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.