as Vinke would say- sooooooo you get a muskrat contract in a suburban area where the lake is surrounded by condos and infested with Canada geese. what would you do? i have found that float sets are the answer as people arent burdened with dead animals. can see the resluts and no accidental waterfowl catches.





a four foot 1/2 rebar rod will keep the float from drifting and also from coming back to shore. ten feet from the bank is about right.
the bait is carrots. they are stuck on nails that are driven through the bottom of a wooden plank. several outside the cage entice more than one muskrat. another one inside the cage is the actual bait. no lure is used or needed. the carrot shavings just inside the cage trap looks like a muskrat has been feeding but isnt always needed and might be overkill. but it sure does look inviting.the trap is an 8x8x24" trap used for small rodents mainly squirrels but also similar sized animals. it is wired to a plank that is about four foot long and just wide enough to set the trap on and secure it with screws nails or wire. i like the wire best.
grass covering the cage trap is the final touch.






and the results.



thanks Uncle Vinke you are an inspiration.

mousie

Cong rat there and in very high demand

Good looking idea. Wish I had some muskrats down here to use it on. Maybe I'll try a little modifying for nutria.

Looks good mousie. Just add a few party lights and you'll have a muskrat Party Barge! I use a similar technique when I do fire retention ponds only I'm not allowed to drive in stakes and have to use weights. Instead of nails for the carrots I drill two 3/4" holes and wedge the carrots in to give them a taste below the water line as well.

nice job there mousie,,,,,,, is LT bring you with if he comes in the fall?

Will that work for Nuteria also?

What size cage is that?

no. why do i need to bring him? somebody has to stay behind and man the post. lol

Good lord he's not playing around with them Rats

yes and you see he needs a great big trap to catch one small little muskrat. lol

Man mousie, I've tried floats for a few years, all styles and baits. Never had much luck with them and always chalked it up to the area (ohio) as some say they don't work well everywhere. Guess I need to regroup as I have a couple of small ponds that I would love to use them in.

Thanks for the post blee. I was beginning to feel like the Lone Ranger.

I have had and used a variety of floats for rats over the years. Primarily in ponds and small lakes for work.Not real good producers here either for time vested.

Some I hear do well with them on the rivers and lakes with good habitat and populations. But not in my service area. I have since gone to sudden valley suspended trap platforms on a fiberglass pole and some visual bait/lure shown and placed just above the water line. These have done well for me.

I have since purchased some new enclosed type float designed rat traps I will be trying as soon as new work comes in.

Floating live trap sets will work for nutria as well Danny.

You will catch more nutes with terds then honey,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Vinke: That has all the makings of a best selling bumper sticker.

Certain size cage I need to use

coon sized

terds? you mean u ? lol

90% of the time floats don't work very well compared to other methods but sometimes they work great . I find that's normally when there feeding on weeds away from cover floats work . Im sure they would work along rivers but theres normally plenty of natural things there to set on .Rats can be funny on which bait or lure that triggers them . Could be apple or even fresh cut willow and they won't eat the apples but crew the bark . Lure might even be rat poo collect off a log or feed bed . I built a float yesterday most likely like the one Bob J bought its a multi catch cage type that's a very high dollar trap . If it works half as good as the videos well worth the money and a major break threw in the ADC world that's if it works . Not all areas rats will be pulled in with bait and lure and this trap depends on bait and lure . I hope it works could be a great tool for both ADC and fur trapping when you can't set reg rat traps or when there's to much waterfowl ect . in the videos watching the rats work this trap makes me think they were Pre baited for sometime but I could be wrong