Prawning traps and rope question.

[Mike_W]

Looking to get setup for prawns and it looks like the best trap is the Bauer square rigid traps. Curious if there is much benefit with going with the 24" traps vs. the 18"?
I also see the harbour chandler sells a brand called Spot-on which is a similar design but a bit less expensive however I am not sure if the ramp for the entrance starts right at the bottom of the trap like the Bauer. Any insight?
Next question is rope, I was thinking just get 400' of lead line but I see some guys run 250' poly and splice a 150' top shot of lead line, is there a benefit to this other than cost?

Thanks for the help,
Mike

 

[RiverBoy]

Bauers fish like crazy but their drawback is they are rigid and therefore you need heaps of room. they also keep all the smalls. like, nothing gets out. actually gets annoying tossing prawns so small and then wondering if they are actually surviving. make sure you add weights. not sure about that brand but they are probably offshore and infused with the corona so there’s that...
kidding

you don’t need to have full lead line. my sets are all 450’ with 100’ of lead line st the top. some guys run even more

 

[jim morrow]

You could look at a new trap with 6 openings. think Steveston Hardware has them. Bauer is a very good design.
Transporting traps on trips usually means deployment first and pick up last.
I found the 18 inch fit into my boat.
A continuous rope of 400' would work a lot of places. No added weight to go thru the pulley means a quick retrieval.
Then you could add more polyester or nylon when going deeper, stronger currents.
Howe Sound has a lot of spots 300' or less...
Gabriola Island the spot is 350'
So a length of 600' would be best for a lot of spots. May have to buy a coil 1600' long, to make your own.
store the ropes in laundry baskets, stack on each other, all floats into upper basket.

 

[Slabbedout]

I swear by the Bauer’s, they hold the prawns in better on long soaks ( overnight ) like has been said though they do not let the smalls out like some of the traps with larger mesh. They also take up more space than stacking ring traps. If you decide to go with the box style BAUER is the only ones I would touch. There is quite a few knock offs of the Bauer’s made with lesser quality materials and poor design. Also I would stay away from used commercial traps, they sell them for a reason !

 

[CBsqrd]

Next question is rope, I was thinking just get 400' of lead line but I see some guys run 250' poly and splice a 150' top shot of lead line, is there a benefit to this other than cost?

One benefit of having floating line first is that it sits up off the bottom and less likely to get hung up when you are pulling your traps. Splicing in the lead line is pretty straightforward, or you can purchase pre-made prawning line with the floating / lead line already spliced together - PNT carries it.

 

[SpringVelocity]

I call all square traps sold in stores the Crofton knock off LOLOL. Because that is where they originated from. Sorry design was there long before Bauer made them.

FYI I run floating line on mine with clip weights.

I make mine it's way cheaper. Hog rings and Aqua mesh material. If you want info how to run traps etc. go see the guys in Nanaimo at Aqua Pacific. They have all materials/ropes etc.

https://www.aquapacificwire.com/

 

[ChilliSpoons]

I call all square traps sold in stores the Crofton knock off LOLOL. Because that is where they originated from. Sorry design was there long before Bauer made them.

FYI I run floating line on mine with clip weights.

I make mine it's way cheaper. Hog rings and Aqua mesh material. If you want info how to run traps etc. go see the guys in Nanaimo at Aqua Pacific. They have all materials/ropes etc.

https://www.aquapacificwire.com/

Do you have any pics of your home made traps?

 

[Tlellami]

I fish Bauer's, but their bulk can be problematic. I've recently got a new boat that is to big for the back yard and thus is at a Marina. Transporting 4 Bauer's in my vehicle is not possible so I'm left fishing fewer traps or first picking up the boat and bringing it home so I can load my traps into it. I'm considering replacing with stackable traps specifically to get around this problem.

How does manage all that rope, especially if fishing in variable depths? Say you have 400 ft of rope but fish in 250 depth. The extra rope needs to be reduced in length or the float drifts way of the actual trap location... I've tied knots or wrapped the excess with ties so the extra line stays together but those often makes a mess of the rope. What are some strategies?

 

[Reeltime]

I fish Bauer's, but their bulk can be problematic. I've recently got a new boat that is to big for the back yard and thus is at a Marina. Transporting 4 Bauer's in my vehicle is not possible so I'm left fishing fewer traps or first picking up the boat and bringing it home so I can load my traps into it. I'm considering replacing with stackable traps specifically to get around this problem.

How does manage all that rope, especially if fishing in variable depths? Say you have 400 ft of rope but fish in 250 depth. The extra rope needs to be reduced in length or the float drifts way of the actual trap location... I've tied knots or wrapped the excess with ties so the extra line stays together but those often makes a mess of the rope. What are some strategies?

Spread your traps out 100' -150' between each trap and your good, i do 100' spaced that way each one is fishing in a different area, my ropes are 500 -600' lenghts
now, it's always better to have more just incase.. rounds are great space savers i've done 10 traps at once on my 16' with lots of room to work

 

[Mike_W]

I fish Bauer's, but their bulk can be problematic. I've recently got a new boat that is to big for the back yard and thus is at a Marina. Transporting 4 Bauer's in my vehicle is not possible so I'm left fishing fewer traps or first picking up the boat and bringing it home so I can load my traps into it. I'm considering replacing with stackable traps specifically to get around this problem.

How does manage all that rope, especially if fishing in variable depths? Say you have 400 ft of rope but fish in 250 depth. The extra rope needs to be reduced in length or the float drifts way of the actual trap location... I've tied knots or wrapped the excess with ties so the extra line stays together but those often makes a mess of the rope. What are some strategies?

Are you interested in selling your Bauers or some of them?
As for the rope I thought about this as well, for crabbing I just ziptie excess but for prawns I intend to run two traps and to combat the potential excess I was thinking I would spread the traps out more. For instance if I am running 450 ft of rope in 250 fow I would space my traps out maybe 100 ft if I fish 300 fow I would only space the traps out 50 ft.

 

[Mike_W]

Thoughts on 18" vs 24"? I will only prawn when I am on the coast salmon fishing in summer not sure if the 24 will beneficial over the 18. Of course the 18 will be easier to pack and take up less space but I can make the 24 work if they produce better.

 

[RiverBoy]

Are you interested in selling your Bauers or some of them?
As for the rope I thought about this as well, for crabbing I just ziptie excess but for prawns I intend to run two traps and to combat the potential excess I was thinking I would spread the traps out more. For instance if I am running 450 ft of rope in 250 fow I would space my traps out maybe 100 ft if I fish 300 fow I would only space the traps out 50 ft.

i honestly clip my second trap 50 or so feet up from the first and pay out the line. it’s better to have more than less. you start zap strapping you’re gonna lose gear if it’s set on a low tide. on the retrieval grab your float get it in your pullerand start following the slack line with the boat. no biggie

 

[SpringVelocity]

Thoughts on 18" vs 24"? I will only prawn when I am on the coast salmon fishing in summer not sure if the 24 will beneficial over the 18. Of course the 18 will be easier to pack and take up less space but I can make the 24 work if they produce better.

18 is fine

 

[Rain City]

18 is fine

Fine as in equally good? Same amount of prawns in the trap? I do find the trap is never "full" so always wondered what the point was. Someone said they like space but I don't know he figured that one out.

 

[SpringVelocity]

Space. Better for smaller boats in my opinion. I build them 18" x 14".

Think I am going to pick up some more material and build some crab traps.