Not for us, but what it does do is keep the non stainless weight ring and with some, bars on the bottom of the commercial trap from being eaten away by electrolysis, especially when the rubber wrap on it is warn away which is often the case with old used traps obtained from the commies. With a zinc that ring is gray, but without it, it is rust colored and pitted. You would be surprised how fast that ring can get worn away, of course some may like that to a degree, as it makes the trap lighter and easier to handle.Do you think adding zincs increases your catch?
They do for commercial SS traps. Most commercial traps have them. When the vinyl coating wears off the cheaper traps there can be some galvanic reaction that can put off crabs. Plus they add weight and increase the life of your traps.Do you think adding zincs increases your catch?
I crush it with the cheap square ones. No weight but I only crab in 40 or less feet in protected bays.
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Those would be great. I find the vinyl ones tend to rust on deck once they get olderI've got 2 of these, stainless, they were made by a guy whos name I cant remember in lower mainland, I bought a few of 1st ones he made, he use to set up a booth at the Vancouver boat show even used my pictures to advertise lol, but not sure hes even making them anymore.
What is your go to bait for your longer soaks? ThanksIt is not just the trap, it is knowing your area well, and getting use to the spots and depths that are good and may change with crab migration etc. and most important of all for us, making it work in an area that gets hammered by massive amounts of commie trap strings. In a spot they have just left most of what you will catch is under size males. As we got more and more dialed in we found we would fish less traps as we did not need 3 or 4 to get our limit and then some. We also use to bait up all the traps on the way out in the morning. Now we usually only pull onetrap when we come in and I think we do just fine with only one trap pulled. The commercial trap we use is about the smallest of the ones available and is only a two door but is very heavy. We are in a good spot now and don't move much even if the commies are working it hard because how many crabs can you eat. I get sick of eating them part way through the summer and fish them less although the crew is happy when we limit out which happens often enough.
Here is a pictures of our trap with a decent catch. We usually pull it every 2 or 3 days so many of them are legal males as the females and many of the under size have had time to escape out the size restricted escape rings.
Most of the time it is fish heads and frames, usually salmon but whatever we have. Sometimes there has been the head and frame off of a larger halibut. Sometimes we will even throw in salmon guts which has a huge amount of scent but do not last long. If we have no fish bait, say at the beginning of the season, it is chicken legs and backs. The smaller stuff goes in the bags or bait holders and the bigger salmon or halibut heads and frames just get thrown in the trap in addition to the smaller stuff in the holders and bags. The more bait the better as it is not just the crabs but all the tiny shrimp that will eat it up quickly.What is your go to bait for your longer soaks? Thanks
I have used the round commercial traps but by the time you get a full load of crabsI like the heavier gauge vinyl coated square traps. They catch well when you tune them up with weights and zincs. They are lightweight and easy to handle. They are relatively cheap and less prone to being stolen as the stainless steel or commercial ones. My 2 cents.
Thanks for the reply. I use the same stuff but don’t have the luxury of leaving traps out in a good spot. Spots are key. I also have to watch the thieves here. Setting in certain spots result in traps gone and my ex commercial ones don’t just drift off.Most of the time it is fish heads and frames, usually salmon but whatever we have. Sometimes there has been the head and frame off of a larger halibut. Sometimes we will even throw in salmon guts which has a huge amount of scent but do not last long. If we have no fish bait, say at the beginning of the season, it is chicken legs and backs. The smaller stuff goes in the bags or bait holders and the bigger salmon or halibut heads and frames just get thrown in the trap in addition to the smaller stuff in the holders and bags. The more bait the better as it is not just the crabs but all the tiny shrimp that will eat it up quickly.
How have peoples experience with the jolly good traps been? I have a couple, just haven't used them yet.
They fish fine and folding is a plus but I found it really hard to get crabs out out due to the netting as apposed to wire. Their claws seem to get stuck in the mesh and don't releaseHow have peoples experience with the jolly good traps been? I have a couple, just haven't used them yet.