Cusk Trap Ideas

[newfound]

You can use a bigger hook than #2/0
My cousin jigged up a 3lb cusk this past weekend on the biggest bucktail you could find. (huge hook)
I asked him if he was fishing for Tuna or Sharks.  
Then he reeled in the cusk, then a few lakers, and lost a large laker at the hole.

[quantumreel]

ok so a 2/0 or bigger like a 4/0 with sucker meat. how dpo u get sucker meat and how much do u use per hook.

[newfound]

Enough sucker to cover the hook and leave the skin/scales on one side.

[quantumreel]

so for like 6traps ill need a pound. is there any better type of bait

[newfound]

Others will have more experience than I on bait.
But I do keep a crayfish trap under my dock for open water fishing.
I load up with chicken liver/etc.
I trap way more baby cusk in that thing than crayfish.
I would think sucker is what most would use and is probably best, but any ol' stinky meat will do.

[quantumreel]

ive used small shrimp for catfish bait thats warm and old. will that work

[newfound]

Me personally, I'd shy away from shrimp as CUSK trap bait, cuz Rainbows like shrimp..  You'd have to release it if caught on a cusk line and possible injure the fish.
If me, I'd stick to sucker meat.

[quantumreel]

ok where do u get sucker meat. btw do bows really like shrimp

[newfound]

Sorry we hi-jacked your post DD.

Rainbows love crayfish.  Crayfish and Shrimp are very similar, so yes, rainbow love shrimp.  Langostino even better. 
Any bait shop will have live suckers.

[quantumreel]

what do u do with the sucker. i saw some that were like 8inches at the nait shop for 7bucks. how do u get meat and where do u cut the sucker

[newfound]

an 8" sucker shouldn't cost $7 
If it does, find another bait shop.
Cutting 1x2 or 1x3" strips  The chunk of meat I cut for my cousin was even larger.

[Wild Turk]

I wonder how well the flag would pop up on these cusk rigs shown. Seems as though the ice in the hole would be 1" thick after a couple of hours and before the cusk took the bait it would freeze the line and your flag would be down still.

Improvise the idea with a cusk board and at -10 below you can still put your boot through the hole in the morning rather then choping out your line with a normal cusk line that will develope about 3" of ice overnight with no cover. I think most can relate to chiseling out cusk lines on a below zero morning=be careful you might hit your line.

My Cusk board idea i came up with about 25 years ago.

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[perch boy]

what iis wrong with taking your old tip-ups as cusk lines. what you do is take a screw thru the spool, making it unable to be free spooling. place your name on them and you are ready to go. 50,100 even 200 feet what ever depth you want. the line stays in the middle of your hole and the flag marks your hole. when your done just fold them up and you done. just so long as your fellow fisherman doesn't steal them.

[duck doctor]

what iis wrong with taking your old tip-ups as cusk lines. what you do is take a screw thru the spool, making it unable to be free spooling.

Don't have to put a screw threw it. Just throw a half hitch on the spool with your line.

[quantumreel]

all u really gotta do is take stick and wrap tons of line and your setup and your good