Two devices for taking plankton and water samples are described. One, an inexpensive syringe sampler, will obtain small uncontaminated samples from thin strata in lakes. The other, a self-activating transparent zooplankton trap, combines many of the advantages of both net and trap-type samplers. It is capable of removing the smallest zooplankton and its light weight allows large samples to be taken easily from a small boat. Comparisons with other samplers prove the self-activating trap to be more efficient than other devices which are commonly used.