Crab Trap Question

[MOOSE MILK]

I recently purchased two Danielson folding crab traps from Cabela's (on sale $20 ea.)

On the top there are two round holes, I take it they are escape holes so that if you lose the trap the crabs can exit by way of those holes.

On both traps there is one hole that has four short pieces of what looks like shoelace that are tied on the edge of the hole. (The other two holes do not have any strings at all.) They do not go across the hole so are not preventing crab from escape. What purpose are they?

In the past I understood you had to tie a string in an x fashion over the hole that would disintegrate over time.

Anyone have any idea of what these four short strings are for? :confused:

[islandarcher]

the two round holes are escape holes for undersized crab. the tied in "shoelace" will disintegrate to allow larger crabs to escape if the trap is lost.

[Weatherby Fan]

its called rotstrip as Islandarcher says will disintegrate in time so the if you lose the trap it won't continue to fish, it was mandatory on all our Blackcod traps when commercial fishing back in the day !

[MOOSE MILK]

You have missed the point, these holes or I should say one hole has 4 short strings tied each a quarter of the way around and they are too short to go across the hole. So what is the point of those little strings?

[Weatherby Fan]

You have missed the point, these holes or I should say one hole has 4 short strings tied each a quarter of the way around and they are too short to go across the hole. So what is the point of those little strings?

well than someone cut them or they were to short to begin with, but if your fishing you should have a couple pieces across the holes so the crabs can't get out, but don't use nylon make sure its butchers twine or some kind of natural fibre that will rot out

[MOOSE MILK]

OK I went to the horses mouth for the answer :lol:

Of the two holes only one has the rot cord and if that cord rots off or is untied the ring itself will fall off allowing a larger hole for larger crabs to escape!!!

Hey now your as smart as I am! ;)

[warnniklz]

I feel like I just read a flat earth thread

[srthomas75]

Are you sure that you have a fishing license? Maybe there is another course required to take.

[MOOSE MILK]

That little bit of information was directly from the manufacture of the traps.

The idea being smaller crabs can get out of the one hole that is smaller and the string rots off the other ring that will keep legal size crabs in, and when it rots off the ring falls off and creates a larger hole so the legal size crabs can escape in the event of a lost trap.

Don't give em any ideas of another ca$h grabbin course that we should be required to take. :twisted::evil::mad: