BC Coast Pilot
Well-Known Member
Ya but the people that make the rules have never hauled a trap, only studied it
Bauer Prawn trap question
- Thread starter twogone
- Start date
Squire
Well-Known Member
Late to this party but I’ll offer my two bits anyway:
You can use what’s available to you if you don’t feel like spending a fortune on purpose-built trap weights.
I had access to used drill steels from a forestry road building contractor so I had them cut into 12”-15” lengths. The hole down the center fits the 5/16” sinking line perfectly. I fasten a segment to the bottom of the trap with galvanized wire through the hole then zap-strap it tightly in place. At first I only had one trap on a line and I spliced in a 30“ tag line about ten feet up from the end to thread through another segment. Now that I usually put two 18” Bauers on a string I made up some clip-on versions to give me more versatility.
They are just hard steel so I Tremclad them in flat black to keep the rust at bay. I have to touch them up after a couple of seasons. I know this is an obscure product for most but it has worked well for me.
I have never weighted my traps and always do well. I guess where I prawn does not have strong currents.
I do like the Bauer style traps though. The solid material seems to do better than my floppy old traps and I am not constantly repairing.
They stack nicely in my 17ft boat. Stackem high and wrap with bungies.
I do like the Bauer style traps though. The solid material seems to do better than my floppy old traps and I am not constantly repairing.
They stack nicely in my 17ft boat. Stackem high and wrap with bungies.
To reply to original question in this thread. Yes, the scent attracts them and they will find their way in looking for the bait. Only half fill your bait containers to allow room for pellets to expand and dissipate. Makes your bait work twice as well and you use half as much. Pellets take a bit to get working so adding cat food or some salmon scraps makes a big difference. That addition puts out a scent right away. On a short soak you may be tossing pellets that just started to work.
I weight my traps but have never used the big 8-15lb weight. Seems to me it would sink really fast and flip traps upside down as it pulls them down, anyone ever had trouble with this?
CIVANO
Well-Known Member
I prawn out of Port Angeles a few miles east in 300' of water and we have 20# in each trap because of the current. 30# total weight. I have had only 1 turn over when the tide was running and we did not pull it fast enough. Got it up and all the plastic coating on the wire on the top was gone. We do very well but our window is short most days
sly_karma
Crew Member
That weight on the bottom below the float is the most critical weight. It buffers out all the movement down the rope from wind, waves and current and leaves the traps sitting still. If your first trap catches less than the others, it's probably because it's moving around. Prawns will be reluctant to enter.
I like to have the boat moving forward gently as I set. Dropping straight down might cause that trap flip you're worried about. Bump it in and out of gear to maintain slight forward way and the traps and weights will spread nicely across the bottom. Do it moving upslope and you'll have traps fishing slightly different depths. Note carefully which produced, and set along that contour at best depth on the next set.
I like to have the boat moving forward gently as I set. Dropping straight down might cause that trap flip you're worried about. Bump it in and out of gear to maintain slight forward way and the traps and weights will spread nicely across the bottom. Do it moving upslope and you'll have traps fishing slightly different depths. Note carefully which produced, and set along that contour at best depth on the next set.
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I think I may have had some traps flip on my last outing, or they were robbed. I have been clipping a 5# weight about 10 ft up from my last trap. I wonder if giving the traps more time to settle by letting all the rope out and then putting an anchor weight on the rope with a carabiner so it will slide down to the bottom. My traps do already have a couple of pounds in them.
Mine worked well on Sunday with no weight. I drop mine while in motion. First goes over at 180ft and 20 ft later second is going over at 200ft. Then I make slow circle up current. The ball then slowly moves towards the traps as they sink. Maybe this helps them from flipping? 
