This article will provide you with a vivid idea about the best crab bait that you can use for your next crab fishing. Crab fishing can serve you as an excellent form of outdoor activity. Whether you are doing crab fishing for fun or for having a sea-food based dinner, you must understand the much-needed know how to use a crab trap. Otherwise, you would not be able to catch any crabs under normal conditions. A crab trap is an equipment that is used to catch crabs. It involves a simple contraption that has a bait inside it and you further lower it into the water to catch crabs. When a crab gets a whiff coming from the bait, it walks right into the trap. Once it gets caught you can easily pull the crab trap out of the water. You can go for fishing crabs by using a crab trap rope too, but if you are an amateur using a proper crab trap basket could be a better option for you. A crab trap basket requires a lesser amount of skills as compared to a fishing rod crab trap. Another benefit that you get from a crab trap is that you can leave it out for longer periods.
How to use a crab bait or trap?
Using a crab bait or trap is quite simple of you to follow these steps:
Buying the right material
Using a crab trap is very easy. The fishing process that is involved with crab fishing does not require strenuous human effort. The primary things that will be needed by you are a trap (you can also make one yourself), some bait, a line, a rope, a buoy, and a desire to catch as many crabs as possible. You must always choose a weighted line. A weighted line easily sinks in the water with the trap. If you intend to create your trap, you will be needing carb pot building materials that include a new crab pot, a crab trap line weight, a crabbing tackle, and a net. You can choose to make a crab net yourself. But it is quite difficult as many a time people get the size of the holes in the net wrong. It makes it harder to contain the crabs that get caught. Different companies manufacture effective crab traps and they are cheaper to buy as well.
Attaching the bait
Once you are done with buying the right materials, you can hang the bait inside the trap by using a rope. Certain traps come with a line attached but in other types of traps, you have to attach the line yourself. After this, you can easily attach the bait to the line. Amongst other baits, razor clams are a popular choice as they are eaten by crabs naturally, but you can also put fish in your trap. To attract more crabs, you should cut the bait into half so that it releases a strong smell. You also need to make sure that you tie the bait properly as strong currents might easily dislodge it.
Attaching the trap to the buoy
After your trap is ready, you can attach a long ripe to the top of your crab trap and then attach this setup to your buoy. You must always go for a brighter buoy, as it makes it easier for you to find it later.
Dropping the trap
After your trap gets ready, all you need is to take it to the sea and drop it to the seafloor. You should keep on checking the box every 30 minutes to see if you have caught any crab or not.
Different types of crab baits
Primarily there are three main types of crab traps. These include the pyramid crab trap, the ring crab trap, and the box crab trap. The common things in all of these traps are their frames and the net to catch the crabs. The shape of these traps is however different from each other.
The ring trap
A ring trap is made up of strong or wire mesh. In a ring trap, there are two rings and generally, the upper ring is bigger than the second ring in size. The second ring is having the covering of a net on it where the crabs get caught. It appears flat when it is lying on the ground, but as soon as it is picked up, the bottom drops down which traps the crab inside it.
The pyramid trap
The pyramid trap has certain features that resemble a ring trap but at the same time, it makes a pyramid shape on the seafloor. A pyramid trap tends to be more stable as compared to a ring trap. Made up of wire-like mesh, a pyramid trap contains four triangles and one square. At the ends of the triangles, strings are attached which join at a ring located above the trap. When a long string that is attached to the ring is pulled it causes the flaps to seal off the sides of the trap and the crabs get caught inside it.
The box trap
A box trap is rectangular and it requires the least amount of human efforts and involvement. It is made up of wire-like mesh and it has four open sides. In it, the strings are attached to flaps and all of them join at a ring that is present above the trap. A longer string is attached to the traps. When it is pulled it seals away the sides of the trap catching the crab inside it. You can leave the trap out overnight as box traps do not let the crabs escape from them easily.
There is also a kind of crab trap that is known as crab snare traps. It requires a knotted line that can be attached to a weight on the rope. While using a crab snare trap, you need to lower the knotted line to the ocean floor, and when you get a feel of the crab pulling the line, you can pull the trap up. The crab snare traps work well but they also involve human supervision.
How to set bait in a crab type?
