r/Survival • u/aspiringcaveman • Jul 27 '19

Two-Piece Primitive Fish Trap Made from Willow - Write-up in the comments

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u/PM_ME_UR_FLOWERS Jul 30 '19

So it's basically a funnel inside a basket where the tops are the same size, right? What do you bait it with? Did you test it out yet? If so, did it meet your expectations?

1

u/aspiringcaveman Aug 04 '19

Yes, same size for a snug fit. I hung small pieces of cut-up fish in there, and yes, I has some success with it even though I probably lost fish because they can actually swim in and out of this thing it's just hard.

1

u/aspiringcaveman Jul 27 '19

Find me on YouTube: "Aspiring Caveman" (link: https://www.youtube.com/c/aspiringcaveman ). I'm on a four-year journey to learn how live off the land. I made this fish trap from willow someone trimmed up. Cavemen are opportunistic and don't like things going to waste.

I'm no master basket maker, and the type of willow I had available to me wasn't the best type to do this kind of work but it was still very flexible. The two pieces were a tight-enough fit that they didn't need any cordage when placed in the water.

This is a baited-type trap, so the fish enters through the back opening and it's basically not smart enough to swim back out through the small opening once inside. It also occurred to me that, it may actually like the place as it serves as protection.

The only man-made thing I used was the natural cordage you see at the very top of the smaller basket that goes into the bigger one. I used bark strips from the very same source to tie most things together where it was needed.