Best Time of Year For Crabs! (Baltimore: prices, move, population)

[B.K.]

I see that postings have gotten to be somewhat serious and tendentious here lately, so I thought I'd start one thread on a subject all true Baltimoreans can agree about: Crabs!
I know hard shells are traditionally enjoyed during the broiling summer months here in Charm City, but I've always found that early fall produces the tastiest and heaviest crabs of the season, late September to mid-October being the prime time for local Chesapeake crustaceans. The last couple of months before the crab population moves south to bury themselves in the mud for a long winter's nap finds them fattening up and filling their shells before hibernation resulting in the best time to feast upon them. Also, the summer demand is starting to slack off, so prices tend to come down somewhat.
I'm going to let the cat out of the bag and reveal my closely guarded secret: the wife and I are going to Gaffney's in Highlandtown tomorrow and pick up a couple dozen to go. My favorite crab place is about as East Baltimore as you can get: run by a family of local watermen who sell their day's catch straight from the boat to their tiny Mom 'n' Pop storefront carry-out on Highland Ave. They open when the crabs make it back from the dock to the store... could be three, four, five, six o'clock, whenever they get there. Crabs always heavy and large, with that inimitable flavor of the bay, and the price is right.
So, what's your go to spot for LOCAL crabs?

[rfp]

Originally Posted by B.K.

... The last couple of months before the crab population moves south ...

Only the females move south toward the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay to spawn.