New to the forum, been trapping for 6 years now and been hunting and fishing since the early 90s.

Mostly been running DPs for coon but want to switch to footholds as I know I have missed other opportunities with DPs.

Have 6 duke 1,5s set up with L shape drowning locks, will swivels work well too? Plan to use 14 ga wire as a have a bunch on hand.

Are the duke 1.5s OK for rats, mink coon? Thanks

All I've ever used are 1 1/2 dukes. Large numbers have been taken with them. I run pretty much the exact same set up on some of my traps. Just make sure you stake for largest animal you might catch. I've caught beaver in coon sets before.

Duke 1.5's are a great mink coon and rat traps. 1.5's are nice because they are so versatile.

just keep them in the water they die quit fast if they can never get dry. Get a coons back wet and keep it that way they hypothermia out quickly.

Define quickly. Actually don't. We really don't want to go down this road on a public forum.

I set a fair amount of drowners...but If I have the time to check every day, I definitely hard stake where they can get up on the bank. For one, it's faster.

Skip the 14 ga wire and either hard stake to the chain, or run cable on your drowners.

Swivel=Good idea.

Personally I don't like the 14 gauge wire idea. Seems light to me, considering you could get a beaver or otter in a set. I don't think 14 gauge will hold up, just my personal opinion. Don't have any experience using 14 gauge, but I've had a coon twist-off 12 gauge. Extra swivels would have no doubt helped possibly avoid that occurring. Maybe it was a fluke, because I caught several without any problem. However, it was easier, and gave me peace of mind, to just go with something heavier. I'll double the 12 gauge up now to tie-off, but I run cable on drown rigs. I've had some beaver give it a beating too. It needs to be tight. I like drown-rigs for coon myself. Short chains, couple feet of water. Crunch-proof swivels (possibly others too) are drowner locks. Kind-of a two-for-one. Lock and swivel all in one. I use the locks on some sets, but only cause I bought them before knowing that about the crunch-proof swivels.

My favorite water trap. I dont trust wire on drowning rig. I use cable or chain. If you use wire I would use at least number 11 and make sure its.tight on both ends with no kinks. I run my coon and mink traps on railroad plates and drags.

This is how I normal set in water for coon. As long you keep there feet in the water you will have them.I stake on the deep side of the water way and also you can use another stake on the deep side that the coon or what ever will wrap around also and will keep them there.

X2 on what Tony and coydog2 stated.

NO way am I going to spend all that time putting In slide wires or carrying all that gear to those locations.
Yes I have used slide rods and other drowning systems for coon and In some situations It's warranted. But On every day checks I see no need.
If the coon Is still alive and then you kill It they dry so much faster when they still retain some body heat and aren't saturated like a drowned coon.

Run all 'coon sets on drowners, including DPs up on the bank. Make sets in pairs, so you can run 3/32" GAC to one terminal end. One cable will be longer than the other, the shorter one downstream of the longer. Once you have the bank ends staked, grab both terminal ends, walk out and move sideways 'til both are taut. Anchor the terminal end.

On a 4-day check here in Wisconsin, you should be able to have at least 300 traps out, assuming you run a three or four-day rotation, roughly a hundred traps or more per line, three lines total. In the long run you will outperform the daily checkers.

Shop vac your 'coon then hang from racks in front of fans for a day. Skin the next day.

Good formula for catching 'coon in high numbers.

I'm not buying Into that analogy.

If your checking every day your emptying those traps that are full and re setting for the next bunch that comes along.

That's why you'll never realize your full potential as a water trapper, Beav.

In your dreams.
70 some stops along road side streams with 4 traps per stop on a daily check and be done by 2:Pm. with 30 or 40coon In the truck. 4 day checks why?

3/32 cable staked in deeper water works awesome. Plug in sets a lot faster that way.

I run all pocket sets on slide wires, 1/8 inch cable works the best, 24 inch stake at the top, and 30 inch stake at the bottom, go right through the swivel on the end of the trap, simple and easy

Im with you beav hit them hard and move on! my area the coons migrate a lot and quickly. A 4 day check id never know I was in a dead area.

More trap nights means more fur-simple as that.

I agree but if they aren't their it doesn't, just a waste of steel! Cant catch what isn't there!River bottoms hold coons farm country with scattered woodlots, lots of moving around! So I want sets that are fast to move! Im in a dreaded 24 hr check state. With 70 some days of season not counting freeze up! Our numbers cant rely on a set that stays empty 4 days

So your saying that if you check every day you should put more fur on the boards? I know you Canadians will check a line every 7 days or even longer. I know that's what we did On our marten line. But that had more to do with the distance we had to travel from home and the vastness of the line.

I figure that trap nights are just what they are Traps In the ground or water no matter if your checking every day or every 4 days.
Like Tony said you could have traps sitting empty for 4 days. If your checking every day you can be right on top of that situation and be moving to greener pastures.