Here is a prototype for a muskrat float. I haven't trapped with it yet. seems to me to be a good design. 7 1/2 inches wide, as a 1 by 8 board is that wide. 20 inches long with one inch closed cell Styrofoam glued to the bottom. a furring strip for the sides. 1 1/2 coil spring traps. I would use a bamboo stake in the 3/4 inch hole in the center. Looks good to me. Anybody use the same or similar design? Does it look good?

I have used the exact same design, except mine were 24" long. Only because I ripped down 4' wide sheets of plywood and it was less cutting. I will say, a longer float will equal more doubles. I had days where I had 35 floats out and scored as many as 67 rats. I screwed a bent washer on each end with a hole drilled in it to accept a quick link to attach traps. A #1.5 Duke DJ on that setup has taken 1,000's of rats for me. Always in the spring. Quite hit and miss in the fall, unfortunately.

We don’t have huge numbers of rats in my area. Why does the extra 4’" result in more doubles? Less tippy?



Owl

Stake it better.

looks like the perfect float. Now you just have to place the bait up about 7" above the traps.

I know a guy in South Dakota that uses the same design, and never puts a stitch of bait on them. Not saying bait won't help, but they'll work without bait also.

I see a couple issues (having used them quite abit and having watched many many rats swim onto them and how they react). The traps should be secured to the ends....and realistically it's still abit too short. You'll get a lot of one rat in two traps with that setup. Sometimes rats jump off the side and sometimes they run in the direction they are facing (to your other trap).

The width is better than most that make them but if you're going to make more, make them just wide enough for your jaws to fit between the outer firring strips. I've watched more than a handfull of rats that will walk the furring strips. Sometimes they'll drop a foot and sometimes not. if the pan is too far from the furring strip they are apt to miss the pan. This is where the biggest (and lightest) pan you can find helps more than most think. The first thing I do to my rat traps is take the stock pan off. Watch a few rats walk all over your "properly tuned" traps and the lightbulb comes on pretty quickly.

The staking setup is fine...but I'd use fiberglass rods. I've caught more than a few coon on floats and they hang up pretty close usually.

Also, most use the closed cell foam underneath as rats tear up the white stuff pretty good.

That said, floats work great in the Dakokas but don't work worth a hoot around here in MN. I hope you can get them to work for you. Good luck.

They would work fine in MN if we had a spring, open water, season!

Iowa too.

So whats your answer? A wider pan or what?

Wild river trap pans-but on the float design-I agree a little longer but one thing for sure-the hole for the pole is way too small-it will bind when water levels change-make it at least an inch if you are using 1/2" fiberglass poles. Trust me I have used floats for years-using them as I type this out response. But other than that it looks good!

Yes, Mikes Wild river pans are about the best I've used. HD and pre bent for consistent tension. Double post for me.

I'm not sold on this viewpoint anymore. A few years ago we had a super early spring thaw here where I was able to set out some floats before season closed. Rats were moving and we had open water. The floats were a big fail.

If you cut the top of the firring strips at a 45 degree or more angle, do you think they would be more likely to walk on the flat surface, ie. the pan?

Are ducks a problem with this floating set?

They never worked for me other then In ND. And they connected both fall and spring. But more effective In the spring.
If you place your bait up high It doesn't matter how they climb on the float they have to stand on their hind legs to get to the bait.
Never caught a duck on one but I'm sure It could happen.
But I'm more partial to using stools then floats.

Good turtle set

Beav....can you post a pic of your stool ...

I used 2x6’s 30” for my floats-the 1 1/2 coil fits great on the end in them. I put a rail on the end so trap wouldn’t fall off. Also had rails but were 3/4” x 1” on sides. Caught over 2200 rats in them with way more doubles than singles. I used no bait, just lure except for a pile of green grass around center stake and after a week didn’t use anything at all but shakes the water out of dead rats over my float 😉 Maybe in the fall bait like carrots would be better, I don’t know since I didn’t need any.

Now here is what I learned.

The rails need to be as narrow as possible and at least 2” tall to discourage climbing onboard from over the sides and running up/down the rails. I like the idea of a triangle piece pointy up.

30” is perfect IMO but suppose 24” would be minimum if you used high sides. Still use 2x6”. Now I’d use nothing but #2 old Victor #2 SJ coil springs with big pans and because this trap is 5.5” jawspread might have to add my rails to the side of board.

Ok, your chain is too short-have seen rats climb back up the chain from underwater. I want a heavy trap hence the #2’s and lots off heavy chain so once they are down no coming back up. They get bite up from other males in the spring so the more you can stay away from that the less damage.