Anyone tried "Protec" foldiing prawn/crab traps?

[Ian]

I was in Steveston marine today and saw some folding prawn/crab traps by Protec I believe, only $45 each. The praws traps where round and similar to the stackables.

I have a stanless round folder, not sure the maker, but it's a royal pain to put together and take apart. plans was to get some stackables and deal with the storage issues, then i saw these new ones and like the look, but don't know the durability or fishyness of them.

Anyone have any experience?

Very best,

Ian

 

[holdeem]

Hi Ian, I do a lot of prawning and like everything else it is finding the dam things that is hard. Once you find a good prawn bed use the square black dipped traps or make your own with the same black dipped mesh and find a place to put them on your way out to set them. I have used every kind of fold up pots including comercial stainless and they just don't work as good. Use a good pellet bait made for prawns. They put something in them that is better than fish parts. Don't prawn out the bed as it takes a long time for them to recover. Happy fishing.

 

[KoneZone]

I have to qualify myself by saying I have never been Prawning. I spent 5 days at the Boat Show in Vancouver and the Jolly Good Trap has really impressed me. http://www.jollygoodtrap.com/index.htm The owner is from your area and you can find the traps at Nikka in Richmond. Good luck and bring lots of Butter! Thanks, Mike / KoneZone.com

 

[SIR]

Just putting my two cents in on bait.

I buy commercial prawn pellets from the prawn plant across the bay from me so it's the same bait that the prawn boats use but I only use it when I don't have either salmon or tuna leftovers as I consistently catch double the amount of prawns with fish as with pellets.

Last year many of the commercial prawn boats in our area were topping of their pellet jars with a minced oily silver fish they were buying in bulk. I can't remeber the name of it...

I like the commercial stainless round traps for their weight. I found with two of the smaller 1x1/2 wire mesh traps and either a storm or strong tide they were prone to going walkabout. I also use the heaviest weight my puller can handle just in front of my first trap in the line to stop the trap from jiggleing from the bouy movement. I could never figure out why I always caught less in the first trap than the second until a nieghbour clues me in that the second little line wieght I had been using was not uo to the job.

The Other Ian

 

[Pippen]

I love this forum!

For me.....I am big believer in the round traps. Don't ask me why....just superstitious I guess. We have thrown down round and square crab traps in the same area at the same time and the rounds out do the square guys by about 10-1. It has become a bit of a joke amongst friends if we lose a trap and someone is going to purchase a new one.

As for prawn traps....storage can play a factor. When we head up cruising to Desolation and points northwards we take folding traps for both and the ones I have purchased I don't find too bad to put up and down. There is space down below or in the zodiac to leave them up if you get too lazy. Those recatangular traps don't look too bad in the link provided, but I would STRONGLY recommend against the rectangular traps that come apart with clips and kind of open up and fold right around on to themselves. They get compact but they are flimsy pieces of sh*t. Plus....if an octopus decides he wants to get in there....it is pretty darn easy for him and your trap will be destroyed. (mind you if he does want to get into a round he will get in there too, but the damage to the trap is not as bad. If we are just running out to drop traps and that is it....we use round stackables.

As to your question about durability of collapsable rounds....I have never had issues with them not holding up. I think I may even have one of the ones to which you are referring and have used it for about a year and half.

As for bait....as mentioned, good commercial pellets are great and if you are anywhere near a fish processing plant, stop and get some of the oil from the plant. My buddy always picks it up and although it stinks to all hell (especially if hungover and putting traps out early) it works VERY well.

As another quick note.......Army Surplus downtown has some good traps and last summer they were a pretty good price.

Pipps

 

[Ian]

Thanks for all the replies, the bait stuff is a real bonus! First I've heard/read of using fish as part of the bait, makes sense though after all that's what's in the catfood!

Guessing I'll buy one and give it a try and see, only way to know for sure at the end of the day..

Very best,

Ian