A handheld crabtrap for catching crabs includes a shaft having a handle with a lever on a proximal end, a trap head with a lid at a distal end of the shaft, and a linkage within the shaft attached to the lever and the trap head. The handle further includes a crab alert bell attached to a cable that also extends to and into the trap head, where it ends in a clip to which the crabber's bait is attached. The trap head is held open via the linkage and lever until a crab pulls on the bait ringing the bell and alerting a crabber to pull on the lever and close the trap head via a string therebetween.
