collecting and freezing peeler crab

[Guest]

Hi ppl , another bit of advice if you'd be so good:
Have found a spot where there are a few crabs .Plenty of discarded shells around and a reasonable number of soft-backs but I'm not finding many in or just before the peeling stage . Think I must be missing a trick .
I know that the male will hold the pre-peeling female right side up , the trick about snapping off the final section of rear leg , and to look for the beginning of split along the side of the shell . Wondering if there are any other indicators or conditions which may be relevant eg weather , phase of the moon etc .
With regard to freezing , would you do this when the shell is just popping or wait until it has come right off ? Do you kill the poor bugger first ? How about hooking up before you freeze so its all ready to go as soon as it comes out ?
BTW - I leave the soft-backs .
You never know - I may be able to contribute an answer rather than just questions one of these days .
many thanks
nick