Nice review of the inexpensive vs expensive Crab Pots. Most of my inexpensive pots were purchased at either Walmart or Sportsman’s Warehouse and they’ve always done better than my more expensive pots but I’m glad you had the Crab Cam going to show how easy they could escape from the overpriced pots.
Suppose you could give us a link to the $20.00 pots? I have to start buying them and my SSI needs to go farther these days. Did you make any mods to the cheap traps?
So, I have one of those promar pots, and I was waiting to see in the comments if anybody was going to give their two cents on keeping those doors down, but what I had to do that I did before I even fished it was take pencil lead and wrap around each one of those doors, it helps to keep the doors pin down in place, the crab can go in, but after they enter the heavy lead on the doors slam it shut. But I didn't pay $120 for mine, I can understand where a person would be frustrated by paying that much for a crab pot and have to modify it. GoPro's have probably solved a age-old question of where did all my crab go. Great video as always Blake!
Thanks Brian! I do that with my cheap pots. I think it's bogus a $200 pot would require you to make mods of any kind. And regarding the lead mod, all they have to do is get one claw or leg on the outside of one of the two prongs on the door, and unless there is like a pound of weight on there, at least that one crab can escape. Thanks as always for watching and commenting!
I’d noticed over the last couple of years that my old cheap square pots seemed to consistently out fish the expensive new round ones I’d “upgraded” to… Id always wondered if the thin stainless wire doors were the culprit and your video confirmed my suspicion. (Thank you!) Went to all square ones this year… They stack a lot better and save space on my boat also.
I've got some rebar I was looking to make volcano type hoops with when I was in CA. Thinking I might use that to make heavier versions of the square pots and test them either at Willapa or Westport in the harbor.
I’ve always used the cheap pots and have caught a lot of crab in them. Between thieves and seals, it gets expensive to replace. You can do a lot of improvements to the cheap ones to make them crab like the expensive ones for not very much money. I made a video about that a few years ago. Great video footage, glad you settled the debate
I'll have to watch your's. I did that in my original too. Put some weight on the doors chicken wire so the doors can't swing out. Tight, uh, crabs. 🤙 🦀
Cheap square pots are the way to go! Theft here is a problem so losing a $20 pot hurts but not as much as a much more expensive one. The square pots have worked for me quite well! Although I like to double them up into one big $40 rectangle which may or may not be legal where you are. (More room for crabs to let door close and they still have a ways to go to get to the bait).
@@jasonr.8907 Good idea! I was actually thinking more along the lines of a "Pressure Activated Game Camera" that emails pictures of anyone that lifts the trap! haha
Thank you as always King of Bees! I think the pot is okay when the crab are in a frenzy... or for a short soak. But if they want out, I'm sure the footage will be similar.
I just use the cheapies since they fold up well for storage purposes. I wrap lead tape around the bottom of each door because the doors can still swing open if the current is ripping, or worse, you also pick up a piece of kelp or sea lettuce against the door. That can turn the door into a sail and hold it open. Good luck to whoever ripped off my expensive pot, you're welcome to it. Who says karma doesn't exist?
Put a small weight of some kind at the tips of the gates. Just solder or tape it on. Not so heavy that crab can't push it open from the outside, but heavy enough that the gate will drop back down after they get in.
Great point! I hear you, but my main consternation is I have an army of cheap-o pots I do that with (well, I use a thick pencil lead). With a pot that costs 200 hundred dollari-doos, I think it's kind of lame having to customize it at all. Also, the doors are worse in general. Super appreciate the watch and comment!
Testing out some of these squares with the ambush pot next week..if anything, we will look pretty BA with 8 crab pots and 4 shrimp pots rolling into roche harbor haha
Brother I don’t think it’s only the trap, I heard there’s not very many Dungeness crabs out there in Puget sound this season. I think the best bet is to get out at the ocean, but it can be quite a hike out there.
Thanks a ton, Jason! I've heard the opposite. May be where in Puget Sound different people are at. But that's good to know. Because I tend to only get the great reports. But of a self-selection bias when it comes to fish and crab catching reporting. 😆
Yes, but that is equally effective on a cheap square pot. It's also not totally accurate to say it holds them closed. It helps. Current won't open them. But an individual crab can open a weighted door. They just have to get a claw or leg on the outside to open it from the inside. But, to your point it does increase the effectiveness.
@WAFishQuest Just a question any idea of good dogfish spots in the puget sound my buddy and I want to do a catch and cook any suggestions would be awesome
We add a price of stainless steel welding wire,and join the gate wires together and add small wrap of lead weight! You tweek your fishing gear but not your traps? Guess it's easier to complain?
No need for the insult at the end there, Fred. In my original video on the subject, I indeed tweak my pots. More or less as you describe. Which for a $20 pot is fine. But if I drop $200 on a pot, I expect it to be of a higher quality. For instance those tunnels are just for show on this pot. They're actually a waste of space since they don't impede the crabs' exit. It's a deception to the buyer. With a square trap there is no doubt tweaks are needed.
