It's Stone Crab Season: Best Places For Claws In Tampa Bay

TAMPA BAY, FL — With the opening of stone crab season in both state and federal waters last week, both recreational anglers and commercial fisherman are on the prowl for these tasty crustaceans.

The nice thing about the stone crab season is the ability to harvest only the claw and return the crab back to the ocean.

If you plan on doing some recreational harvesting, stone crab claws must be at least 2.75 inches in length when measured from the elbow to the tip of the lower immovable portion of the claw. View video on how to properly remove the claw.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission encourages harvesters to take only one claw, even if both claws are of legal size, so the released crab will be able to defend itself from predators.

A crab that is returned to the water with one claw intact will be able to obtain more food in a shorter amount of time and therefore regrow its other claw faster.

Claws can't be taken from egg-bearing stone crabs. And stone crabs can't be harvested with any device that can puncture, crush or injure a crab’s body such as spears and hooks.

Recreational harvesters can use dips, landing nets or traps to harvest stone crabs. There is a recreational daily bag limit of 1 gallon of claws per person or 2 gallons per vessel, whichever is less.

Anyone age 16 and older using traps are now required to complete an online, no-cost recreational stone crab trap registration and place their registration number on their traps before using them. To register, click here.

Recreational harvesters may use up to five stone crab traps per person. Traps that are not being fished should be removed from the water to avoid ghost fishing, a process in which marine species get caught in the trap for extended periods of time and are not harvested.

The season is open through May 15, 2020, closing May 16.

When it comes to dining on this Florida delicacy, there's no shortage of restaurants eager to serve up stone crab claws.

To celebrate the kickoff of stone crab season, this weekend two favorite stone crab eateries -- Cooters Restaurant & Bar and Frenchy's Original Cafe -- will host their annual stone crab festivals.

Frenchy's at 41 Baymont St., Clearwater Beach won the 2019 USA Today Reader's Choice award for Best Stone Crab in Florida.

Frenchy's 35th annual Stone Crab Weekend Block Party will take place Friday, Oct. 25 and Saturday, Oct. 26, featuring fresh-off-the-boat stone crab claws supplied by Frenchy's Stone Crab Co. at discounted prices along with a full slate of live music.

Cooters at 423 Poinsettia Ave. on Clearwater Beach will host its 26th annual four-day festival Oct. 24-27, featuring fresh Florida stone crab, king crab, snow crab and Dungeness crab at wholesale prices, live music on stage, and food and drink specials. Hours are 4 to 11 p.m. Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.

Other top Tampa Bay choices for stone crab claws in the USA Today Readers' Choice awards are:

• Oystercatchers at 2900 Bayport Drive, at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, Tampa.
• Get Hooked Grill at 14329 Crab Trap Court, Hudson.
• Bern's Steak House, 1208 S. Howard Ave., Tampa.

Also earning high marks for their fresh stone crab claws are:

• Billy’s Stone Crab, Seafood & More, 1 Collany Road, Tierra Verde.
• Olde Bay Cafe & Dunedin Fish Market, 51 Main St, Dunedin.
• Bon Appetit Restaurant, 148 Marina Plaza, Dunedin
• Pinchers, 28330 Paseo Drive, Suite 185, Wesley Chapel.
• Clear Sky Beachside Cafe, 490 Mandalay Ave., Clearwater Beach.
• Bob Heilman's Beachcomber Restaurant, 447 Mandalay Ave., Clearwater Beach.
• Hog Island Fish Camp, 900 Broadway, Dunedin.
• 400 Beach Seafood & Tap House, 400 Beach Drive N.E., St. Petersburg.
• Crab Shack Restaurant, 11400 Gandy Blvd., St. Petersburg.
• The Original Crabby Bill's, 401 Gulf Blvd., Indian Rocks Beach.
• Maritana Grille at the Don Cesar, 3400 Gulf Blvd., St. Pete Beach.
• Conch Republic Grill, 16699 Gulf Blvd., North Redington Beach.
• Mitchell's Fish Market, 204 Westshore Plaza, Tampa.
• Guppy's on the Beach Grill & Bar, 1701 Gulf Blvd., Indian Rocks Beach.
• Hurricane Seafood Restaurant, 809 Gulf Way, St. Pete Beach.
• Rumba Island Bar & Grill, 1800 Gulf to Bay Blvd., Clearwater, and 3687 Tampa Road, Oldsmar.
• Salt Rock Grill, 19325 Gulf Blvd., Indian Shores.
• Parkshore Grill, 300 Beach Drive N.E., St. Petersburg.