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How to Make Your Own Crab Traps
Making your own crab traps is not only possible, it is easy. Before you begin, however, check your local regulations to make sure homemade traps are allowed. Find out what you need to include on the trap and what kind of materials you can use. Some states have stricter regulations than others do for crabbing.
This crab trap is made of PVC pipe. It is inexpensive, lightweight, and easy to make. Here is what you need to have on hand:
List of Materials Needed
- ½ inch PVC pipe (how much will depend on how large you want the trap to be; you can get them in 8 foot and 10 foot lengths)
- ½ inch PVC three-way elbows for each corner; you will need 8 per trap
- PVC glue
- ¼ inch eyebolts that are 2 inches long, with nuts; 4 per trap
- Chicken wire
- 20 gauge galvanized wire (picture hanging wire works well)
- Poly rope (how many feet you will need depends on the depth you need to reach)
- 1 carabineer
- 1 small mesh laundry bag to hold the bait
- 6 inch heavy duty zip ties
- You will also need a drill and bits to make holes in the PVC, snips to cut the chicken wire, pliers, a saw, and a measuring tape.
Decide how large you want your trap to be. Measure out the PVC and cut it to make a 3-D rectangular box. Put the pieces together with the three-way elbows. Drill holes in the corners and along the sides for drainage.
Wrap two sides, the bottom, and the top with chicken wire. Secure the chicken wire to the PVC with the galvanized wire by twisting it to hold the chicken wire in place. Use as much as necessary.
Choose one side for the door. Cover this end with a square of chicken wire hinged to the PVC with zip ties. Once you have the bait loaded into the mesh bag, you will secure the bottom of the chicken wire door with another zip tie.
On the opposite end, make a funnel out of chicken wire. This will take a little practice at bending and shaping to form it just right. The entrance to the funnel will be secured at the bottom edge of the trap. The exit into the trap will open in the middle of the trap. Make the holes in the funnel large enough to admit your intended catch. Attach your funnel to the PVC frame with the galvanized wire.
Attach your eyebolts to the top of the trap, one per side. Take two equal lengths of poly rope and splice loops on each end inside the eyebolts. The remaining length of rope needs a loop splice that attaches to the carabiner. The carabiner will attach to the two pieces of rope you just attached to the eyebolts so you can easily lift up the crab trap.
To use the trap, put some bait inside the mesh laundry bag. Zip tie it to the bottom of your trap. Attach your rope and toss the trap in the water where you hope to catch crabs. Secure your rope to a buoy (a plastic jug works well). You may need a weight to help your trap fall to the bottom. A barbell works well.
