Three Types of Blue Crab Traps

Traps are commonly used to catch blue crabs. There are three main types of blue crab traps. These include the ring net, pyramid, and box traps. Each one has it's own advantages and disadvantages. This article will discuss the different types of blue crab traps.

Ring Net

One of the most simple blue crab traps is the ring net. They are also the least expensive. These blue crab traps consist of two rings, one larger than the other, connected by netting. These traps are baited and lowered to the bottom where they will lay down flat. When you pull the trap up, the top ring traps the crab in the netting. These blue crab traps have the advantage of simplicity, inexpensiveness, and ease of use. However, they will only work in water that is calm and has muddy or sandy bottoms. You will also have to lower these traps very slowly.

Pyramid

One of the next types of blue crab traps is the pyramid design. This trap is also known as a folding star and works similarly to the ring net variety. As these blue crab traps sit on the bottom, their sides will open up and swing down. When you pull the trap up, the doors will close and capture the crabs. Unlike ring nets, you can simply throw or swing these to their location. They also don't have to be used in calm water, as they are effective in strong currents. You can also use these blue crab traps on rocky bottoms or those covered with marine growth.

Box

One of the final types of blue crab traps is the box design. Box traps can have many different dimensions. One of the most popular box traps is the ten inch square box. These traps usually have four doors that open up as they hit the bottom of the water. Some traps will only have two doors. It's usually best to get as many doors as possible as some doors may fail to open when the blue crab traps hit the bottom. The reason why these traps are so popular is because you can catch twice as many crabs in the same space than you would be able to with larger traps.

These are the three main types of blue crab traps. The ring net is simple and inexpensive, but can only be used in calm waters. Pyramid traps can be used in stronger currents and rocky bottoms.