How to Set Crab Traps
Crabs are one of the most popular kinds of shellfish. Crabs are usually trapped for resale by professional anglers. However, trapping crabs is not difficult and many people recreational crabbers catch crabs for direct consumption. Most crab traps are containers made from steel wire mesh. Crab traps simple to set and require little to no maintenance while in use.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Crab traps
- Crab trap weights
- Bait–chicken necks recommended
- Fishing line, light weight
- Cord, heavy duty
Instructions
-
-
1
Place the crab trap weights inside the trap. Weights help to keep the trap from turning over if fish knocks it around.
-
2
Bait the traps. Chicken necks are usually used for bait. “You may use fish parts for bait, but the bone in a chicken neck allows for secure attachment to the trap, and it holds up longer against the ripping and tearing as the crab feeds," according to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. Open the trap door and tie one end of a line around the bait and the other end to the bottom part of the crab trap. Make the line half the length of the trap.
-
-
3
Tie a cord from the trap to a surface structure. This can be a boat, a pier or an embankment as long as the cord is properly secured at both ends.
-
4
Lower the trap into the water. Make sure the cord is long enough to allow the trap to sit at the bottom of the body of water.
-
5
Place the crab traps as required by your state law. Many states have specific requirements dealing with the placement of crab traps. For example according to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, "It shall be unlawful to place, set, or use crab traps or crab pounds within 100 yards of any other crab trap or crab pound without respect to whether or not the other crab trap or pound is owned by the same or some other person."
-
6
Check the traps for crabs. Check every five to 10 minutes.
-
1
References
Resources
- Photo Credit crab image by Vaclav Janousek from Fotolia.com
