New to rat trapping - what do you attach your trap to, to make sure it doesnt come off off the float .. and what do you attach your float to ? does it just float around everywhere ???

I use fence staples to the underside of the 2x8,and I tether the float to a long wooden stake a couple of feet away.Some folks run a fiberglass fence post through the float or a ring that can be made of wire on the side,and this will keep the float from capsising,as can happen with a tether.

Les, do you wire the trap swivel to the fencing staple or do you just staple the swivel itself? I am putting the finishing touches on my floats but I'm not sure what is the best way to attach the trap to the float.

Most of my traps had the trap ring on them,and I added swivels to them.I have nailed the ring on there,but for easy removal I tend to wire them now.

I live in Wisconsin and made some floats last year for rats... I had zero succes with it. My floats look like much of the sets above and I dont think im missing them. Is it possible they are afraid of my floats? Could how stable the float is make a difference? Ive thrown brush on them to make them look more realistic still no luck. Also has anybody had good succes with colony traps or is it better to just skip the two and set runs and bank holes?

Did you put any muskrat lure on those floats? I plan on trying that this year.

I cut up parsnips and stich them on the nail in the center of my float.Last year I used parsnip,apple,and turnip.Rats will feast on parsnip,eat a little apple,and generally ingnore turnip.Turnip was a waste of time and probably cost me rats.Parsnip is a good attractant providing there are rats around.I'de like to try some pure second cutting alfalfa sometime.

In my opinion the bait needs to be elevated so the rat has to stand on the trap to reach the bait.

Parsnips are a good bait but a chunk of willow or poplar Is a better choice.
We pre stake the marsh I trap and by time the season started most of the willow stakes and been griddled as high as the rats could reach. A 8" or 10 " length of willow or poplar shoved on that nail would catch some rats. I know It works In ND.

YoungGrizzers that's a common occurrence In WI I have very little luck with floats or stools. Most of the time floats or stools are a spring thing. So just maybe since we now have a March 7th closing for rats we might get a chance to see If floats work here.

If I were going to set den holes I would be placing colony traps In front of those dens. Might as well catch all the rats In one night instead of taking 5 nights.

Since you need to stake your floats I just use cable extensions on my traps. One end Is attached to the trap the other end has a slip noose and It just goes over the float stake and pulled up tight. Easy to store easy to place and easy to remove. The more I stay away from wire the less holes I have In my gloves.

Thanks to all responders, i do bait them with many different things so i dont think its that. I think im going to try some colony traps and steer away from the floats for now until i get more time to mess around and lock in the correct set up.

Save your breath Calvin. Some aren't worth it.

that was one day's removal... not necessarily a one-day set = next-day check. The regs out west allow for multiple days between checks, much like the northern half of NYS permits 48-hour checks for lethal sets in water.

spring trapping in the Midwest permits setting a line one day, check it next, skip it third day while setting a fresh second line and then run both lines on a big check, day four. Those dual-line checks like that are where massive "day" catches are compiled.

this of course is not to diminish such achievements one iota... just clarification of comparison. Ohio's 24-hour check laws and the Dakota's extended check laws are not comparable.

800 rats from Ohio is excellent, btw. But it is entirely possible more could have been caught using more effective fall tactics than floats.

It's all relative, so to speak

Ill be making about a half dozen floats this week. I make mine with minimal effort. a 3 2x4's in the shape of an "I" with a nail in the center to hold the bait and a trap between the bait and the ends. the ends are about 1 ft and the middle is about 18", I just guess my measurements. the ends are scewed on top of the middle so the middle board and the traps are just under the surface of the water. Havent used this style in over 10 years but it was pretty effective and easy when I did.

Here are my floats I made. I'm just an old man playing, I'd be happy with one muskrat!

Here's my simple rat float. They float well and hopefully I connect with them. Never used them before.

Austin....those numbers were on a 24 hr check.

Jim...You are correct.

so in other words he set 500 plus traps one day and caught 500 rats in one nights soak? Hats off to that!

I am guessing it took then a couple days to get all the floats out. But once they were out, many people were running 2-400 traps and running them twice a day. In addition other people were running them for you in-between your checks.

So many muskrats moving at the peak migration, that most can't understand how many rats were moving out there for a few springs.

Trapstickman has tried muskrat floats in MN and decided that they are not for him.

well that makes perfect sense... because one man removing 500 rats and resetting those 500 traps is impossible on the clock. By no means am I questioning ability and skill, just saying there is no logistical way that can be done by one person strictly out of minutes and hours in a working day.

I did make the effort to go see that area in person myself at the very end, and I can only imagine how the spring migration looked a few weeks before. Nobody here in the east can begin to fathom the muskrat houses in every puddle of water out there unless seeing it with their own eyes. We have a select few spots here in NY that resemble, but not half an entire state :>)

Tim is without a doubt one of the if not the best water trappers in the country.