Setting the Trap!

I have been itching to do something since the weather first showed the sure signs of spring.  On the Bay, there are plenty of indications that I should be out fishing and crabbing!  Minnows abound and I can see mullet leaping happily as if they had not a care in the world.  Another one jumping about is the flounder!  When bait is plentiful, it is not uncommon to see a flounder jump clear out of the water!  Several have been spotted near the pier and I do believe they are calling my name!  I want to go fishing!  I want to go crabbing!  If the fish are here, then the crabs are here.  That means I should have my crab pots out and baited but there has been just one problem..no decent traps!  My traps or pots, as they are locally called, are in a mess!  The otters, turtles and, most likely, the alligators have demolished the pots until they are unusable.  The lack of traps has made me sad as I know there are crabs just crawling around out there!  I could be filling my freezer with the finest of all meats!

Today, Mark took pity on my plight and rolled out the wire.  He cut, spliced, seamed, clipped and wired together a few pots before a thunderstorm chased him inside.  I had no idea that the man even knew how to make these things but he was out there whipping out pot after pot!  The first thing he did was to create a table from old sawhorses and plywood.  On this, a bit of finagling was done to make a rack for a huge roll of mesh wire.  Not any old wire would work in the making of the crab pots as the salt water would take its toll on any that was not coated with some sort of plastic protective covering.  The mesh wire was unrolled over several "marking" slats and cut to the perfect size and shape.  Each piece was then bent into form and clipped together with wire "staples".  A nice box with an inner "shelf" soon was created.  Now to cut in the "crawlers".  Crawlers are the openings or doors that let the crab enter the trap.  Once those were cut, a funnel-shaped "hallway" (for lack of a better word) was made out of more mesh.  Then a bait box was added with a handy opening or flap for filling.  Ta-da!  I have a crab pot!  All that was needed was a latch on the opening (for removal of the crabs) and a rope to attach the trap to the pier post!  I was in business again!  My freezer can be filled to the brim with fresh seafood!

Since Mark made my crab pots today, we have decided that tomorrow morning would be a good time to set the traps and also do a bit of fishing.  Not only will any fish caught provide us with lunch, the ummm...discards from cleaning them will make nice bait for the traps.  Nothing goes to waste here on the Bayou..we use everything!  Next, Mark has promised to make me a few boxes for soft-shelling!  These are individual traps that will float from the side of the pier.  Each will hold a single crab that will be heavily fed until it sheds it shell.  After a good cleaning, the critter will become a delectable treat for our table!  Mark loves these fried and made into a sandwich with tartar sauce, lettuce and tomato!