I scouted and found otter sign earlier this year but it's been well below freezing since and the next few nights will be single digits. Any tips on how or where to set to keep traps from freezing in? I'll look for slides in fast moving water but even that may freeze. I'm in Pennsylvania so I only have a 1 week season

It is always frozen up here during trapping season If you can find open flowing water find or create a pinch point and drop a 330 in there. if everything is locked up try and find were an ice shelf has been created or a crack in the ice were a otter will go in and out. Spots like that I block it down and drop either a 220 or 330 on front of the hole. I like my trigger on the bottom when I set. I take 2 sticks and place them pooking in towards the hole and place the coni on top of them to keep the trap from freezing and I like my trigger wires on the outside. Another set that has been productive for me I call the Bronco set. Punch a hole in the ice over flowing water and pot a coni over the top of it again trigger wires on the outside. Put sticks under it so it dont freeze down. If you are going to try and use bait fresh herring is the best. I have had very little luck on anything else.

If you have an iced over beaver pond with a constant water flow over the dam place a
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).

Go to the beaver. Whether active beaver colonies or abandoned lodges, otter will go to those beaver lodges when it’s bad cold. Most of those places will have a place that they can access the water. Set the holes/pinch points.