How to Catch Summer Crayfish with Pop Bottle Traps

Summertime is a great time of the year to catch tasty crayfish. The warm summer days heat up the waters, making it enjoyable to wade out and check crayfish traps for catches. It is fairly easy to catch these mudbugs, especially once you learn how to make your own crayfish traps at home. A very simple trap can be made out of a 2 liter pop bottle. Interested? Read on!

Take an empty 2 liter pop bottle, and rinse it out thoroughly. Make sure there is not any sticky residue left over in the pop bottle.

Using a hacksaw, or similar cutting device, and being exceptionally careful not to cut yourself, chop off the top of the bottle, cutting roughly 4 inches below the neck. Then, cut off the neck, so the chopped off portion has a wider hole at the top than just the neck (should be about 1.5-2 inches across). Flip this over, and place it, inverted, back into the pop bottle. This may sound a little confusing, but take a look at the photo to help clarify how this is done.

Next, you will need to attach the inverted pop bottle lid to the inside of the bottom portion of the bottle. To do this, either use a heavy duty staple gun, or simply punch holes in the bottle and top, then secure them together with twist ties, fishing line or something else. Again, refer to the attached photo for reference. You may want to tie an extra long piece of fishing line to the side of the bottle, allowing you to secure the trap to an overhanging branch or trap marker. That is it! You have finished making a crayfish trap out of a 2 liter pop bottle!

To setup the trap, find a clean body of water with a large amount of rocks and gravel on the bottom. I have heard of crayfish fans catching them out of muddy and silty bottomed lakes and rivers, but I prefer the flowing streams and rivers that have a harder, rocky bottom. Find an area with deeper water (at least 2-3ft, minimum). You might want to add a couple of rocks to your trap, to help it stay on the bottom. Drop pieces of bait into the trap. Bait can be leftover lunchmeat, dog food meat, hotdogs and other pieces of protein. I've even used gristle chunks from pork for bait and caught them. Immerse the trap in water, allowing it to fill with water so that it will sink. Place it on the bottom, lying on its side, so that the trap mouth is not buried in the ground nor aimed at the sky. You might want to move some larger rocks next to the trap, to help secure it, especially if the current is fast. I like to tie my traps off of overhanging logs and sticks, but be careful about making your traps too obvious, as some people might steal your crayfish and your traps.

Leave the traps, and check on them in a few hours (at least 1 hour, 2 is preferable). I have left my traps overnight before and come back to still find crayfish in them. Crayfish will go in and out of your traps, but it is much harder for them to get out once they have come in, thanks to the inverted cone design.

Crayfish can be eaten as table fare (extremely popular in the South) or used as bait for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, catfish and other species. Be sure to check with your local regulations for your part of the country on the legal requirements for crayfish traps and on health advisory about eating crayfish. Enjoy!