Bait shops with hermit crabs?
 

Anyone know who has hermit crabs close to RI/CT? Couple shops i called in CT don's have them. I'm ready to buy them at Petco if need be.

Never see them anymore. I used to slay blackfish out of Hyannis with hermits back in the early 80's :D I'm old :D

The hermits at petco are land crabs, I don't think they would work like hermits from the sea. Try taking a ride down to Galilee and talk to the lobstermen, they usually get them in their pots.

Not exactly true Mike...they have red leg, white leg.. and blue leg hermits.. all are from the Caribbean... all sold as part as a clean up crew for salt water fish tanks to unwary customers that don't realize their murderous nature... most are are too small for bait...

why not just green crabs? not being a smartass, just asking

if i stand correct a shop in LI had hermit crabs a while back and was charging a buck a piece if i remember correctly,can't imagine how many you would go thru in a couple of hours,last week i went thru 3/4 of a spackle bucket of greenies in a few hours

With togfest most likely getting blown out and com closed I may be having a fire sale next week on greenies :smash: :spin:
Joking

I'm with you Paul.....short of the spring time, that's my favorite Tog bait. For whatever reason, sea-worms seem to fare better in the very early spring (been told softer lips in the springtime find worms easier to swallow, guess it makes sense to the human mind anyway)
Been using Asian crabs mainly due to my partner in crime catching them himself, but hands-down, I prefer good ol' greenie!

Nothing beats the juices that ooze out of a freshly cut crab

They are like crack as far as I am concerned for Tog. The last 10 years I have been going on my buddies boat in East LIS. We do good every time, almost always getting the boat limit. The last 2 years he got a small amount of hermits and would pull them out when the bite died. It was pandemonium I tell ya. I tried to resist and stick with the green crabs when the others were using the hermits and I wasn't getting a sniff while they were slaying. I don't know how much of a difference they really make, maybe it was just a tide change or something but they worked.

They definitely work, sometimes too well. They can shut a good bite down for anyone using greenies or asians.