BUT stiff competition will make you a MUCH better (and more efficient) trapper.
Some people pay for personal trapping instruction. Trap around a bunch of hardcore trappers and it's free, in your face, daily teachings. Pros and cons to everything I guess.

conis fair just fine in the wind, even ND wind....Id be one to know as I had a trap manufacturers kid with me in ND and he brought 30 doz that spring......you set with your lath or 1x2 facing outward to lake and it will block the waves from hitting full force om the trap......I usually like the trigger on bottom, so I can suck my carrot up to ends of trigger wire for a more sensitive trigger, but in wind you can set them just the opposite and suck carrot closer to trigger for more tension........when youve got THAT much wind its blowing waves over tops of traps its shoshing legholds off stools and float, and/or firing them too, and your rats aint running to a huge degree in the whitecaps anyways......so the notion that baited conis wont work in wind is pretty hogwash......


1x2 staked traps will fair better than flimzy lath due to fact they dont flex and whip from waves as much which will cause problem, more from the trap slipping loose than being fired.o....sucking down the size of your carrot from full size carrot pcs to single baby carrots helps too.

Nimzy have you ever tried baited conis? I would think they would be just the ticket in those little thawed out patchs around the reeds, and if your jumping around them a little poke type boat, space and weight would be a factor, and reason to try NOT to use something bulky as a float