Prawn trap conundrum. Feedback much appreciated.

[RiverBoy]

So I have a Double Eagle 185 and it’s truly a great boat. however, with the twin sleeper configuration it has a minuscule dance floor, making prawn fishing very difficult. I usually run into desolation with eight traps and have difficulty trying to build and bait and set them in such a small confined area. I usually end up laying down my port sleeper seat as I need the room; which means I have to close the cuddy door, which means I have the floats stuck in the small aisle between sleepers, tripping over bales of rope etc. rolling thru the gear is obviously fine, but breaking it all down is actually way worse. Anyways, you get the point.

I am seriously thinking about going to square Bauer style traps. My thought process here is; because they are modular, they will stack like Lego. They will act like a table for the next one as well.after doing some measurements, I can easily stack them on themselves four high and hardly be over the height of the gunnel. and still have more room than what I’m currently dealing with.
Looking for any feed back pro or con.

Thanks!

 

[AndrewH]

Well with my experience after going from regular commie traps to the 24" Bauers is you need half as many Bauers to get the same prawn numbers..

 

[JWS]

I’ve had both square and round traps and my vote goes to round stackers. One stack of traps and rope tubs on top of that. With that said, I absolutely hate having traps in the boat and very much look forward to having a few tubs in the freezer so I can get the traps out of the boat

 

[Pearl dog]

ya. Any brand of traps in the little 17-18 footers is tight. I doubt you’d gain much over your current setup. I prefer the round stackers. I think they fish better and are easier to deal with. But the difference isn’t worth arguing about.

 

[chille51]

I use the Bauer 18's in a 17' Arima. I do pretty much what you describe in that I use the tops of them as a table top when I am baiting. For rope I use collapsible laundry baskets with some holes drilled in the bottom. Four traps and two baskets leave plenty of room to get in and out of the boat and to work. Once the traps are down, I collapse the laundry baskets and chuck them in the cuddy and I have an unencumbered dance floor again. https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0CKXZBWSJ?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

 

[EstevanPoint]

The Bauer 18s are fantastic. I’ve been very happy with them and they stack super neatly in the back of the boat. I only have 4 but I think if you had 8 it would still feel less crowded than 8 Ladner traps. You could have 4 in one corner and 4 in the other, floats and lines in the middle.

I really like the collapsible laundry basket idea. I think with the two of those combined you’d have a really good system that saves space and feels tidier.

 

[blueugl]

I have a 17 foot Calais boat I use 19inch square traps and keep my rope for 2 sets and a crab trap in a plastic garbage can with one float and stack the traps when I get to the spot I use the can as a table to bait traps set the traps dig out the second float and when done throw all the buckets in the can to clear the deck some till time to pick up traps

 

[SpringVelocity]

Small box traps. You dont need the 24's especially with the limits cut in half. I run them in my boat and they don't get in way at all.

 

[Fizzishin]

Box traps are a game changer, commie traps "stack" together but always getting tangled on each other, take up more of a footprint (and it's round). Commie traps way more maintenance and generally a pain in the stern to haul over the side of the boat.

18" square traps are the way to go for the reasons you listed. Stack 'em 4 high and use a few bungies to tie em all together.

In my exp, they catch way more prawns too, I think because of the rigid meshing. Commie traps with the netting has more room for error/scaring away the prawns.

Limits are 125 anyways so not like you need (or want) to catch 1000 prawns in 4 traps.

My 00.02$

 

[blueugl]

I made my own square traps out of galvanized rabbit cage bottom wire mesh with big bait container built in for support in the center 20 years ago I wraps thin rope around sharp pokey edges and they are smaller like 18 inch they fish good I like 2 hour soak no problem getting limits and they have held up perfectly they sell that stuff in 18 inch widths. Fun to make a rewarding.

 

[Olde School]

30+ year recreational prawner here, most of that time on small boats (16-18').
I've used this general trap style with much success all over the island. Not this exact trap - I use the ones made in Nanaimo. Also not this size as this is the kayak size. The ones with the small mesh and the big opening will catch crabs as well, so truly save space. They work 90% as well as the more recent square ones or the commercial round ones.

Jolly Good Kayak Trap

Compact, Lightweight Trap Designed for Kayak and Small Craft Use The Jolly Good Kayak Trap is the perfect solution for crabbers who want to fish from a kayak or small boat without compromising on performance. Built with a durable frame and foldable design, this trap is easy to transport, store...

www.harbourchandler.ca

When I first moved to bigger boats I was quite excited to move to commercial round traps but soon disappointed at the lack of a major increase in catch rates. Also, the bigger traps stress the pullers much more.
Pro tip - when storing them at home, the bungy cording lasts longer if you don't leave them collapsed (maybe that stretches the cords).
As to line storage, full size garbage cans work very well, and will nest, so the footprint isn't bad.

 

[RiverBoy]

30+ year recreational prawner here, most of that time on small boats (16-18').
I've used this general trap style with much success all over the island. Not this exact trap - I use the ones made in Nanaimo. Also not this size as this is the kayak size. The ones with the small mesh and the big opening will catch crabs as well, so truly save space. They work 90% as well as the more recent square ones or the commercial round ones.

Jolly Good Kayak Trap

Compact, Lightweight Trap Designed for Kayak and Small Craft Use The Jolly Good Kayak Trap is the perfect solution for crabbers who want to fish from a kayak or small boat without compromising on performance. Built with a durable frame and foldable design, this trap is easy to transport, store...

www.harbourchandler.ca

When I first moved to bigger boats I was quite excited to move to commercial round traps but soon disappointed at the lack of a major increase in catch rates. Also, the bigger traps stress the pullers much more.
Pro tip - when storing them at home, the bungy cording lasts longer if you don't leave them collapsed (maybe that stretches the cords).
As to line storage, full size garbage cans work very well, and will nest, so the footprint isn't bad.

Thank you very much. I’m really not interested in foldable traps. I’ve used them before with little to no success. Usually, after I dump all my gear, I then start jigging for lings or salmon. Having a garbage can on deck isn’t an option there’s literally no room for that on my boat. I’m trying to decide between 18 inch and 24 inch traps. I have heard that the 18 inch traps have changed slightly as the bait cup is no longer a permanent part of the structure. I guess they were actually restricting prawns from gaining access? In any event gentlemen, thank you for all your feedback. Please keep it coming.

 

[Olde School]

Another nice thing about the garbage cans is that the rim catches your line as it exits the puller, saving you hassle.

I've just had an idea and will be trying this soon: one of those X shaped folding bag stands (like the ones for can or leaf collecting) and some 55gal drum liners. The thick liners will be reusable many times over, and take almost no space when empty. Clear ones could have line lengths written on them. Stay tuned.