TJ, my traps are made like the little minnow traps you see in the store except bigger. I used 3ft. high plastic fencing with 1/4 inch mesh. The trap cylinder is 3ft. long and 1ft. in diameter. you can use wire or zip ties to hold it together. One end is covered with mesh and half of that is fashioned into a door with mini bungees holding it closed. A large funnel is made out of mesh and attached into the other end. The plastic mesh is very buoyant so attach a piece of metal pipe or stock to the bottom.
For bait I mainly use beef liver, but I'm sure there are many other good baits.
The traps are usually placed near some structure like submerged tree branches.
There's nothing fancy about these traps and there are probably better more efficient designs out there.
