Crawfish trap?

I'd like to build a couple of crawfish traps to catch some craws for bait, anybody have a plan or know where I can get one that's not thousands of precise steps. Preferably something no more difficult to build than a chicken coupe...

As I was growing up we had a creek that passed through our property and I used to catch crawfish in a regular minnow trap.


https://www.basspro.com/Deluxe-Crawfish-Trap/product/44701/-958435?cmCat=CROSSSELL_THUMBNAIL

I was looking at that idea several months ago out of boredom. This guy has some great ideas.....or so it seems.

https://www.trapperarne.com/index.html

I have seen them made out of 2 liter soda bottles (and even made a few that worked OK) - the trick is to bury them so the funnel is level with the stream bottom

https://www.crawfishtraps.org/crawfish-trap/crawdad-outdoors-how-to-make-a-crawfish-trap-part-2-of-2

Old school memories from when the site was started!

https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=186&hilit=crayfish+traps

I always used the small square ones, place them under a bridge in a small creek. Best bait is a fish head, although small can of dog food or bacon or raw liver works well too

https://www.basspro.com/Frabill%C2%AE-Crawfish-Trap/product/37119/-901720

I have a square one and a round one like the one above and they both work great. I bought them at wally world a few years back for like $10 a pop. They're easy to duplicate with some square mesh rabbit wire.

Just make sure to check them frequently or they'll fill up with baby catfish and the catfish will have crawdaddy for dinner... #-o

Tie the bait in good in the center of the trap or they'll try to pull it through the holes from the outside

I'm going to have to try this. (once the water levels drop)...sounds like too much fun!

Found This Guy Making His Traps, Three-Part Video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLrvhWS575o

countryboy210 said:

Found This Guy Making His Traps, Three-Part Video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLrvhWS575o

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Thanks!

I'm going to try to catch and breed some crays...I had a bunch when I was a kid; with a fair deal of success - I've got a plan to breed them by the hundreds and release them into a particular pond with the hopes of making a positive impact on the bass population

I'm going to try to catch and breed some crays...I had a bunch when I was a kid; with a fair deal of success

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I'm intrigued by this statement. Please keep us posted on how this works. Sounds fascinating.

Jim said:

Old school memories from when the site was started!

https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=186&hilit=crayfish+traps

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So Ahab used to be nice?

fender66 said:

I'm going to try to catch and breed some crays...I had a bunch when I was a kid; with a fair deal of success

Click to expand...

I'm intrigued by this statement. Please keep us posted on how this works. Sounds fascinating.

Click to expand...

breeding crays isn't too difficult, you just need a fair amount of tank space...when I was a kid, I used a baby swimming pool...just have to make sure that amonia levels don't get too high and keep alkalinity around 7-8 and slightly calcified water. They breed like crazy in those conditions. If you're interested in breeding em, send me a PM, I can walk you through how to build a habitat and raise them. I think they're considerably more interesting than raising any other type of freshwater fish.

one100grand said:

fender66 said:

I'm going to try to catch and breed some crays...I had a bunch when I was a kid; with a fair deal of success

Click to expand...

I'm intrigued by this statement. Please keep us posted on how this works. Sounds fascinating.

Click to expand...

breeding crays isn't too difficult, you just need a fair amount of tank space...when I was a kid, I used a baby swimming pool...just have to make sure that amonia levels don't get too high and keep alkalinity around 7-8 and slightly calcified water. They breed like crazy in those conditions. If you're interested in breeding em, send me a PM, I can walk you through how to build a habitat and raise them. I think they're considerably more interesting than raising any other type of freshwater fish.

Click to expand...

Oh...I don't know that I want to actually do it, but I'd like to see how it's done nonetheless. Maybe something for down the road. Right now, my boa breeding takes up too much time already. But thanks for the offer.

bearsphan3.14 said:

Jim said:

Old school memories from when the site was started!

https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=186&hilit=crayfish+traps

Click to expand...

So Ahab used to be nice?

Click to expand...

Not sure if this will be effective in your neck of the woods, but we use these here in the bayou.



Set out a couple of dozen with fish head or some kind of bloody meat (beef melt (pancreas). Make sure to fashion a large safety pin out of coat hanger wire and secure the meat to the net otherwise it won't be there by the time you get back.

Trick to it is you need a 5 foot, or longer, stick with a small metal rod that you can slip into the loop and quickly lift it out of the water and dump it in a bucket.

fender66 said:

Oh...I don't know that I want to actually do it, but I'd like to see how it's done nonetheless. Maybe something for down the road. Right now, my boa breeding takes up too much time already. But thanks for the offer.

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I'll trade ya some craws for a boa...