When it comes to crabbing different types of baits are used. The baits include chicken, mink, fish carcass, clams, shad, herring, etc. You should make sure that your bait is secured inside the crab gear. You must go out for heavy-duty pots so that they don’t get damaged by larger sea creatures. You can also use baits that are not eaten by larger sea creatures like seals and walruses. You can choose to avoid areas where seals and walruses are not prevalent. After setting up the trap, you should place the bait in the middle. With it, you can lower the crab trap into the water and wait for any movement in the trap before you pull it back to the surface to have a check.
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If you are looking out for a fantastic crab fishing experience, you need to have certain products that make crab fishing easier and effective for you. Let us have a look at five of our topmost products, with their features and reviews.
1.Pro-Cure crab and shrimp attractant bait oil
Acting as a bait for the crabs, the Pro-cure crab and shrimp attractant bait oil is a thick oily emulsion that can be poured on when you are baiting for your traps. Before beginning, you should also marinate your bait for a few hours. This attractant bait oil is made up of a blend of ground-up salmon eggs, salmon egg oil, a splash of anise and some other oils to make this oil and crab and shrimp catching product.
Pros
- It is loaded up with amino acids to trigger fish to feed.
- It is enhanced with UV flash.
- It contains 100 percent real bait.
- This also works as a fish attractant product for attracting salmon or steelhead.
Cons
- Its stinky nature can have an impact on your clothes too.
2. Pro-Cure crab and shrimp attractant bait oil
This attractant bait oil is a uniquely made blend of salmon egg oil, potent fish oils, and amino acids. It is made using 100 percent real bait. This attractant bait oil having a super-concentrated formula is used by commercial crabbers to get a better experience while crabbing. Apart from crab and shrimps, it works on lobsters too. While using them you must shake its bottle well and you should marinate your bait overnight.
Pros
- It is enhanced with UV flash.
- It has amino acids in it that triggers fish to feed.
- Apart from crabs and shrimps, it can be used for catching lobsters too.
Cons
- It did not work for dungeon crabs.
- It did not work for bigger crabs.
3. Promar wire bait cage
The Promar wire bait cage is a 6.6-inch high crab trap. It is black and it comes with an easily accessible hinged door. It has got a heavy-duty wire mesh construction. This cage is vinyl coated and holds baits for traps, pots and hoop nets. The bait door in this case is reinforced with elastic tether and wire clip.
Pros
- The side door of the bait cage is open for the angler to add or remove the bait easily.
- The vinyl coating on this cage makes it highly durable.
- It has got an easily accessible hinged door.
- It is easier to install.
Cons
- This bait cage is not very heavy-duty in nature.
- It can be damaged by larger sea creatures like seals and sea lions.
4. Danielson bait cage
Danielson bait cage comes in the form of a small mesh bait cage. It keeps the bait secure in larger crab traps. In it, the bait stays securely in the traps which keep on attracting crabs resulting in catching more crabs in your trap. It has a heavy-duty rubber band door closure. Its tough vinyl coated steel wire construction gives it a longer life. It is capable enough to accept all commonly used baits.
Pros
- It has got a longer life due to its tough vinyl coated steel wire construction.
- Its bait jar makes it further easier to attract the crabs.
- These traps can be stacked easily one inside the other when not in use.
Cons
- This trap is not suitable for crab pots.
5. Portable folded fishing net
This portable folded fishing net is economical and simple in structure. It has six solid steel bar brackets. It makes the net strong enough to not let the crabs escape from it easily. It can be used effectively for catching crabs, fishes, lobsters, and craw-fish. While using it, you have to put some bait in the middle bait bag. Then you have to sink the net in the river and put it away when lots of fish swim above it.
Pros
- It can be easily used for catching crabs, fishes, lobsters, and craw-fish.
- It is portable and lighter in weight.
- Its large zipper design makes it easy to take out the prey.
- It works well for shrimps and crawdads too.
Cons
- The crabs might shred the net’s fabric
- The material used in this trap is not very sturdy.
Conclusion
Before purchasing a crab trap you must also consider certain other things that can influence your decisions. These may include knowing in advance the types of crabs you are going to catch, choosing a better design for the traps accordingly, and keeping in mind your budget. Factors such as the number of crabs that the trap can accommodate and the setup procedure for the crab traps are also relevant. From the list of products that we have mentioned, you can easily have an unforgettable experience of crab fishing. Crabs are an excellent source of proteins and other nutrients. Crabbing can be a fun activity that lets you connect with nature along with providing you with relaxation. This article would have surely guided you about the various crab traps and how you can use them for having a better experience while crab fishing. Let us know about this in the comments section. Thanks for reading.
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