Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Creating habitat Newbie Here

I have one very similar to that. Closed at one end and with a 4x4 inch "door" on the side. I made it hoping for crawdads out of the creek, but ended up with 30-40 chub after leaving it in a deep pool overnight. That time I just used some leftover store bought catfish bait. A time later, placed in shallower water, I used raw hamburger and caught about a dozen overnight. One thing I would like to change about the one I made is maybe making the closed end detachable so I could just dump my catch instead of shake them out the little door. I'll post a picture of mine when I get out to the farm to take a pic. And you're welcome to borrow it to see if it works before going through the trouble of making your own.

Thanks AP and Josh - AP this provides a good model...kinda looks like an standard minnow trap customized a little.

Josh, those creek chubs are worth their weight in gold - I have caught more MA LMB and CC on them night fishing on bobber rigs than any other bait.

That's what I've heard. That trap will certainly see its fair share of time in the water this summer.

Going back to my initial intention for this trap, I believe my mistake was closing off one end. The funnel I made ended up being larger than I intended and I ran out of room, so I just closed the other end. For that reason I think I ended up with all these chub and zero crayfish. This is probably for another thread I'm sure, but I was told the holes in my creek banks were crayfish by a biologist friend of mine. I've never seen a single crayfish and have yet to trap one so I'm skeptical.

Holes in clay creek banks does most likely indicate presence of crayfish - your creek is most likely loaded with them and they will naturally find their way into your pond since it's all of 50 ft away from the creek.

As for catching crayfish I have no experience with traps. When I was a kid we would hand line them with a piece of beef liver tied to the end and toss it in muddy pools, wait about 5 minutes and slowly pull up the line and scoop a net beneath and we did pretty well - but only one at a time. We never did anything but study the crayfish and return them to the creek - what I wouldn't do to have that kind of time on my hands now.

I know traps are available specifically designed for crayfish - but I have zero experience. I know my minnow traps caught a few from my main pond but I think the trap configuration wasn't right for crayfish.

I hope so! He was very confident that those were crayfish holes and I was hoping he was right. I just can't figure out how to catch them. My 10-year old swears he saw one last summer while wading in Grandpa's rubber boots.



I screwed up my trap. I should have made cones on both ends so the fish could swim through and the crayfish would fall to the bottom. I think that's where I went wrong. I got a buddy that professes to be pretty successful at trapping crayfish so I think I'll see if he's up to the challenge.



I will try, try again. What I wouldn't give to pull a trap out of that creek full of something I was hoping for.

Guy's using beef liver has worked very well for me too, it's my favorite bait for everything.
The single cone trap catches many crayfish also, when I put it into the stream I have the cone end facing downstream.
The flat end of the trap is hinged in the middle so half opens up so dumping what you've caught is easy to get out.

Ah, good deal. Each time I set mine in the creek I had the open end facing upstream. Does it matter which direction? Then I anchored it with a string tied to a tree on the bank.

Here's a picture I found of mine partially submerged in the shallows of our creek. I've only set it twice, this being the second time when I got about a dozen or so chub.

Omaha I don't Know if it makes alot of difference which way the cone faces but I was told that in flowing water put the cone facing down stream.
Another thing that might help is to put the trap next to some structure, mine always goes next to a log or big rock.

I think water flow plays a big part in successful trapping. The fish/crawdad can follow the bait scent from downstream, but if the cone is facing upstream they won't be able to find the entrance to the trap.

That's why you get paid the big bucks. I never would have thought about that.

I wish!! Another thought, if you were making a trap that will be used in a stream, what about making the opposite end from the opening a pointed non-mesh cone. That would make a bit of slack water directly behind it, and maybe help keep debris from building up on the upstream side of the trap. If you were to make it flat on the bottom, and angled to the top like this
/, with the water flowing in > direction, then the flow of the water would help keep it stuck to the bottom.

It's just a thought, I've never tried it.