I find floats work well here in the fall, but only in certain locations. I put them just inside where a pencil reed line ends and switches to open water. Also, where cattails go to open water. Anywhere there isnt any place for them to haul out. I feel they are feeding, and there arent any spots they feel safe to haul out. I have small islands and rocks here that are covered in rat poop. A float put right beside a haul out spot like that doesnt work as well since they will use the rock, open shoreline, etc before the float. I left a float out all year once, and it ende up being about sunk due to all the rat poop. had to scrape an inch or two of it off the get the float buoyant again.

Spring is different, but I have my "gas money" floats I hit in the boat on each check in the fall, since spots like that are somewhat limited on my line. Doubles about 40% of the time.

Winter trapping is out here aside from incidentals in beaver runs. Not chopping two feet of ice to maybe catch a rat.

If that's rat crap on the float that's where the traps need to be. You could put 4 traps on that float.

No, I meant that I left the float out all summer with no traps and come fall had to about scrape off the poop to get it to float right. Got lots of rats on that float.

Probably twenty rats using that float all summer. Kind of like pre-baiting, but pre-floating. I actually just forgot to remove it after I pulled traps lol

Most floats are way too wide. Watch rats walk all around traps on a float and it will change your thought on design. a float should be only as wide as the trap.... between the rails (if you have rails). like any prey animal, they walk edges a lot.

Listen to Calvin he's spot on.

That's how I build stools they have to be on the trap when they climb on.
Rat crap Is the ultimate attraction.

Here's my float design and it works quite well. Small and light. Not much room for the rats. Almost over the trap once they climb up.

Do you guys find a rat is less likely to climb on a smaller float?

I have had them climb on my kayak when paddling. silkyplainscoyot, how do you find the stability is on a float that small if there happens to be some wave action?

Perfect. I see you have a nail placed so the trap won't get pulled off. I'm assuming your using a 3/8ths fiber glass fence pole. How are you baiting It?


The center pole will stabilize it just fine. Rats climb up on feed beds that are smaller then that and can hardly support them.

I love that design, Might have to make a few!

Here's another sign that your float is in the right spot. One of my original floats and too big. I've seen rats walk that rail to get to the bait. My newest are much like silkyplains but a little longer. To get to the bait the rat has to cross the trap.

I actually had some 1/4" stock rod laying around so that's what I used. Cut in 6' lengths. I bait it by wrapping a 14 ga. piece of wire around the rod just above the 2x4. Each end of the wire faces the trap with a carrot pierced to wire and dipped in some rat lure.

Stability seems just fine. Just keep stake hole to approximate size of stake so there's not much slop.

yea, I stake with either 1x2 fir stakes, eight to ten feet long, or wood poles. I need a much bigger hole, and by design a float that is stable instead of using the pole for stability.

That particular float did take 6 in 3 checks. It was on a point. Which worked out but I found the ones I threw over floating chews did the best. I lined them up on the trail and the veg kept them in place. Very limited experience but I can see some potential. Mb sounds like he’s got the system down.

Whats you success rate on this float?

How often one rat in two traps? Thanks!

made 10 of them in about 45 minutes, hope they work good!

Whats you success rate on this float?[/quote]

I'm by no means a big number rat trapper like others on here. I just trap them for a couple days in the spring after the ice goes out on small cattail lakes. Just for a little recreation outdoors. So I don't run a huge amount of traps or get real picky about results but if my memory serves me right, last year it was about 60% for the first night. I'm going out next week so I'll try to pay closer attention.

I did just start using this design of float last year. I use to run the longer floats(18" long & 8" wide) with a trap at each end and it didn't have as good as results as the smaller float.

They are easy and quick to make. Keep us posted how they work for you.

I will! Still got a couple weeks here in Canada before rivers open up, but I really like the design. Simple, light, compact and doesn't leave much room for rats to walk other then the trap