River Cane Fish Trap

[Dalton Knapper]

Check out this fish trap I made from river cane. I'm 5' 10" tall and the trap is bigger than me by a long way. I think there are 44 staves 3 outside cane hoops (and one from jute) and two inside hoops. The funnel is tied in so fish can be removed. It was a lot of work!

[killir duck]

That's awesome! Have you tried it out yet?

[Peacebow_Coos]

Awesome work!

[Dalton Knapper]

I haven't tried it out, but it would be for big fish. Brim would swim right through. I was wondering what native people used for bait? Maybe fish heads and guts all smashed up in a bag?

[Ozzy]

That sweet 

[Zuma]

Catfish would go for the cut bait. Perhaps a clear plastic bottle with pin holes to house some live bait like minnows? Then you might catch pike, bass etc.
Make a good lobster/crab trap. Nice job.
Zuma

[stickbender]

     Maybe in lakes they used bait, but I think they were more effective in streams, where they could build a weir, around the outer edges of the trap, and funnel the fish into it.  Also, I think that theirs was affixed to the weir, and had a lid that could be lifted up and the fish speared, as needed.  But yours is pretty cool also, and has the advantage of being portable.  If you have any streams, or rivers near you, you could try the weir, by staking out the trap, and building the weir on the sides to funnel the fish into the trap.   Very nice, and I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how effective it is.   Great job on that .

                                                                                Wayne

[autologus]

Stickbender is on the money here, funnel the fish into it from a moving stream.  My dad and I used to make traps similar to this but with screen door screen and put it into the stream behind our house to catch minnows for bait.

Grady

[swamp yeti]

That is a nice cane fish trap what kind of cordadge did you use to tie it together.

[Dalton Knapper]

Yeti. I used hemp. There is a very small ammt of jute.

[Dalton Knapper]

Thanks for the nice comments everyone. I guess I will have to give the trap a try. I need to speak with Game & Fish and see if I can try it without having to get a commercial license and tags. I work at a park and they will probably let me test the trap for "scientific" purposes.

[stickbender]

     Ahhh yes, the good ol "Scientific Purposes", and "Research Clause".  ......    Bring it down here, and we can do some scientific purposes, on some lobsters, and crabs.

                                                                              Wayne

[Scottski]

What park you work in?

[Eric Krewson]

I have a friend who was a commercial fisherman all his life. At different times of the year he gravitated from trot lines to fish traps. He made net traps that were shaped like your cane trap. He would bait with soap or shad guts and catch piles of catfish in his traps.

[Dalton Knapper]

Scottski-Parkin Archeological State Park at Parkin AR.