Hey, never done the forum thing but can’t find anyone to talk to up here that does much otter trapping so giving this a try. I’ve wanted an otter hat for years and finally have a situation where I can try and catch a few so wondering how best to do that. I was thinking about a colony trap but not sure what size and materials needed for otter, and the logistics of using them around ice? We are in the Yukon so there is plenty of ice, but not too excited about cutting a big hole through solid ice every time to check traps but also could get interesting pulling a heavy set out standing on shelf ice or near open leads. Also a fair bit of overflow on the river and lake to complicate things, but lots of creeks to play around with so a number of options. Would a guy be better off just using conibears? I’ve never trapped under the ice so I just don’t know much about any aspect of it. Done a fair bit of traveling on ice but pretty cautious as i’ve never bathed on the trapline and don’t think I want to start now. Always short of time out there as I usually only spend 1 night out so low maintenance is fairly important after the initial set up. Either way if anyone has some thoughts that would be great and save me a pile of time. Thanks

Why not use bucket sets with conibears and fish for bait around any open water?

At iced over beaver dams with a constant water flow over the dam place a 280 or 330 BG trap or two back under the ice. Enlarge the hole if necessary, to accommodate the traps. Then block off the sides to the dam with sticks thus forcing the otter through the trap(s). With patience this set will take any otter using the creek system.

Where I trap in frozen conditions pretty much all the otters I get are in conibears over holes they use to access under the ice, especially old abandoned beaver houses. Trails between waterways are good too. It pays to be patient as it may be a long time before they come through. And predictably they move when it is snowing out where I’m at.

The above are all good suggestions and solid advise. Your best bet is to travel the water ways and find were they are coming up out of the ice as
3 Fingers says, and to be patient. When you set the holes make sure you put sticks under the trap to keep it off the ice, and the biggie, make sure your triggers are on top as the trap lays flat over the hole. They tend to jump up when fired and if you have them on the inside you might miss the otter if it comes from under the ice.

I trap quite a number of otter through the ice every year and the advice given by HFT and 3 fingers is spot on

In my area I have trapped otters by setting over holes into the ice as other have said. My main problem I have is on this particular creek that has lots of otter sign, the creek frequently rises and overflows. When this happens my traps get frozen in. I just recently set out a bucket set right next to where they regularly travel with some hooligan and whitefish in the hopes that maybe I might get lucky and find a hungry one. I know it's not likely, but at least it is worth a shot. I'm open to suggestions to avoid the overflow.

Bushwack Jack, I have had luck using the bucket set for them, the key is fresh bait, cant count the number of times they come up to one with a smelly salmon head and just cruise right on by, But if there is fresh fish in there it is a different story. There is no avoiding the over flow. I always try to set holes that are fresh and with open water. Many times I find a hole that they had used and it is froze over, I never set those. Another method you might consider is if you can find a spot were you can hear the water flowing under the ice chip a hole through it and set it. I have a few spots like that on my line, big rocks and in the summer little rapids, they produce if the otter come through that area.

overflow is a pain and there is no answer that I know of . I generally avoid the stuff
Another set that can be used After freeze up on small creeks that they are using is going along the edge eyeballing it when you see a small hole or crack that produces a weak spot in the ice after the water has dropped you can open it up take a look and sometime you will see trails they are running under the ice a coni in that trail or two or three along a short stretch can really be a deadly set

Thanks for the suggestions HFT AK and otterman. I did use fresh hooligan and whitefish. Hopefully I can find a hungry and desperate otter because I know they are efficient predators and not likely to scavenge for food. But I guess it's worth a shot.

Nothing ventured nothing gained Good luck and hope to see a catch pic

There is a way to trap them on top of the ice/snow, if you learn their travel patterns sledding on top. Takes patience and hope it doesn't snow 8 inches or more. Fence off the travel route and place a 330 or two in the fence. Walking a trail to and through the 330's seems to help. Over time you also learn to avoid locations that overflow. Traps and or catches frozen in overflow equals work.