New Bait Trap

[blacktrap]

My version of homemade traps.

They work well and are easy to make. 

[TheOutdoorsman]

what do u research? how big the openings have to be for  legal trout to fit in?? haha

This was for one of my past technician jobs...it was for research on brook trout and LLS movements for specific lakes in the Adirondacks. 

A 6-7" hole captured some pretty big salmon.

[shortpole]

Blacktrap - nice job!  That's just what I had in mind when I started on this one.  Can I ask how wide are your openings and how big a bait do you catch with yours?  I see you have a door over just one lobe, similar to mine, any regrets?  I'm thinking that must work slick.  Again, nice work.

jp - I didn't realize you had made your new traps.  How many did you make?  You must be cleaning up with those babies! 

[blacktrap]

I cut out 3 rows from the 1/4 hardware cloth for the width.  We catch some huge shiners in them without any problems.  The door at one end works fine.  You dump all the bait to that end and then out of the trap.

[Wolley]

Excellent looking fabrication. Comparing yours to the others people have posted, you have the openings alot closer to the center area with the bait. Hopefully they dont eat for free without being completely in the trap.

[blacktrap]

They cant really eat for free.  The dog food goes into the center cylinder area that has its own door in the bottom of the trap.  It has a baffle at each end to keep the dog food in the middle of the trap.

[shortpole]

Pulled the new trap for the first time yesterday.  The pond I trap had a 3' square section of dock frozen in the ice that made for an easy hole but it wasn't the best location.  The pond is man-made, 12 to 15' deep and steeply sloped.  My hole is over 4' of water on one side of the hole and 6' on the other.  I would have liked to drop it on the relatively flat bottom but, as I like to say, 'I may be slow but I'm lazy' so I took the easy route.  After a 30 hr soak this was the result:

 

Official count was 192 and 4.5" was the biggest.  Pickeling half of them now for crappie bait and for fishing dead bait ponds.  

Two mods to be effected.  First I'm going to spread my entrances slightly to allow bigger bait in, and then I want to create a "funnel" effect in the lobe with the door.  When I pulled the trap I set it on it's side and all the bait dropped right to the bottom.  Rotated it 90 degrees and just like that all the bait is in the lobe with the door.  But when I opened the door only 95% of the bait dropped out.  The rest was left on the flat surface around the opening so I had to rock the trap side to side a few times to get it all.  I'm going to add 'slopes' on all 4 sides around the opening to funnel the bait out and into my bucket.  Probably going to be a while before I get this accomplished.  Remember, it took a year to get to this point!

On the next pull my plan is to stand back and let one of my nephews do the work while I video to post it here under a new thread.


  

[mainedukblaster]

make sure you put a bunch on pine boughs around that huge hole!

[EASTGRANDEST]

NICE HAUL!!

[shortpole]

make sure you put a bunch on pine boughs around that huge hole!

Got it roped off w/yellow nylon rope.  If I was worried about trap thieves I would forego the rope and sprinkle snow over the hole!

[rockhound57]

Got it roped off w/yellow nylon rope.  If I was worried about trap thieves I would forego the rope and sprinkle snow over the hole!

 

[TinyTim]

On the next pull my plan is to stand back and let one of my nephews do the work while I video to post it here under a new thread.

So I can move it to this one? You trying to create work for me? 

[shortpole]

So I can move it to this one? You trying to create work for me? 

Hey Tiny, good to hear from you.  Glad to read you and Danny had a good Christmas.  OK, I'll try not to create work for you. 
Are you and any others planning to come up this way crappie fishing with jp again?  I learned alot from you guys.  I worry about Matthew outfishing me but maybe he'll be in school.
Good luck this season.
Paul
 

[TinyTim]

I'm sure I'll get up there a time or 2 this year. This snow isn't gonna help me any with no mode of transportation.