How to Build a Chicken Wire Crayfish Trap

Crayfish are small crustaceans often found in the southern United States.

A crayfish is a small crustacean that resembles a tiny lobster and usually inhabits streams, and rivers. In the United States they are often found in southern states and used in stews and soups. If you enjoy eating crayfish, then you can build your own trap with some chicken wire and zip ties. It's easy to put together and will cost you very little to build.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape
• Wire cutter
• Chicken wire
• Plastic zip ties
• 18-inch piece of wire
• 12-inch PVC pipe
• 6-foot lengths of rope (2)
• Bait

Instructions

1. Cut a section of chicken wire with a pair of wire cutters to a length of 50 inches and a width of 25 inches. Roll the wire into a cylinder, making sure that the ends overlap. The mouth should be about 1 inch in diameter, just big enough for the crayfish to enter. Tie three zip ties on each end of the chicken wire trap and three in the middle.

2. Cut a piece of chicken wire that fits over the mouth of one end of the cylinder. Tie this to the mouth with the zip ties.

3. Position the bait near the opposite end of the mouth of the funnel. You can use fish heads or small fish as bait for crayfish.

4. Take an 18-inch piece of wire and thread it through the PVC tube. Then attach the wire to the trap by bending it and threading it through the chicken wire so that it is connected.

5. Tie a piece of rope at one end of the PVC tube and tie another piece at the other end. Then tie the two ends of the rope together. This is how you will lift the trap out of the water.

6. Connect the ends of the long wire to the funnel. Tie the wire to securely put it in place. This will serve as the handle of the trap.

7. Immerse the trap in a river. The handle should be visible so that you can just pull it out when a crayfish is trapped. The crayfish will be attracted by the bait and walk in. However, once in, they will find that they are unable to turn around and are usually too dumb to realize that they can just back out.

References

• YouTube: How to Build a Crayfish Trap