I like and do very similar to ringtail and Bogmaster

small fresh mud slicks guarded by a 1 1/2 coil ... also similar to what boggy does, I'll pull up a elongated clump of floating pennywort etc. kinda tight to the shoreline and put a 1.5 coil between the clump and the shoreline, place lure on the shoreline side

done like this the lure is just a extra potential draw as rats will investigate the fresh mud and be inclined to travel the narrow channel through/between the clump and shoreline without it

learning how to find and recognize active toilets and feedbeds will help you also

I have deep water impoundments that hold decent numbers of rats ... you'll be hard pressed to find a run unless you pull out your scuba gear ... in these waters the rats dine on various roots and a large percentage of their diet is fresh water mussels ... along the edges you'll find piles of mussel shells wear the rats continue to return to eat them ... at these spots I simply put a 1.5 coil on a drowner with a three hole brick tossed out into deep water ... the shorelines are covered with needle grass, you can also simply kick in a spot making it look like where a rat has been and place a trap on the approach ... take your knife and cut a big handfull of the tops and let them float on the surface just in front of your trap (eye appeal to help draw any swimming rats, looks like a rat has been feeding ... a lil lure doesn't hurt when doing this)

on the tidal high ground tunnels or leads are numerous ... sometimes you can set them all sometimes you just can't ... tunnels through the grass and phragmities produce a good number of rats too ... those trails guarded by 110's will pick up rats and where you have rats you'll have a few mink too

so many ways to take rats ... trapping & snaring rats is fun and can be addictive

I agree, the muskrats in our area are hurting too. Used to be if you found a beaver pond or a stream, you found rats, its not the case in my area anymore. Back in the spring I received a trapper survey form from the NYSDEC which I filled out. They had a question or comments section and I asked them if they knew what was going on with the rats but I haven't had a response yet.

Although I'd rather take mink anyday, I sure remember when we were kids trapping and you set conibears in runs and go down to the next run and start making a set and you'd hear the trap go off and there was a rat. That used to happen all the time!!!