Best Stone Crab Trap Bait for Warm Water in the Florida Keys

October 21, 2026

Baiting Stone Crab Trap with Pig's feet and chicken (the best bait) on the water

Season's open. Water's still warm.

That means bait rots fast and pinfish will strip a trap overnight if you let them. Here's what we run in our 5 traps in the Keys and why.

Pig Feet - The Long Soak King

Toughest bait you can buy. Skin and cartilage lasts 3-4 days even in 80 degree water. Scent is fatty and slow, keeps fishing when you can't pull every day. About $1 to $1.50/lb. Heavy, so it stays put in the bait bag.

Best for: your base bait if you pull every 2-3 days.

Chicken - Cheap and Easy

Thighs, leg quarters, necks. Usually under $1/lb. Good scent for the first day, gone in 1-2 days in warm water. Skin-on lasts longer.

Best for: adding fresh scent on top of pig feet, or if you pull daily.

Fish Carcasses - Strongest Scent, Shortest Life

Mullet, ladyfish, bonito heads. Bloody and oily, pulls crabs in fast. Pinfish will clean it in 12-24 hours in October. Free if you save your fillet carcasses.

Best for: overnight sets when you know you're pulling tomorrow.

What We Do

Pig feet in the bag as the anchor, 2 chicken legs in PVC tube with holes for scent. That's the combo from our trap video and it's perfect for October. Once water cools in December, you can lean more on chicken and fish because everything lasts longer.

Tip: Use a bait bag or I prefer a PVC tube with holes. Keeps crabs from dragging bait out and makes rebaiting on the dock 2x faster.

Quick Rules Check for 2026-27

This is a quick reference, not the full equipment and harvesting requirements. Check FWC's current recreational stone crab rules and measurement diagram before heading out.

State waters harvest season: Oct. 15 through May 1; closed May 2. Traps may be placed 10 days before opening, but may not be tended until the season opens.
Claws only: 2 7/8 inches minimum. Follow FWC's measurement diagram.
Daily bag limit: 1 gallon of claws per person or 2 gallons per vessel, whichever is less.
No harvest from egg-bearing crabs. Consider taking just one legal-size claw rather than both.
Traps: 5 per person maximum. Wood and plastic traps require an unobstructed 2 3/16-inch escape ring in a vertical exterior wall. Wire traps require at least three unobstructed 2 3/8-inch escape rings on a vertical side. Other trap requirements also apply.
Tags: Recreational fishers age 16 and older must complete no-cost trap registration through GoOutdoorsFlorida before using traps, including those normally exempt from needing a license. Each trap must have the owner's full name, address, and unique recreational trap registration number permanently attached and legible.