Unrelated, but I am new here, and new to trapping. I am starting small, with a few muskrat traps. My line is in a heath of sorts with a stream running through it... I am using combination of 2 110's, a 1 1/2 and a #1 foothold, all I could afford at the time. I have been setting them on what appear to be muskrat slides from the grass into the stream, some baited with carrot or potato. My traps have been out about 2 weeks, and I haven't caught a single one. Am I doing something wrong? Any help would be appreciated.

If your traps are set on fresh sign, you can expect to catch muskrats right away. If you've gone two weeks w/o a catch, something is not right. Not knowing the exact location or how you have your traps placed, I suspecting that what you described as slides might be old sign.

I would look for a feed bed...a place where they eat and have grass/root clippings piled up. Set a foothold on the feed bed and anchor it in deep water.

In addition to that, look for bank dens. You can find them really easy if there is skim ice. There will be a bubble trail under the ice leading away from the bank den.Once you find an active bank den, set it with a 110.

If you have open water, another thing to try would be a just a general pocket set. Dig a pocket back into the bank and place your 1 1/2 at the entrance. Put some type of lure/bait in the back of the pocket. Once you start catching rats, you can use the rat carcasses for bait. Be sure to anchor very solid as this set will just as likely take a coon.

Anise oil and apples can also be used as an attractant for rats.

Hope it helps.

Rats move more than we think and they have moved up or down the stream. If the slides are active they will have fresh mud or wet grass, if not they are not being used. I have very good luck at slides and never use any bait as the rats will be there is they are in the area. The slides could be used by other animals then rats too. Could be coon and or otter. Not common to go even days let alone weeks if rats are there.

Bryce

Get some Lennon's muskrat lure. Also I like the Blake and Lamb sure hold and the Victor Stoploss traps in the #1 size. Try some baited floats in deep water. Used field dried whole ear corn on the cob on the floats. Works pretty good.. I used to make a set on some piled up rocks out in the creek. Stack the rocks so your trap will be just under the water. Go and pull up some green grass and place the grass on the rocks around the trap. Add a smear of lure on a twig or smear some on the rocks. Wire your trap to weight and toss it out in the deep water. Some times a coon will get in your trap so make sure he cant go far without getting tangled up..

Thanks for all the advice- as for the sign I'm seeing, I have a creek flowing through sort of a marsh. Here's a picture of the marsh, and one of the type of slides I think I'm seeing.

That to me does not look like a very active rat slide. Also how deep are you setting your traps? For rats you probably want the trap in less then 2 inches of water. I prefer a short inch myself.

Bryce

Look for floating logs or logs going into the water from shore.If there are rats around these logs will have fresh ratshite on them where the rats are using them.Rats use shite to scentmark.Fresh ratshite is green and pellets well defined-old ratshite is brown not well defined.Some places will have fresh shite over the old.
Chop a notch on the logs with fresh ratshite so your trap sets flat and solid.You can use ratmusk or a commercial lure or bait,but not necessary if the ratshite is fresh.You can set a couple traps at the good locations if you get more traps.
Also look for flattened down grass and lots of grass cuttings near shore-the rats will be feeding at these spots and are sure fire places for your sets.
If rats are there there should be sign.

You could try a bottom edge set, without bait. Easy to set, but amazing how well they work sometimes.

Thanks for all the advice. These traps are near the bottom of the marsh, It's almost a mile long. Would it be a good idea to put a canoe in and go up a ways to look for sign?

Yes it would.Trapping rats is all about setting on sign-they dont wander far.

Like someone said, no more than a strong inch of water over your pan.

Congratulations on a beautiful buck.

Was driving through MO on I-70 Monday at 5pm and saw lots of deer. Could believe how many were several hundred yards out into fields.

Ok- I'll try to get a canoe in soon and wander up it a ways. Thanks!

Update: today I went up the marsh about another half mile or so. There is definitely muskrat sign- I see some poop. However, I'm not sure there's anything fresh, all the poop is brown not green. Will muskrats "migrate" up or downstream considerably? Also, will they ever hang out under brush on the bank? It appears as though there is some action under a bush in about an inch of water...

Rats like to feed under bushes as it protects them from above.

Seems like rats in small streams kind of migrate twords deeper pools of water around here as temps drop from what I've seen.

theyre scat can vary in color alot from different areas depending on what theyre eating.so brown could be fresh. Set one and try it. Look for lots of cutting from cattails floating around and if its fresh set it too. You should catch a rat overnight pretty much.

So here's some news: I ended up moving my traps downstream about a half mile, where there is a pool as the road crosses over the stream with a culvert. I set my 110s on slides and dug pocket sets for my footholds. Today I got my first rat in the 110! Really exciting for me. Thanks for all the help!