traps, bait and basket leave little room for crew comforts.

Curt baits the collapsible crab traps with chicken necks. The traps are tied to a line with a float at the other end; these are dropped about every sixty feet in the water. When the trap hits bottom the four sides open to expose the bait. The crab enters the trap and begins ripping off small pieces of bait to feed.

How long to wait before checking the traps is always the question. On a nice day, if the kids are along and the crabbing is slow, everyone might go for a swim. Not this morning.

The boat moters slowly from one end of the line of floats to the other, as Curt checks the traps along the way. The line on each float is pulled up sharply to close the collapsible sides and trap the crab(s). Tension on the line is held until the trap is in the boat over the basket; then one side is allowed to drop open to deposit the crab. See female crab.