Please don’t bully me or shame me for being ignorant and asking this question. Lol
How do drowning rods work? I know one end is attached solidly to the bank but does the other end just go into deep water?? I got away from trapping beaver with footholds because of having to use weights. I use nothing but
Body grips now but would use the footholds on occasion if there was an easier drowning method than weights and cable. Thanks

You push the deep end into the bottom of the creek or pond typcally. If its really deep you can get by with just the top being anchored if you use two stakes near the top so it can't swivel to the side.

Here's a couple old drawings...

Otterdog ADC is correct^^^

No shame in not knowing

Thanks to both of you. This helps a lot.

Great color diagram ADC

I have both rebar and Fiberglass rods
But I prefer 10' ers

If it was muli species river and creek Id use some 8'

Is it better to be too long than too short?

Too long

Ok. I think I’m getting the idea of it now

Thats good...you'll like them!

Great post! I’ve been wondering the same thing but didn’t even know what to ask, lol.
ADC, that drawing makes it so easy my sons wife could understand it...and she’s a blonde! Thanks to the both of you!

Here's one ready for the stake to be pushed in solid and bed the trap.

Youre gonna flood those barn boots ADC

All we can use are #2 or jaw spread no longer than 5.75”...would that hold a beaver?

Not at all my choice!!!

But some on here use them.

I did only back in 86 / 87. When I started on Beaver

Sometimes. With most all beavers going the hatter market, I'd use snares if I were you. Very easy to snare beavers.



If there's no natural slide where we want the set we use a homemade tool like this to cut in fake slides and then add a little castor lure near the top, slash a little water up the slide so the lure slightly trickles down it the water...

In Georgia, there is NO jawspread limit if the trap is set in the water. On land, it is 5.75" inside to inside measured perpendicular to the levers.

Well then Use the Big Beaver traps...there you go !!

... I'd still use the snares. lol

That's good news for Wanna be though.

Yeah

Good to be able to use All the tools!!!

Use both...cover all the good set locations....

Not doubting you because you’ve been doing this a lot longer than I have, but where did you get your info? All depends on what day I call as to what answer I get when asking DNR.

How long do the stakes need to be?

I'm sorry you have received bad info from our DNR staff. Very few know much about trapping and unless they read the law carefully the "5.75" max on land" sorta jumps out at people.

Here is the actual law code wording.....

Good luck with the beavers!

I cut off the top part of the screenshot....but it starts as: It is unlawful to.....1), 2), 3)...

You are the Man! Thank you sir.

We use 24" long 1/2" rebar stakes on the top of the rods.

Thanks ADC.

12 to 16 inches...
My stakes are all different

I buy 10' rod/rebar 3/8" thick and cut off 2' to make the stake. Gives me 2' stake and a 8' drowner.
If you dont weld or have access to one, the supply companies sell some bolt on stake ends and deep water ends.

How I do it as well but I prefer 1/2" rebar. We drive to our sets so carrying them is not an issue.

Hey Blak Spot this is kinda like the tarp at the auction. Takes me a while to catch on. Lollll

Lol! Takes me a while sometimes also

I love the diagrams in this thread @ADC. What type of hardware is good to connect and secure the lock on the drowning rod to the swivel on the trap’s chain?

Shove the loose end into the mud bottom works same as a wire and a weight

That ADC guy is a purdy fart smeller! Opps I mean smart feller!

Going to try this rod thing this year. Tried the foot hold/cable and cinder block this spring and it works great. Made my cable about 12’ long but by the time I made loops and wrapped it to the block, she’s a little short. I found out when I tossed the brick while holding onto the end of the cable…..lol. Very cold water when there’s still ice around. And pulling it out when you get a catch takes some muscle. Rod is light, just have to deal with the length.

You can’t beat them but they are made for steep banks like creeks or rivers . I use them mostly in ponds and sometimes they will get the bottom end loose and be sitting on the bank but nothing a .22 round won’t solve lol

I just use S hooks for that.

