How to Make a Crab Net and Trap

Laying crab traps is a leisurely recreational activity, and it won't cost you much. The trap itself is made out of inexpensive crab net wire. Crabbing can be done from bridges, boats or by wading out into shallow water. Lay the trap on the sandy bottom with some chicken necks and backs laid as bait, and wait. You can make crabbing a family activity by building your own trap, traveling to your favorite beach vacation spot, laying the trap and enjoying the results.

Things You'll Need

  • 20 feet of 24-inch, 18-gauge crabpot wire with 1 1/2-inch mesh spacing
  • Wire cutter
  • 3-foot long 2-by-4 board
  • 2 feet of 24-inch-wide galvanized eelpot wire
  • Needle nose pliers
  • Hog ring fastener
  • 1/4-inch standard galvanized crapot staples
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Instructions

  1. Three-Piece Frame

    • 1

      Use wire cutters to cut a piece of crab wire 20 meshes in length. Count 20 hexagonal meshes from the edge, then cut through the middle of the 21st mesh across the width of the wire so you have 20 intact meshes. Lay the length of wire down flat on a work surface.

    • 2

      Count six meshes in from one edge of the wire. Lay a 2-by-4 board over the middle of the seventh mesh so six intact meshes are exposed. Bend the six-mesh end up to create a 90-degree angle. Do the same on the other side of the length to create a large "U" shape.

    • 3

      Perform Steps 1 and 2 on another length of wire to create an identical "U" shape.

    • 4

      Cut another piece of crab wire 11 meshes long (cutting through the middle of the 12th mesh). Trim both ends of the wire 1/2-mesh, leaving the ends with points known as pigtails. Lay the wire down, place the skinny end of a 2-by4 along the middle and fold both ends to make a V-shape with a flat bottom.

    • 5

      Turn the V-shape over and cut two slits along the flat bottom. Leave one full mesh at the edge, then cut the next three wires, which will leave a slit four hexagons long. Do this near both edges.

    Entrance Funnels

    • 6

      Cut a length of crab wire two meshes long. Turn the crab wire on a work table so the hexagons are vertical and the frame railings are on the left and right. The height of the wire should be three vertical hexagons tall.

    • 7

      Cut the wire so there are 12 hexagons on the bottom line, 11 in the middle and 10 at the top. The left side of the wire should be clean of any pigtails, but you want protruding pigtails up the right side.

    • 8

      Roll the wire over on itself to create a tapered funnel. Use pliers to wrap the pigtails of the right side around the smooth left edge. Push the cylinder into a gentle oval shape. Repeat Steps 1 through 3 to create four funnels.

    Eelpot Wire Bait Cylinder

    • 9

      Cut a piece of eelpot wire 25 meshes long. Cut the width of the wire in half, 12 mesh lengths.

    • 10

      Form the wire into a cylinder. The frame railing will be the bottom of the cylinder and the top will be crowned with freshly cut-open ended wires. Fasten the cylinder together using crabpot staples.

    • 11

      Squish the top of the bait cylinder together and fasten with crabpot staples. The bait cylinder will be a cone shape with the bottom being open ended.

    Assembling the Frame

    • 12

      Lay one U-shaped frame piece down on the worktable. Insert the V-shaped piece upside down into the U-shaped piece. The pigtail ties of the V-shaped parlor should point through the vertical walls of the U-shape approximately two meshes up. The pigtail ends should rest in the V-notch of the mesh.

    • 13

      Fasten the V-shaped parlor to the U-shaped frame. Use pliers to wrap the pigtail ends around the wire of the U-shape.

    • 14

      Cut one mesh out of the center of the bottom of the U-shaped frame. Slide the bottom of the bait cylinder over the cut-out mesh and fasten into place with crabpot staples. Fasten the top edges of the cylinder to the underside of the V-shaped parlor with crabpot staples.

    • 15

      Place the other U-shaped frame piece upside down over the top of the assembly to create a box. Use pliers to fasten pigtails all around the frame of the box. Use crabpot staples when pigtails are not available. Use crabpot staples to secure the edges of the V-shaped parlor to the upside-down U-shaped frame piece. Only fasten one of the edges on the top of the box.

    Installing Entrance Funnels

    • 16

      Turn the box so a wall with the bottom edge of the V-shaped parlor is facing you Cut a hole into the bottom center of the wall underneath the attachment point. The hole should be two meshes tall -- the top row should be three meshes wide and the bottom row two meshes wide. Cut the hole completely; do not leave any pigtails. Repeat on the opposite side.

    • 17

      Turn the box so an uncut wall faces you. Cut a hole into the center bottom two meshes tall. The bottom row is now three meshes wide and the top row is two meshes wide.

    • 18

      Insert the entrance funnels into the holes with the skinny end facing the inside of the box. The crabpot stapled seams should face the ground. Use crabpot staples to fasten the entrance funnels in place.