How to make crab traps from plastic bottles
You can call them crabs, crawdads or mud bugs; crawfish taste great. That’s reason enough to get out and catch some pavvies. You can just use your set of hands, a piece of raw fish head and a cheap trap. Many styles and sizes of traps are used to catch crabs. Making crab traps out of plastic bottles is a cheap, simple yet effective way to catch crabs. If you have a waterway or body of water near you, make a crab trap out of plastic bottles and see if you can catch some. Plastic bottles perform very well and are easy to store. You can try making your own trap from a two-liter soda bottle. You simply cut off the pouring end, put some bait in the bottle, and then screw the top end back into the bottle. Staple and you’re done. There are actually many different plastic bottle traps for catching crabs. But we will dwell on this in more detail later.
Where can you catch crabs?
You can catch crayfish in almost any lake, river, stream, creek or pond, urban or rural. For example, on a fairly weedy lake with a rocky shore, you can catch all your crayfish in the shallow water along the shore. Crabs like to hide in the rocks that line the shore. Crabs are most active at night, so you can set your trap in the evening and check for them in the morning. By placing the trap in the water in the evening, the bait will be most potent as this is when the crayfish are most active.
The general rule of thumb for crab fishing time is night time. Nighttime gives crabs a huge advantage in catching fish. A crayfish can catch and eat trout up to 6 inches long. They are skilled hunters even during the day; striking from above, pouncing like coyotes and stalking like cats.
Some places may be full of crawfish, while other places may have a lower population. Part of the fun of catching crabs is finding the spot with the largest population. Look for places that provide cover for crabs, such as roots, rocks, etc. these areas not only provide cover for them, but are also prone to algae, which is also food for crabs. Such areas also provide a good hiding place for crabs during hunting. The area provides cover from various predators and is also a feeding ground for the lobsters themselves.
The best places have lots of rocks; where rocks were used to strengthen the banks of a river or lake. They provide massive areas of deep coverage and have high crayfish populations. Thick grass is also great cover for crabs, but they tend to hold small numbers. Lakes that do not contain fish can host large numbers.
The crayfish population is growing at an alarming rate, posing a threat to game in rivers and lakes. So most countries encourage crab harvesting. Look for places that can provide cover for crabs, such as roots, rocks, etc.
Lures to use
Bait is very important as it makes a big difference whether you catch 2-3 pounds per catch or 15-20 pounds per catch. The type of water body also plays a factor. Some bodies of water have a large population of crayfish, so you will catch more with the right bait. Bait boxes are a must during prime crabbing time. Do not confuse a bait box with a bait jar as they are not the same thing. The bait box allows crabs to feed and send a broadband odor throughout the body of water for a longer period of time. Plus, bait boxes make it easier to freeze bait, which fits nicely in gallon freezer bags.
Fish heads, chicken carcasses and bacon are some of the baits you can use to catch crabs. A slightly unusual bait is a box of cat food with several holes punched in it. The cat food bait has an advantage over the others because the crawfish can’t actually get to it through the box, so it has to last all night. Using a bull; cutting them in half will attract a lot of crabs. You can freeze them to use later.
Crab baiting really comes down to personal experience as people use all sorts of weird and wonderful things as bait. But crabs are picky eaters, so baiting with something known to work would help. But choosing fresh bait is the key; preferably fish-based. Keep in mind when baiting your trap that crabs are big eaters. Therefore, in the best season, take more food for bait.
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But the fish is the most tempting bait
Although you have a variety of lures you can use, fish make the most enticing bait that surpasses all other lures. Usually, crab in most regions is bet with fish. Professional shepherd anglers can bait with salmon heads and other oily fish.
Things you will need
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A bottle of soda
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bait
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Razor or scalpel
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A thin rope
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Twist ties for a bread bag
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awl (optional)
Cut off the top of a soda bottle below the cap with a razor blade. Try to make the opening a few inches in diameter. When using the razor, be careful as the soda bottle is a bit slippery so the razor can easily slip through. Under the incision you just made; a few inches apart, cut the bottle again to make a funnel shape.
Holding the soda bottle, insert the funnel into it with the small part of the funnel inside the soda bottle and the wide opening of the funnel flush with the cut edge of the soda bottle. It should look like you pushed the top of the soda bottle inside it.
Punch several holes through the bottle and right through the funnel, about ΒΌ inch from the cut edge. Use an awl to make these holes if you have one. Or you can use a razor blade, but make sure you don’t make a slit pointing towards the cut edge – this can tear the plastic bottle and the hole will tear often. Cut horizontally if using a razor blade.
Cover the holes in the soda bottle and the funnel with a twist of the bread bag, making sure it holds the two pieces together. This will be the part to open and close when the bait is put in and when the lobster is taken out.
Take your bait, untwist the twist and place the bait inside, then close the trap back. Go to the source of your crabs; lake, river, pond, etc. and look for a shallow area, a few feet deep or less, that doesn’t experience much current. Think about where the crawfish will hide and place the trap there. Hide the crawfish trap in water weeds or rocks.
Tie a rope around the trap and place it in the water, making sure the inside of the bottle fills with water. The hole lets water through, which equalizes the pressure. But you still have to keep the bottle in the water until it’s full. After the trap is filled with water and placed at the bottom of the stream, tie the other end of the rope to something nearby to prevent the trap from being washed away.
You can leave the trap in the water for several hours or even overnight. It is advisable to leave it overnight as the crabs mostly come out in the evening and at night. Pull the trap up after the scheduled waiting time to see if you managed to catch any crabs. If not, move the trap to another location or try a different bait until you get the hang of it.
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