Anyone have any tips they'd like to share? Anyone do much lake trapping? Probably would be all dog proofs, run from a boat, most likely on drowners.

How far apart are you making double sets? Just setting the incoming feeder creeks?

Just curious what you all do.

I have run quite a few traps on lakes. I normally only set feeder creeks and any big gullies that lead from the ridges to the lake, and any other big funnels like powerline cuts. If you are going to run drowners might as well set normal footholds and catch the mink, rats, and otter that will be there are well. Plus, the catch per trap is better (at least has been for me) with a foothold over a DP. You can set a foothold blind along a trail and still catch a coon that has no interest in working a DP.

The first year I used DP's I slayed coon with them, it seems, at least for me, that a percentage of coon have become educated to them. I've been leaning more and more on foothold traps also. Hate to miss out on incidental mink and rats. That being said, best bet around lakes are as AnthonyT already said, feeder creeks are a must set as well as any gullies. I wouldn't neglect a bait stick set along the waterline in certain areas either. Anywhere food congregates is a place to invesitgate, large number of crawfish, minnows, etc. Keep an eye out for den trees, in my area usually large sycamore, but any grandmother tree will draw coon. In response to your question on double spacing, I'd set them as close as you can while keeping enough space so two coon can't get at each other. Best bait to a set is another live coon.

Good tips so far. It's a fairly busy public lake, so im intending to test it out with DPs first to get a feel for winter traffic before I attempt footholds, etc.

For spacing, I was more meaning if you set in between creeks and ditches, are you tossing in a double set every 200 yds or so?

Unless there is a feature there to funnel or attract coon I don't set it. On a feeder creek with good sign I'll drop in 4 sets - 2 on each side. One lake I trap has lots of rock around it. Where a rock ledge meets the water and forces the coon into the water to get by it can be a killer spot. If the ledge is long enough you can run 2-6 sets on it. Can be a purely blind set or you can slap and go some bait on the rock above the trap. Same idea as setting a concrete bridge wall just with a rock ledge. Will hammer mink and rats too, and an occasional otter or beaver. I have found that if the people using the lake are in boats and fishing, they don't normally get out of the boat or up in the shallows during the winter so I just run footholds. If there may be duck hunters around I will go to DPs, but I would much rather use the footholds.

I trapped a little around the lake run 160s body traps in camo square buckets . I use cut bait in the buckes. I have caught several bobcats in the sets too.

If you can get out of the boat and hit the shores grassy and other trails are hard to beat for locations. Those feeder creeks should have trails.
I too have been a setting more footholds and bodygrips for coon than DPs but the DPs do shine in certain locations.
One thing I like about this group on here..post up some pics of locations and they will repost some with arrows and lines drawn on them showing you exactly where they would make sets and why. Get some pics on here and you will get all kinds of great tips.
Jim

A friend of mine ran a 3 day line by boat on a large lake with a mixture of dps and fishstick sets with footholds,I believe he caught 65 coons and 5 otter the first check and fish sticks out produced the dps on coon like 4-1, plus the otter.

That is the way it seems to go with DPs. If you run them head to head with either footholds or bodygrips the DPs seem to be way less efficient. There was a post on here awhile ago where the guy was running a big number of coni cubbies. At each stop the had a cubby and a DP. I think he caught a couple hundred coon - only one was in a DP. I think what helps with a cubby is it is a big inviting hole with a big enticing bait that they just have to walk up to. Same with a foothold set - even if the coon just walks up for a glance or a sniff you still have a shot at him. If it walks up and sniffs a DP you got no chance at catching that coon. The fishstick set is the same kinda deal as a cubby - big bait, lots of eye appeal and super easy for a coon to just walk up to.

That is the crazy thing - it all depends. Just finished a nuisance job. Ran DP's (cat food / maple syrup / strawberry jam) and body grips baited with fish. Ended up with 21 coons, 2 possums, and one skunk. The DP's out performed the body grips 4 - 1 yet I have run the same set up in the fall and had the opposite results.

I think it really depends on the season and the temperatures. Fish doesn't last long in hot weather and the animals aren't stocking up like they do in the fall whereas the fruit season is on now.

Brian

There is 2 older guys that run the lakes and rivers here. They was running 1.5 traps and 160s . But went to dp and 160s. They hammer the coons. Its 98% rocks around the lakes here. They do catch other stuff on the lakes too. But they catch alot more other stuff on rivers. The good thing about 160s 72hr check. They run a line on the river and lake same time. One of the guy's had a custom 22ft wide river boat made. He put a jet prop on it. They leave before daylight and it's dark when they get back. When they went to dp. I could buy #11 for 3 bucks a piece [ victor, b & L. sleepy creek, northwood, and dukes ].

If the lake your trapping by is busy, make sure your DP's are a natural color and not white or something being that seems to attract just as many people as it does coons.

The guys here got out the boat on lake and river. They caught everything. I know that one yr they caught 500+ coons off lake and river. P

Every place I set I set two traps for two coon. If you see a lot of sign put 3 or 4 traps. Treat the shoreline same as you do a creek bank. I set a double trap set every 300 yards in good coon country. Some say every 1/4 mile but I try to set heavy to get them quicker so I can move on.

Some good tips in here thanks gang. Larry, that's what I was thinking too. On the flat shore lined hardwoods in between creeks, at a double set ever couple hundred yards.