What do you guys weld on the ends for stops? Washer on top for the stake and a washer on the bottom to help hold in mud?

Washer about a foot up welded

A chunk of angle iron about 1 1/2 x 8" will give more holding power and than you don't need to shove them so far in the mud.

I'm no professional, so take this for what it's worth, but I just cut " off the rebar I'm building the rod with and fillet weld it about a foot up from the deep end of the rod.

here's what mine look like, HEAVY 1/4" thick washer at the end that gets t-staked on shore and reg washer sideways 6" from bottom.

mine are 3/8" smooth rod and have caught a few dozen over 70lbs. BUT ya MUST make sure to secure in deep water.

I needed some in a pinch just used the 1/8 cable 10 foot long and cut down some 20 foot sticks of rerod down to 9 foot lengths wired the cable loops I swaggered tight to the rerod sticks. Just use the MB swivels for the drowner slide lock put another loop at the other end for a shore stake.

I don’t need waders on the creek I’m working I just set the location the pull the cable almost tight then hammer in the rerod out in deeper water ( it’s a deep creek) f the trap is gone I grab the rerod with a vicegrip and pull up the cable to see what I have.

The single rod looks a lot easier to set up I just did not have the time to make them up I trap beaver about every 10 years here.

I bought carbon fiber reber at close out this fall and am enjoying the weight and the performance