3/16" quick link. When not in use, just unscrew the link and remove trap.

@Swamp Wolf Thanks. I was thinking of trying something like that.

I just use a second J-hook in the end swivel to attach them to the drowning lock.

[/quote]
3/16" quick link. When not in use, just unscrew the link and remove trap.[/quote]


You can also use a trigger snap….much faster and no tools required.

Depending on the depth you got to work with, I kept the trap chain clipped to the lock as short as I could too.

Never could bring myself to use those. I like the sleep ez-hooks myself for attaching traps to things.

I've trapped a few beaver over the years and in my experience the drowning rod is akin to the invention of the wheel. I use TS-85's that very rarely miss due to a large area coverage and holding strength and quick connects to attach. This system increases my catch significantly.

Neither can I...

One kick or snag in the wrong spot and trap and beaver is gone.

I plan on stealing The Hammer's system and completely ditching all of the temporary attachments from the trap chain to the drowning lock. I don't trust all the little doo dads to a 65 pound beaver and I despise quick links

With a square tubing style drowning lock and the right stake loop on the rod you can slide the drowning lock off of the rod over the loop. Of course this won't happen when the rod is staked down because the stake is in the way and the lock can only slide one way, but when you pull them you can slide the trap off the rod with the lock attached. Welded j hook to the lock. No fiddling with trinkets to attach your trap to the rod, just slide it on

The photos in this link are helpful. http://www.trapperman.com/trapperman/drowning_setup.html
The chain on the end of my trap has the swivel (with a hole in the top of it) seen in the middle of the three in the photo. I need to connect it to a Hagz “L” shaped lock that looks similar to the one at the bottom of the same photo. It seems that a quick link would be easiest to use to connect the two for this setup. If it rusts, I should be able to cut the link with bolt cutters. Aside from that it should make for easy removal from the drowning rod lock in the event my trap pan gets bent up and I need to swap out traps.

Take a piece of trap wax and rub it into the threads on the quick link. You will not have any rust/siezed problems.

Hagz system can eliminate that if your using the fiberglass rods. Pull stake and then lock and trap can be removed from the rods.

Yep, tried those once use quick links now. Spray with penetrating oil end of season

Yep same premise. Fiberglass rods don't work well for me, if I had very soft bottoms I would have quite a collection of them I'm sure. I am only able to use rebar drownings rods about half the time here. The other half of the time its cable drowners and concrete block due to rocky bottoms. But I sure do enjoy using them when I can

@Swamp Wolf Bought a couple and it turns out that 3/16” quick links are too fat for the holes in the top of the swivels on both of my Bridger #5 traps. Looks like I’ll have to drill larger holes in the top of the swivels. Maybe ⅛” quick links will fit, I’m just not sure if they are strong enough to withstand the twisting of multiple beavers in the process of drowning in a trap.

Put in a mid-chain swivel (if chain doesn't already have one). Connect quick link in chain end. Depending on type lock you use you, may have to drill out attachment hole on the lock.

@Swamp Wolf The chain attached to the trap has a swivel. That’s the one with the hole that the link won’t fit through. I don’t know much about half of the stuff discussed on this site or the terminology. It’s all new to me. I’ve just been shooting the beavers that I see. Shooting them seems easier for me, I just don’t know how many there are. I’m still trying to figure out this trapping stuff. The lock is a Hagz lock for drowning rods. It comes in a bag with the stop and the end that the t-bar stake secures.

Great drawings ADC

Mac

You don't need to put the quicklink in the hole in the swivel that the jhook goes in. They can go through the middle of the swivel.

Great informative post!

@sniperBBB I thought about that after my last post. I did buy a larger 1/4” link that may be a better fit that way. Thank you for the suggestion.

I have some stakes that are 46" long and salvaged from a highline wire reel....I'll use those at times on a loosely constructed dam or in very loose substrate, but most of my stakes are 24" x 1/2" rebar with a washer welded on top.