I attached my Gopro to my crab trap and got some underwater crabbing videos. This video is unedited. Check out my website for the text version of my channel: www.everylist.com/forum
I just bought two of that same trap. I see what I need to do to improve them. One, put a barrier at the bottom between sides and bottom so they can't get stuck underneath. Two, either remove the bottom horizontal bars on the doors or put an aluminum skin on them so they can push them open without getting hung up in them. Except for the door that stuck open, only one crab got in. Thanks, PK. I'd never have known.
I've got the same trap and you're on the right track! I cut most of the two vertical bars at the bottom of all 4 doors because I found that occasionally they stuck into soft sand... nothing got in! So now there's maybe 1/2" of vertical bar at the bottom of the doors. The horizontal bar is fine and will help keep the door shut. The keeper crab won't be able to slide out the bottom of the doors where I modified them. I also cut 4 sections of pencil lead and zip tied them across the bottom horizontal bar of each door and that doesn't impede their entry at all but ensures the door closes abruptly and stays closed once they're in the pot.
We’re learning PK! Had that trap been sitting flat on the bottom…. Explains why my traps were catching bigger numbers even though only a few keepers with Spring crabbing. Great day either way! See you soon.
If it was that difficult to get into a restaurant, I'd tell all my friends and enemies. I have 2 of these pots, not 1 crab. Just purchased 2 collapsible pots. I'll followup with the results.
Seems that the pot had a bit of a problem. Perhaps if you are doing short soaks the open cage may work better? I do enjoy all the underwater videos though. It shows that the old 15 minutes between pulls when snaring is too long. I learned that years ago from watching these videos and pulling up my baitless snares.
Great informative video! Obviously a very inefficient "IN" door system. This trap needs new/different "IN" door design!! Maybe just an open/ free entry "door" that closes when pulled up/lifted.
Oof, weight those doors with pencil lead, clip the tag end on the zip tie, and add some weight to the bottom of the pot. As cool as the camera view is I would try mounting the GoPro on one of the sides, sacrificing a door, so the pot sits flat on the sand. I definitely learned some things during this video.
I see lots of awesome observations and possible solutions posted here... I would say that these pots are just fine as long as you understand their strengths and weaknesses & with some mods, they'll out crab the super expensive pots all day. I made a comment on OregonOldTimer's comment about one modification I made on the doors. It also appeared as though a zip tie was in the way - and - I wonder if the PVC frame that holds your camera and light caused the pot to sit at a slight angle? As you know, these pots can shift easily. This is why (in addition to my door mods posted in that other comment) I have weight in the pot and I zip tie around each connection where the different sides meet (except for the one side that I use as the 'door'. I find that it keeps it's shape much better... I'll try to photograph that and send to you. I'm sorry I couldn't make it today! I am headed to the coast Thursday to try to harvest Razor Clams for the first time ever! I might also try for surf perch (also my first time with those as well). Tight lines!
Thanks for the tips, Rob. Yup, I see several room for improvements. The door being open is a problem I'll have to try and fix before crabbing season. Tight lines.
@@jsnjcnt I think a person should be posted down there to install them into prisoners gates,. clearly man wanted crabs to escape as it's not open season just yet
How hilarious I'm originally from Salem but lived in Kernville a few summer's during my childhood my grandfather ran a fishing boat out of Depoe Bay before he was infamously murdered but my dad always made me have a crab measurement tool
This is pretty useful to see how difficult it is for those crabs to even get IN the pot. They're pounding on the door, but you won't let them in. You'd be better off with an entire side wide open, and keep that side up when you haul the pot. Without the camera, how would you ever know...
I think it would be pretty easy to rig up a timer on a crab pot that shuts the door after a while. That way you could have a giant door, to let them all in.
You have to maintain legalities. Of course, a trap could be made to only catch and not let go, but that would be too easy. There wouldn't be any crabs left. The traps are designed to not be perfect.
wow you can really see the problems with this design, as I suspected. The doors get jammed open easily, and when they're down, they tend to tangle with the crab instead of letting the crab in. Total junk, really. Time to try a better design
I think a sign ,( printed bilingual,would ,( speed up the raiders. I also think a solid plywoods or hardyboard bottom would help them get better traction! But mostly swing trap doors which are very easily operated ,this trap needs to go back to NASA,,. It's terrible
Having the PVC camera holder beneath the pot compounded the difficulty for them to go in, and they're obviously not the sharpest tool in the shed. Going "up" before "in" seemed to be too great of a problem for them to solve.
The problem is the lower horizontal bars on the doors. I watched a similar video by The Reef Robber with a nearly identical trap. the main difference is, each door has one horizontal bar high on the door. There is no lower bar for the crabs to get hung up in. I'm going to cut out that lower bar before I go out again. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DzsTh_QsT7w.html
And on another note something that costs so much is not very smart at all. I think I could make a better crab trap out of something you would never think of…