This has happened to many times. Edumacate me please.

Hard to see what you have going on there from your picture. If I had to guess I say an improperly rigged snare/ snare lock, that is closing down on it's self.

I see that from time to time, usually happens before I ever deploy them and I have to straighten that out first, lol. They get pulled on something.

If that's from a critter, you almost tail snared something.

Maybe debris floating in the current???

It's a heavily loaded snare that happens to, I might add. It wants to close.

its not going to do that on its own. it has to be pulled.

Thank you for your responses.

My results have been mixed, and I am not sure what has been right when it has worked and wrong when it didnt The snare was loaded, but wont close down that far on its own. The snare was set for a beaver. I had another snare set twenty or so yards up the channel from this one. It was also closed down to three or four inches. I have been experimenting with different depths and loop size, but have yet to find the sweet spot. The loops where ten inches in diameter and two thirds submerged. I have also considered that my support isnt rigid enough.. I like to use a good stick for my support but it may not be rigid enough to allow the snare to cinch down tight.

That is the stick with my support wire attached.

Couple things to try:

Goose neck your snares. This allows the locks to hang better on the cable and fire more freely

Go to half submerged on your snares. 2/3 puts the snare right in the face of floating beaver.

Another thing to think about with snares on beaver is the possibility of catching their feed instead of the beaver. Not much you can do on that.

Please explain goose neck.

When you bend the snare cable for the lock end stop, many people rotate the cable 90-135*. You gooseneck it either by then taking your thumb on the cable and bending it again or, and what I prefer, is to make 3 90* bends so that the cable almost touches itself again.

Almost a loop instead of an L?

Yes

I rebent the bottom one. Is this what you ment?

yep

Gracias.

Something I just noticed on your last picture...that looks like 1x19 cable to me? Is your stop threaded?

Many things could have caused that snare being partly closed. A muskrat could have knocked it down as it passed through or a beaver may have been snare shy and did an abrupt about face at it knocking it down. A ten inch loop is pretty big so a smaller beaver may have made it through before it could close completely on it since they are pretty streamlined when they swim. I have gone to an 8 inch loop and have usually neck snared the bigger beaver and get the smaller ones behind the front legs. I have loaded snares also but support them pretty firmly and have the lock in a position where it takes a pretty good tug to spring it. Hope you can solve your problem.

Turtles...