How to Build a Washington Shrimp Trap
- 1). Wrap the steel mesh around one of the rings to form a cylinder. Use the steel wire to tie the mesh onto the metal ring.
- 2). Trim the steel mesh so it is about 1 foot long, and tie on the other ring. After this you should have a 1-foot-tall cylinder with the rings on either end and the mesh holding them apart.
- 3). Cut a circle from the steel mesh the same diameter as each metal ring using the wire cutters.
- 4). Secure one of the mesh circles onto one of the rings using the wire. This will be the bottom of the trap.
- 5). Cut the other mesh circle in half using the wire cutters and secure one half to the ring using the wire. This will be the top of the trap.
- 6). Secure the other half of the mesh circle onto the steel rod and secure the rod, but not the mesh, to the metal ring to complete the circle on the top of the trap. This will allow this half of the mesh circle to act as a door so you can remove the shrimp in the trap.
- 7). Cut a 5-inch diameter hole in the mesh along one of the sides using the wire cutters. This will be where the shrimp enter. You can cut another hole on the opposite side as well.
- 8). Using the steel mesh, create a cone where the wide end is 5 inches in diameter, and the small end is about 2 inches in diameter.
- 9). Insert the cone into the hole in the side of the trap so that the small end is inside the trap. Secure the wide end of the cone to the mesh around the hole. If you cut another hole in the trap, repeat for the other hole.
- 10
Secure a long rope onto the top of the trap. Shrimp are typically caught in 30 to 300 feet of water, so your rope should be long enough so you can set the trap on the bottom of the seabed and still be able to pull it up later.