So I'm In the shop working with ways to attach my Hagz brackets to my stakes.
Sure I can screw them on or I can wire them on to my 1x2s. Buying 4' fiberglass fence poles would have a man go broke at $1.49 each.
Then I figured I could use 5' of 1x2s then drill a hole In the top and drive In 12" or so of fence post. That seems to work well. But It's not adjustable so I went and got some copper pipe straps. with two of them holding the piece of fence post In place I can slid It up and down according to the depth of the water. Then I can also use the bait brackets. With a little squeeze with a pliers I can crush down one of the pipe straps so the post stays In place.
I'm getting ready there are more rat huts In the marsh today and they are getting bigger.
And I found the leak In my boat so that Is taken care of.

I'm getting ready and plan on pre staking at the end of the month.

i'm embarrassed to say i bid up a bunch of hagz brackets on one of the auctions to try and haven't even opened the box yet.was back when they first come out.

Every rat you catch buys 3 more poles.

Love the Hagz brackets. I have one fastened to every 1.5 coil and 110 coni that I own.

But the BE set is a gadget? lol

I don't have the Hagz bracket but did talk to him at NY when he broke them out. Genius I thought. I should get a few to play with. Go Go Mr Gadget.

LOl not on 4' poles. You need to add at least 2' to each one and that adds about .75 cents to each set up. Go home or adapt.

beav have you priced 3/8 hot roll steel last I checked it was a tad cheaper than fiberglass rods and comes in 21' sections only down side is added weight! I bought it for 2.35 a stick last summer! But imho fiberglass rods work better! The hagz brackets grip them better. my steel rods wave action made the traps fall until they rusted up good.

Why not just set the trap on the hut?

Here's the situation.

After a few frosts kill off all the emergent vegetation It sinks but stays suspended. And It's just about impossible to wade thought the stuff. When I was 30 no problem but know that I'm approaching the big 80 It's not happing. Sure I could set out of the boat but trying to set and check sets on a hut on windy days Is way to aggravating for me.
I figured I could just row along and shove In my poles as I made my row buys along the huts. I could place the traps close to the take out spots on the huts.
By using stools and the Hagz brackets on poles I should be able to put up some rat numbers.


I scraped the idea of using 1x1s I just went out and bought a bundle of lath. Know I can either just wire a Hagz bracket on to the lath In shallow water Or add a section of glass pole to the lath for deep water.

I know you guys In NY can't set huts Is this the way you guys work It?
Another question. Since these Hagz brackets only allow the rat to cross over the jaws are you guys that are using them have many sprung and empty traps?

those old victor #2 fox traps fit the hagz brackets like they was made for them! I cant for see missing anything using them. I just remove one spring and lever lol they are to weak for anything else so I made them rat traps but I still prefer my #1 longs for rats I moded them to fit as well

Looks good, Tony.

What did you use on the #1's to extend them?

Way to go Tony. Great Idea.
Now I'm going to have to put a tab on the spring end of my 1 1/2s so I can get the rat swimming between the jaws and not over them.

I was so motivated I went out and attached a piece of metal the base of one of my 1 1/2 coils. Works like a charm know I can have the rats swimming between the jaws. You have to give the bracket a bit of a tweak to get the trap to set flat but It's no big deal. But maybe that's not a big deal either having the trap sitting up at a slight angle.

Thanks Tony your a genius.

no like you I wanted a flatter approach in my mind a rat reaching for the attractor might pull the trap off the bracket.Jeff informed me you want very little metal poking thru the slot. To insure a clean pull away, thus resulting in a drown rat.Instead of a ring out! when it comes to water trapping the hagz brackets are as handy as waders. soon as I find my niche I think a guy could pile up mink too! I compiled a bunch of other proven mink methods together and come up with this
haven't caught a mink in one yet but it works on rats

by the way I use fiberglass electric fence posts I buy them at my local orschelns farm store 20$ for a bundle of 25 3/8x 36" tall

I have a couple dz of the brackets and a dz of the coni-clips. Bought some of the 4' fiberglass elect fence post and put a 1/2" piece of rubber hose about a foot from the bottom of the post. This keeps the bracket from sliding all the way off the post when pulling it up. I have ideas of how I can use the brackets on the post, but haven't yet had the right conditions. The brackets wired to rocks, stumps, even a cinder block carried in and set up in a shallow creek are all uses that I've found the most opportunity for. It's a neat idea, with a lot of potential, so I'm hoping I can find ways to make it work.

4 footers are way to short for our water depths.
So what I did today was to buy some 4' lath. Then I took 2 romex staples and placed them over a 2' section of fiber glass fence post. Then I drove the staples In place. know I can slide the glass post up and down to get the height I want. The bracket can't slid off since It will bottom out on the lath. And a couple of wraps with some colored duct tape on top won't let It come off. Know I can zip tie my sections of popular to the post for bait. Or use the Hagz bait holders.
Know all I have to do Is catch some rats.

If your trying to combine poles take a 6" of metal pipe that will fit snug over the pole slide half of it on the top of the pole. Smack it with a hammer the same way you would hammering in a snare stop. Take another rod ,put it in the other side of the pipe and do the same

I don't want to be paying another $1.49 for an other pole. I can buy 50 4 foot laths for around $20.00 Then use 1 foot of the pole and use my romex staples to attach It to the lath.

And I did the sleeve thing before. I used some brass sleeving material. Then I took a nail set and put In 2 dents To hold every thing In place. It worked just fine but then I had $2.00 invested In one set up.

What really burns my butt Is I have 400 stools out In ND + about 100 colony traps. Well most of them wouldn't be legal here In WI.

I have been wondering what the best rod to buy and after reading this thread and digging around a bit I found this.
5' fiberglass 3/8 rod
20 for 48$ so 2.40 a piece
Not bad. I need 24 and the local shops only seem to have 4'.