Five gear types were fished simultaneously to determine their efficacy at capturing premolt blue crabs Callinectes sapidus of commercial size (≥ 75 mm carapace width). Peeler pots, crab fykes, bush lines, habitat pots, and baited hard-crab pots deployed at each of nine stations (3 stations/area) in the Ashley River, South Carolina, were fished four consecutive days weekly from 18 April through 16 November 1979. Premolt crabs captured per gear-day (one unit of gear with a 24-hour soak time) were analyzed by 6-week intervals and area for each gear type. Hardcrab pots averaged more than 2.5 early premolt crabs per day during April and May, and habitat pots captured fewer, but consistent, numbers (0.7/day) of late premolt crabs from 18 April through 17 August. Modest peeler-pot success during April-May (over 0.5/gear-day) was attributed to the peak abundance of pubertal-molt females occurring prior to 18 April. Tidal amplitude (mean, 1.5 m) and current velocity (over 1.8 km/hour) limited the usefulness of bush lines and crab fykes throughout the study. Premolt male crabs outnumbered females 2.5:1, 1.6:1, and 1.3:1 in the habitat pot, peeler pot, and hard-crab pot, respectively. Overall, premolt crab catch rates declined from 1.0/gear-day during April-May to 0.4 in June-July, to 0.1 during October-November. Except for hard-crab pot catches during the first 6-week period, catch rates did not differ significantly among upper, middle, and lower river areas. Knowledgeable crabbers fishing habitat pots, peeler pots, and hard-crab pots in the most productive areas and seasons should capture premolt crabs at rates adequate to supply a shedding facility. A viable soft-shell crab industry in South Carolina would have little effect on the current fishery for hard crabs.