I know muskrats aren’t the brightest animals, and I’ve caught plenty in both rusted traps and dipped traps. I color all my beaver traps, because avoidance can be a real issue with them, but does it make much of a difference when trapping muskrats? I dip all my traps to protect them from rust, but does breaking up the outline matter ? Thanks

It might for sets out of the water, particularly on snow. I've seen where an occasional muskrat seems to avoid a trap if not blended in, just as mink will sometimes do. But, for blending in it's hard to beat a rusty trap. On the other hand I've seen both go into a blantantly obviously conibear.

I don't worry about avoidance with muskrats but still blend some sets out of habit. Almost all sets I make are blind and in the water or mud trails so the trap sort of blends itself. I don't trap summer rats and that may be a bit different.

My experience, and I had some painful ones this year, on rats here is that in clear water, going with bigger sized traps is a must in these situations and if you can find spots where there is vegetation or a muddy spot around the run, get the traps in them and not in the open. Watched a lot of bubble trails going over the top of colony traps this winter in those clear runs and ended up going to 160s and baited hagz brackets to get those rats.

Trigger on top less action on the top of a rat a lot going on below and behind a rat!

Talking body grips?

I remember when I was a kid, chasing rats around under clear ice once. I set several body grips in the runs and chased rats around until they swam into them. I noted several rats would stop and do a U turn just before going through the conibear (even when being chased). Total refusal....so yes, some won't swim through a #110, anyhow.

I always assumed those sprung 110's were just from the rat not hitting the trap right, maybe some are turning and bouncing it off with the back wash? Don't get many sprung since I went to 160's.