I believe that the shrimp figure a way out of the trap after a while. Once the bait is gone, they seem intent on escaping.

I've found that the best baits in shrimp traps milk oit rather fast, thus atracting more shrimp. Once the bait is gone, the little buggers escape.

My personal favorite bait for shrimp traps is ground fresh herring. I'd go out and dip a limit of herring, grind them up in a food proccessor, and put the herring "paste" in the trap. You really don't want to let that stuff get in the bottom of your boat. Boy does it rot fast! And the smell! Whew! What a mess.

SA