Cromer crabs are praised for their quality and taste. Try your hand at catching some crabs yourself. It’s very easy and plenty of fun for the whole family. 

What you need

• A piece of string/fishing line
• A weight
• Bait (bacon is a good choice!)
• A bucket of seawater and seaweed to keep your caught crabs in.

How to crab

Take your string or line and tie the bait at the bottom. You should tie your weight slightly higher. Fill your bucket with water and add some seaweed, rocks, and shells. 

Find yourself a space to go crabbing. Lots of people go ‘gillying’, meaning they crab over the side of Cromer Pier. Once you’ve picked your spot, it’s time to crab! Lower your line into the seawater and wait for the telltale tug of a Cromer crab. Slowly reel your line in. If you go too fast your crab can fall off – disappointing for you, but also potentially harmful for the crab. 

Once you’ve got your crab out of the water, handle it from the back, out of reach of its pincers. Parents should assist their children in doing this. Put your crab in its temporary bucket-home. Make sure to refresh the water in the bucket every 15 minutes to keep your crabs happy and healthy. 

When you’ve finished crabbing, don’t just throw your crabs off the pier. They won’t like it one bit! Instead, take your bucket down to the beach and release your crabs a little way away from the water. You can watch them make their way back to the sea!

Some things to keep in mind

• Don’t put too many crabs in one bucket
• Keep your bucket out of the sun
• Don’t use hooks or any other harmful material

After returning your crabs to the sea, why not go for a delicious crab dinner in one of the many Cromer establishments?