The Inn at Corolla Light [Corolla, NC]

Even crabs look glorious when back lit by the sunset

We continued our crabbing trip by staying at the Inn at Corolla Light. The boutique hotel is a bit run down, but the pier in the back has excellent sunsets. More importantly, there are plenty of crabs and a gas grill you can use to cook them afterwards! While I wouldn't pay what we paid again for our room, I must admit, it was worth it! Lots of tall bay grass in the water near by where the crabs like to hang out. This was also the first time we used a collapsible trap from Promar.

 Ratings: (1-5 High)

• Opportunity: 3 - Lots of crabs, but only few that are legal.
• Location: 5 - A clean,well kept private pier. Easily accessible with plenty of parking. 
• Value: 2 - Paid an arm & a leg to stay there, but worth it for accessibility to many activities.

Gear Used:

• 1 x Promar Collapsible Trap
• 1 x 50 feet lengths of braided nylon 1/4 inch rope
• 2 x Raw Chicken Legs

While the trap was easy to set up, I don't think it's going to stand the test of time. The nylon netting doesn't seem that robust, but it does the job. I would highly recommend getting a rock or a piece of re-bar to weigh the trap down. 

Time/Tide:

• We placed the trap all morning and afternoon. We also left the traps overnight twice.
• High Tide was 1:05pm, Low Tide at 7:12pm

Where to Go:

Zoomed Out [Credit to Google Maps]

1066 Ocean Trail Corolla, NC 27927 (252) 453-3340

Detailed View [Credit to Google Maps]

1. Favorite spots where we laid our trap. Close to the tall bay water grass where eels and crabs like to hang around. At low tide you can even see down into the bottom.  
2. This is where we laid out our trap the first night. Caught a few crabs overnight.
3. Great hammock seats while you wait for the crabs to bite! 

The owners of the inn set out a few traps along the pier, so if you see the big crab pots with parachute cord, that's theirs.

Crabs Caught:

We probably caught about two dozen small crabs measuring under 5 inches, and just two crabs that were legal.

First Crab ever caught! 

This was the hammock chair, and it's surprisingly comfy!

A bit difficult to get them out of the netting especially when they pinch on

This photo does no justice to the sunset hours

Whalehead Club [Corolla, North Carolina]

First Legal 5 inch catch!

Our crabbing journey began on the fourth of July in the OBX (Outer Banks, North Carolina). We stayed at the Inn at Corolla Light. I couldn't recommend more the Whalehead Club. This is a free public park with ample parking. You'll see a lot of recreational crabbing going on over there, where families are using throw lines along the pier with a few kayakers taking their buoy traps farther out into the bay. The grounds are very well kept and makes for a great first time crabbing experience!

Ratings: (1-5 High)

• Opportunity: 3 - Lots of crabs, just a few keepers though. Many spots to try crabbing from.
• Location: 5 - A clean,well kept public park. Easily accessible with plenty of parking. 
• Value: 5 - It's a free public area. 

Gear Used:

• 2 x Two-Ring Wire Crab Net (18-Inch) 
• 2 x 50 feet lengths of braided nylon 1/4 inch rope
• 4 x Raw Chicken Legs
• 4 x Zip Ties

Time/Tide:

• We crabbed for about 3 hours in the middle of the afternoon. 
• High Tide was 1:05pm, Low Tide at 7:12pm

Where to Go:

We came in from 158 to Kitty Hawk and headed north of there for about 40 minutes. The road is one lane each way. Beware of traffic on Saturdays-- it's move-in/move-out day for the weekly rentals. Plenty of parking around the Whalehead club. It's worth noting that there is a very nice air-conditioned, visitor center with clean bathrooms by the bridge where you can wash your hands after you've been handling raw chicken.

Zoomed Out - Thanks to Google Maps

Whalehead Club is at: 1100 Club Road, Rt. 12 N, Corolla, NC 27927. (252) 453-9040

Detailed - Thanks to Google Maps

1. Favorite spot to crab. It was shallow enough to where you could see the crabs swimming towards your trap before you pull it up. Good shade, with plenty of seating as you take a break. 
2. Right by the prominent wood bridge. This is where we caught the most crabs, but they were too small to keep
3. Tried crabbing here for a bit, but too much seaweed/kelp around the pier. Several people had luck at the end of the pier catching crabs with throw lines.
4. We didn't make it out to this part, since the walk would've taken a bit. The water level seemed too shallow at the time.

Crabs Caught:

We probably caught about ten (10) small crabs measuring under 4 inches, and just one 5 inch male crab. Lots of people are crabbing here so it was a bit harder to catch the bigger ones. Nonetheless, it was a lot of fun.

Photos:

Crabbing by the pier

Fancy Wooden Bridge

Pulled two baby crabs gnawing on a drumstick

The Whalehead Club House. Note: this is not the visitor center.