CRAB TRAP REVIEWS

It would seem that crab on the westcoast aren't terribly smart. You can literally catch them with almost anything. I even have an article clipped out of the paper featuring a photo of my dad and his boyhood friends, crabbing on the shores of White Rock beach, with nothing more than tangles of fishing line, a small piece of bacon inside the tangle and a stick. Yes, you can catch crab that way with surprisingly good results.

There is a crab trap for every budget and they all work. ​ Here they are complete with the pros and cons.

Casting Traps
These traps are a favourite for crabbing off the dock, in shallow water. Considering crabs love a sandy bottom, and below dock pilings is often just that, these traps can be a winning combination. Just put your bait in the centre bag which is usually provided and pull the string tight. This will close the clam shell design and let you hurl the trap, bait and all, as far as you can. When it hits bottom, it will open flat, leaving the bait exposed for crab to walk up to an take a nibble. Wait about 10 to 20 minutes and then be sure to pull the string quickly. It's this action that will trap your crab inside the shell design.

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Coated Wire - Flat pack Trap
These traps are the basic trap that you can find almost anywhere. Canadian Tire, Army and Navy or stores similar to them in your area. They are good overall performers. They are affordable to pick up, they last through a few seasons, depending on how often you use them and you can net a good number of keepers with this one.  Try to shop around for these though. I've found in different stores, the one way door on the traps is wider or smaller. The wider the doors, the bigger your crab inside. 

Steel Ring Crab Trap
These are my ultimate trap. They don't store very well, so you'll have to have a good amount of room for these on your boat, or in storage in your garage. These will last and last and last you, no matter what. They are self weighted, and allow a bumper crop to land on your plate. These are quite expensive so really, I would say that they are a "nice to have" not a "must have" but for me, this trap wins hands down every time. This one is my holy grail of crab traps.

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Folding Net Crab Traps
These are convenient to store in a small boat, but can be unreliable and expensive. True, they fold up and can be stowed in any size boat with ease, but they are light, meaning they will need to have a weight put in them in order for them to float to the bottom and stay there through your tide's ebb and flow. As well, I've found the clips on them are not 100% so I'd suggest some zap straps to keep these from popping open and losing your dinner.