Hey guys, last year i ran cement blocks and railroad plates on my drowners for beaver. They worked well, but it made long walks very hard to impossible. This year I’m thinking about running feed sacks or burlap. I was wondering how you guys attach these to your cable? I know that you fill them with dirt and rocks, and tie them shut, but I’m wondering how you attach them. Thanks!

Put a sliding lock on the end of your snare wire and cinch it down around the bag. Throw a half hitch around the bag for extra measure.
On the opposite end of the slide wire attach about a foot of small chain and a small S hook, loop that end around a stake, root, etc. to secure the upper end.
Just say no to tie wire.

I do much the same thing in that I have a cheap snare lock on the deep end and generally run a T stake on the upper which has a simple loop for the stake to go through

Most the time nowadays if I have to walk a ways I just use 330s or run a pole drowner cut on site or a takedown rerod one

I use a cordless drill and a masonry drill bit to drill holes in existing large rocks - then I insert a Tapcon through a few links of chain into the hole. This is very secure and easy to attach a drowned rig to. Usually I am able to get a hole into about 90% of rocks. It is there then for the next year.

Wire...3 wraps of soft wire leave one wrap loose and give it a twist with a pliars into a loop

Does it matter what color the bags are? I was told to avoid bright colors? Thanks

I don't think so.

By the time they notice what color the bag is their goose is cooked, in my thinking.

Bright color might attract thieves

Next batch of traps I set up I'm going to have either the pans or the drowner lock a bright color for quick visual when checking.

Use rocks....NOT dirt. Some dirt actually floats...or has very little weight in the water. Weird but true.

That said, rods are a huge advantage over bags. If weight is an issue, the 1/2" fiberglass rods work decent....but still cumbersome depending on the terrain.

I got a whole tote full of empty nylon grass seed sacks for use on beaver downers. They work well with our dirt here. I fill them about half full and wire the top shut like a bread bag and twist tie. Then I use a length of wire for my downer add the lock and trap. Toss the bag out to deeper water and i use a t stake at bank end pull the drowned wire taught and wire it off to the t stake. Has worked well for me for many years. I'd rather carry empty sacks to fill on-site than weights or take time to look for or cut poles on-site either.
The sacks I got for free from local coop one year.
A few years back I didn't have sacks so I used old t-shirts and wired the arm and neck holes shut and those worked well too.
Jim

Huh? Don’t waste time or money with that.
The book says to find a weed bout 2’ long and stab it thru a link of the chain or just below the trap chain so when trap/chain go down rod, weed is pulled out.
So you can check from afar if needed, just look for that standing weed.
I guess we don’t read the same beaver trapping books.

Good advice there
sand or gravel are ok here, too. ,,
If I can’t carry rods

I used to use white feed sacks and wore beaver out so I doubt it.

Went to rods in ‘05 and never looked back.