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How to Make Your Own Lobster Cage

Lobster is considered a delicacy in many countries. As a delicacy, it can be expensive to purchase in stores and restaurants. Lobster is fished from the ocean using simple traps thrown off of boats or from the end of long piers. These traps or traps like them can be quickly built with a few easily obtainable materials. With a trap of your own -- and a fishing license, where required -- you can catch your own fresh lobster.

Things You'll Need

8, 32-inch pieces of ½-inch PVC pipe
8, 16-inch pieces of ½-inch PVC pipe
8, ½-inch PVC "T" corner elbow joints
PVC cement
Drill
Eyebolts
Silicone sealant
½ roll 36-inch chicken wire
Tin snips
Zip ties
Bait

Instructions

- 1
  Brush PVC cement onto both ends of a 32-inch long and 1/2-inch PVC pipe. Fit a "T" elbow joint onto each end of the PVC pipe with one opening of the "T" facing downward and the other opening facing inward. Insert a 16-inch piece of PVC pipe into the section of the joint facing downward. Use PVC cement to secure the pieces together. Insert another short PVC pipe into the elbow at the opposite end of the long pipe. Both short pipes should be facing downward on the long pipe.
- 2
  Repeat this procedure until you have formed a PVC rectangle shaped frame. The long pieces of PVC will form the top and bottom sections of the trap and the short pieces will form the sides. Let the PVC cement dry for a few hours.
- 3
  Drill a hole at each top corner of the trap all the way through the pipe to the other side. Add a generous amount of silicone sealant to the threaded end of each of four eyebolts and screw them into the holes you just drilled into the pipes. Secure the eyebolts with nuts and lock washers on the underside of the pipe. Add silicone sealant to the area where the bolt is coming through. The eyebolts will be where you connect the cable that will lift and drop the trap into the water.
- 4
  Cut four 36-inch panels out of the chicken wire to fit over the frame of the lobster trap. For the top panel, where the eyebolts are coming out, attach the wire using zip ties around one of the long pipes. This will allow you to open the top using the zip ties as hinges. On the three other sides, secure the panels of chicken wire on both pipes with zip ties. These will be the walls that don't move or open.
- 5
  Measure the two open ends of the trap. You will create two funnel-shaped entrances to the trap. The narrow end of the funnel should be large enough for the lobster to crawl into the trap. The wide end should be large enough to secure to the side PVC pipes from top to bottom.
- 6
  Cut an 18-inch circle out of the chicken wire. Then, find the center of that circle and cut a 6-inch circle in the center of it. Cut the 18-inch circle in half. Fold the wide end over to form a funnel, the narrow end should go into the trap. Secure the funnel on one side with zip ties and repeat this step for the other side.
- 7
  Toss some cut bait into a mesh bag and place the mesh bag into the trap. Use twist ties to close the one end of the top chicken wire panel. These need to be easily removed to get the lobster out of the trap. Toss a 5-pound weight into the trap to help it sink fast.
- 8
  Connect steel cable or heavy duty rope to the eyebolts and you are ready to use the trap.

Animals & Science