Falmouth's genuine working harbour, one of the world's deepest natural harbours, is a proper spot for crabbing — plenty of quayside to fish from and a real local tradition of doing exactly that.
The area around Custom House Quay and Prince of Wales Pier, near Chain Locker, gives good access to the harbour water below — a naturally busy, sociable spot where families do this regularly.
As with any Cornish harbour, a strip of bacon tied to string, lowered gently to the harbour bed, is the best bait — reliably better than shop-bought alternatives — and a simple net on a string beats a hooked crabbing line for actually landing your catch.
Lower slowly, let the bacon settle, and wait rather than jigging it around. Lift steadily once you feel resistance, with the net ready underneath for the final stretch as the crab nears the surface.
Bacon, string, a net, and a bucket — several shops around Falmouth's harbour front sell basic crabbing kits if you're without your own.
Mid-tide generally gives the best crabbing conditions — enough depth to keep the bait properly submerged without the harbour bed sitting too far below the quayside to reach comfortably. Falmouth's deep natural harbour means water levels stay workable across more of the tidal cycle than a shallower harbour would.
Keep your bucket in the shade, don't overcrowd it, and return every crab to the water within the hour. Handling them gently by the back of the shell rather than near the claws keeps both you and the crab comfortable.
The quayside crabbing spots sit within a couple of minutes of Chain Locker and several harbour-front cafés, making it genuinely easy to fold an hour of crabbing into a wider day rather than treating it as a separate expedition.
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