I’ve got a friend that’s needing help on catching otter at some boat docks . I’ve caught them in the swamps and rivers but never on a boat dock . The dock are private owned and no access to the public behind lock and key but on big water.

Scout the surrounding land, you'll find a toilet. Looks like coon scat everywhere...find a trail out of the water and set with a 330, or make a pocket set with a foothold. That's my experiences (limited) anyway.

I once met a trapper whose specialty was catching otters on boat ramps. He worked quite a bit up the Washington coast. He caught them in live traps with a little piece of carpet soaked in otter urine as the draw.

Tommie, one of our members told me at one of our meetings just a while back that he does a lot of dock trapping for otter. Had all kinds of problems until he built a sort of litter box and I think put moss in it and used a #3 double long spring. He puts the box on the dock next to the edge and attached the trap to a drowning rod just over the edge into the water. He said it works like a charm as the otter uses the box just as your cat would. You might give it a try.

I've heard that you can sink a 5 gallon bucket set with a 220 and fresh fish guts in the bottom for bait. I've never seen it done so take it for what it's worth.

lcd's approach is similar to what the dock trapper I mentioned had outlined. Very similar.

Float sets are normally for beaver but I suppose you could try to modify that or a rat float for otter

If legal there 220 in a cat litter bucket is what guy at a marina here uses Most docks are vacant this time if year The 5 gal bucket set works also

This is how

Make sure to use only blue buckets!