Ketcham's became involved with scup traps in 1977 when the then Mass Dept of fisheries was looking for an alternate fishery for the lobstermen of Buzzards Bay.  An article on their study of the scup trap was published in the Oct 78 issue of the National Fisherman.  

Over the years the most common Scup / Porgy Pot design shown in the top thumbnail is a 24" cube shaped scup pot with 1, 2, or 4 entries.  The top scup trap has the 4 entries highlighted in red for photographic clarity.  Clam bellies or squid are favorite baits put in the centrally located bait holder.  Some scup trap fishermen prefer a divider to create upper and lower chambers.  It is very similar to the divider on the blue crab trap you can see on the Eel Trap & Crab Trap page.

Second thumbnails are actual underwater scup pot fishing photographs in taken of Ketcham Traps.  The photos were part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Buzzards Bay Scup Trap study. An article on the study was published in The National Fisherman October 1978 issue. 

Ketcham's  also builds the figure eight style Scup Pot on special order shown in the third thumbnail, roughly twice the volume of the "cube" trap.  Larger per haul catches are reported due to the size, but for some Porgy / Scup Pot fishermen  the size may be too much.

The bottom photo is a "lobster style" Scup / Porgy Trap we've built from 36" to 48" long.  The "lobster" design uses 2 side entries and, in the photo, a parlor section leading to the left. This particular scup trap was ordered with a bait tube of 1½ mesh between the entries.  This is an interesting design as some fishermen swear by it, others cuss it out.  There appears to be a "trick" (probably entry tidal alignment) to make this design work well and the boy's aren't talking much.

Need More info?

Call Bob or Myron at (508) 997-4787