Top Level : Harvesting : Fish : Fishing Tools : Fish Traps and Baskets

Fish Trap (cut away to view the inside)
The slatted basket trap was used to trap catfish and accounted for about half of Illinois' commercial catch. The narrow "throats" of the basket trap allow fish to enter but prevent them from escaping. The traps are set in water ranging in depth from 4 to 15 feet and are baited with old cheese or a female fish.

Photograph courtesy Illinois Natural History Survey.