Fish Trap Modifications

[Yellow Dog]

No ice down here...time to tinker>

Just bought an older fish trap. I want to modify it (Hemi?) I tried looking up old posts but got lost in a quagmire of info.

Soooo...what would do in your trap to make it a little more fishable? Seating? Heating? Anybody use PVC for rod storage--like a sword in a sheath? Chain on the skirt?

Share your tricks!

[rod bender]

There are plenty of people out there with a ton of really neat modifications. I'll just get the ball rolling with a small one that helps me.

Buy 4 broom hangers, the metal kind that you can slip the handle of the broom in. Mount them on the trap pole that is on your left and right as you sit. Put two of them on each pole about a foot apart. This will hold extra rods with different lures tied on incase the mood of the fish changes or you have a school of perch waiting for your next offering and you can't get hook out of the perch you just caught in time.

There are plenty of people here that can help you with simple, inexpensive mods.

[Dragonsm]

The old style bench seat is the worst! Both of my benches I made so I can remove them. If it is just myself going out, I take one out and use a "sack" chair on that side, and use the bench to set some stuff on the other side. If there is 2 of us...both benches go and an extra sack chair gets tossed in. They fit great setup inside the tub and I seem to find I have more space to fish. Also, I had some of the rubber bungee straps that were pretty much shot. I took the "S" hooks off of them and they fit around the poles nice and give you that instant hook to hang your coat, rods, or whatever else. As for heating....I have a buddy heater and I run a 6 foot hose outside and keep the tank out there.

The guy who owned it before me, took aluminum pipe (probably about a 2 inch diameter (about a foot long) and sandwich the one end..(vice?) He then drilled a hole thru the middle of the sandwich side and attached it to the middle seat poles. When I want a rod holder, I just swing one around and it is there...if not, I swing it back into the tub and it tucks neatly away. Never have to worry about losing them.

This years focus is on possible LED lighting (very dissapointed in the red LED stuff Clam has out) as I want to get rid of the lantern, and also possibly a way to run a porta mount for my auger so when I am heading across the ice, I don't have to tuck it in...more or less just set it up on top.

Later

Steve

[Eric Wettschreck]

I'm totally with dragonsm. My trap guide bench came out before I even used it the first time. Lawn chairs in the tub work great and give you more room to fish. Also, way more comfortable.

Cut the screens out of the windows also. That way you can just toss your keepers outside. Why have screens in the winter time anyway??? To keep the skeeters out????

[PikeTipper]

Dragonsm,

Why are you dissappointed in the Red LED lights? I haven't seen them yet but was thinking of making the purchase.

[Duffer]

i also have been pondering over what eles to do to my trap to make it more fishable i just bought a yukon. and love it. i have some s hooks and what not but i also am wanting to add a rod holder love the pipe idea. keep posting guys lets get some ideas flowing.

[Dragonsm]

Myself and a friend of mine were kicking around the idea of getting the Red LED's by clam as a way to get rid of our lantern's. We weren't looking for a lot of light since we also use headlamps, however we wanted something that was consistant for a long time (10+ hours) yet put off enough of a "glow" to actually see your bobber in the hole and a few other things. We found a hut over by the Thorne Bros. display at the fishing show that had them in there and actually closed it up so no light came in. Maybe it was that my eyes didn't adjust to it in the 5 minutes, but I thought they didn't put off enough light to do anything really.

But, that is just one guy's thoughts!

As for chain around the base, instead of chain, I used a staple gun and just attached some hunks of 2" x 2" wood. That worked well, and the wood was scrap I had laying around.

[whitetips]

Ram 2000 rod holders with ball mounts and ext. added to your

support poles on the sides on pullovers, I like lanterns and open floor like a pullover when the ice gets thick and the snow is deep you need that extra lite to make a difference, Tubes are something that can break or crack a hole in your sled if you slip or something falls on the wrong spot, Murphys Law.try an avoid him. But a great gift to me would be a 3 rod Berkley or Ice breaker Ice fishing rod case, good way to keep your bobbers and jigs where they belong.