How to Make a Crawfish Trap

Co-authored by Kathy Sparrow, MA

Last Updated: November 11, 2024 Approved

You need to catch a crawfish, and you don't want to do it by hand. There are many ways to make a crawfish trap, but this article describes a simple, effective design. To start, you'll need to find two plastic 2-liter bottles.

Things You Should Know

You can make an easy DIY crawfish trap using 2 2-liter soda bottles.
Cut the top off one bottle and the bottom off the other.
Insert the top into the open bottom of the second bottle to create a funnel.
Attach the 2 pieces with zip ties, add weight to the trap, then fill it with bait.

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Cutting the Bottles

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1
Find two two-liter soda bottles. The brand does not matter, but they should be clean and intact. Rinse the bottles out with a sink or hose before using. Remove any paper labels that might come off into the water when wet.
- If you don't rinse the bottles or remove the sticker, you risk contaminating the stream or pond where you're trapping the crawfish.
Use scissors or a sharp knife to cut the bottle open around its circumference. Make the cut about half an inch above the halfway point. Make sure that the edge is even and smooth all the way around the bottle.

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Make the incision a few inches higher up from the corresponding point where you cut the first bottle. The bottles will need to fit into one another, so make sure that the edges are clean.
Build a funnel-like ramp for the crawfish to crawl into the bottle.^{[1]
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Research source} First, unscrew the lid of the smaller bottle top. Fit the lid and "top" of this smaller bottle into the open end of the larger bottle piece. This way, you'll have a wide opening for the crawfish to crawl into the "bottom", but it will be difficult for the creature to find its way back out.^{[2]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Attaching the Bottles

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1
Drill five holes along the bottom of the contraption. You will use these holes to tie the inner and outer bottle together into a crawfish trap. Make sure that the bottles stay together. The holes should line up through the inner and outer bottle. Use a power drill, an awl, or any other safe perforation tool.
- Drill the holes very carefully. Make sure that the bottles don't slip while you're drilling, or else the holes will not line up.
- Be very cautious if you use a knife or awl. It can be difficult to make a clean hole straight through a two-liter bottle, let alone through two. The surface is slick, and a knife can easily slip. If possible, use a drill.
2
Drill five more holes above the first five. Each new hole should be about a centimeter directly above one of the original holes. You will thread a string or zip tie through the top and bottom holes in order to tie to the bottles together.
- Alternately, you can use only the first set of holes. In this case, you will simply thread the zip ties through this first set, then fasten them on the outside of the bottle rim.
From the outside of the trap, run a zip tie through one of the lower holes. Then, thread it out through the adjacent top hole. Tighten the zip tie so that it holds the trap together. Repeat until you have fastened five zip ties all the way around the bottle. There should be no gaps between the bottles, and the rig should not be loose.
Use a pair of scissors to snip the extra length off of each of the zip ties. This step is not essential, but it will make your trap tighter and cleaner. You may find that mud, weeds, and other gunk get stuck on loose zip tie ends.

Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Weighting and Baiting the Trap

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1
Attach a weight to the bottom of the bottle. Crawfish tend to spend their time along the bottom of shallow rivers and brooks.^{[3]
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Research source} The added weight will make the trap sink to the bottom so that crawfish are more likely to wander inside. Poke a small hole through the very bottom of the trap, then tie on a lead fishing weight with a small zip tie.
- You may need to experiment with the weight to make sure that the trap sinks all the way to the bottom – but 1-5 pounds should do the trick.
Use the same weight size that you used on the bottom, or something slightly lighter. This will keep the trap balanced at the bottom of the stream. If only the bottom is weighted, the opening of the trap may get stuck in the mud.
3
Bait the trap. Unscrew the top cap, and drop the bait into the chamber. When you've set the bait, screw the top cap back on so that the crawfish cannot escape. Use fish to mimic the natural diet of the crawfish. Many Swedish fishermen use sunfish, shiners, and herring; Cajun fishermen traditionally use gizzard shad and pogies; West Coast fishermen often use salmon heads and other oily fish. If possible, use fish caught in the same body of water where you're trying to catch the crawfish.
- If you don't have access to any fish, you can use raw meat: a piece of uncooked bacon, chicken, or hot dog can do the trick. Do not expect this bait to be as effective as fish.

Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Using the Trap

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You can tie a string underneath the lid, or you can attach it to one of the zip ties. Consider drilling two more small holes, then threading the rope through these holes. This rope should keep the trap from floating off downstream. You will use it to adjust and harvest the trap.
2
Set the trap. First, tie the rope to a tree, a post, or another sturdy object to hold the trap in place. Finally, toss the trap a few feet out into the water, and make sure that it sinks. Check the rope to make sure that it's sturdy. Leave the trap in the stream overnight: crawfish tend to be most active in the dark, so you will be more likely to catch one overnight than during the day.
- In theory, the crawfish smell food and climb through the lid. When they want to get out, they can't figure out how to climb back through the hole to freedom.
- If you only wait a few hours or overnight, the crawfish should survive on the bait until you check the trap. If you wait much longer than a day or two, the crawfish might starve to death by the time that you come around. Be aware that the crawfish may not be able to breathe.^{[4]
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3
Check the trap. When you return the next day, pull the trap out of the water by hauling on the rope. If it feels heavier than it should, it may be full of crawfish, or it may have sunk into the mud of the riverbed. Pull the trap out of the water and examine your catch!^{[5]
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- To empty the trap, simply unscrew the top cap of the bottle, then pour the crawfish into a bucket or net.

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Question

Can you bait with fish chunks?

Community Answer

You would be better off using the 'fresh' fish heads and guts instead of just fish meat chunks. The crawfish (crawdads in Texas) go after the oils given off by the bait. Crawfish don't like catfish bait as much as pan fish (sun perch, bluegills, carp, or other similar fish) cleaning scraps. My catch numbers almost tripled when I quit using catfish scraps and started using perch scraps.

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Can crawfish traps be set overnight?

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I don't see why not. I always leave mine out overnight, but it depends on what trap you have, how much bait you put in, and how big it is.

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Can I use any type of fish bait to catch crawfish?

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It really depends on where you live, but most crayfish will eat any kind of dead fish.

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Tips

If you use a 96-ounce apple juice bottle with a bigger entry hole, then it's a tighter fit. A bigger entry hole means bigger crawfish can get into the trap.

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Try to pick a bottle with a big lid on it so that it is easier to get the fish out.

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It might be easier to attach the string at the bottom so all you have to do is pull the string.

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If you attach a string, you could tie it to something along the bank, as crawfish like to stay along shallow parts of the water.
Set various traps because if its the trap is small only one will enter at a time.

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Warnings

Don't expect to only get crawfish. You may also catch small minnows in it.

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Be careful using a drill. It is a power tool and can be very dangerous. If you don't have a drill, you can use an awl.

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