I've got some equipment questions for those who trap rivers out of jon boats/ canoes.

Do you use a prop cage or other device to protect the prop?
Do you use one anchor or two and which one do you use most(bow/stern)?
What kind of anchor, traditional, river or grapple(mixed mud and gravel bottom)?
Do you use a tarp to cover your gear from bystanders or does it get in the way?
For a 9.9hp fourstroke Mercury, Yamaha, Honda?
With thousands of set(sign) locations on a river how do you decide where to trap, trial and error, past success, or the sixth trapper sense?

I trap at least 70% of the time out of a boat.
I have a 150 hp Honda Jet....dont have to worry about props.
Conventional anchor..
Dont cover anything to cover them...none of their business...however, I watch where I put my traps to avoid thieves
Past success, topographical maps showing gulleys, ditches, Google Earth, tracks, large timber where coons den up,etc.

This is all for coons...

Sgt B does OKLA still have a 40 coon limit?

set all ditches and creeks that come in, set sheer banks that next to flat banks . set trails , on top of or next to all beaver lodges are good locations for coon mink , where root wads force the critters into the water, each end of rock bluffs

where a life jacket nomadder how good of a swimmer you r

I agree with SgtB, 95% of my trapping time is on the water. The main thing is safty first and respect the river because it will not respect you if you screw up.

Yes, safety is important but what about prop guards, tarps, anchor types and motor reviews?
thanks

I don't have the boat trapping experience that some folks here do....but I'll add my two cents anyway.

Do you use a prop cage or other device to protect the prop?

No. It's just mud here. In the shallows I run it unlocked due to logs and stumps...and go slow! I hit one at about 30 one day. Scared? Yeah....I about jumped out.

Do you use one anchor or two and which one do you use most(bow/stern)?

I have two...but mostly just beach the boat and throw a line up.
Hardly ever anchor the craft.

What kind of anchor, traditional, river or grapple(mixed mud and gravel bottom)?

I don't know what they are called...but one heavy mushroom shaped one, and one of the folding blade type that's pretty light weight.

Do you use a tarp to cover your gear from bystanders or does it get in the way?

No. There are no bystanders where I trap...and I don't want to carry anything I do not need.

For a 9.9hp fourstroke Mercury, Yamaha, Honda?

A buddy of mine just bought a 9.9 Mercury and seems to like it. I've fished with him a couple times. I run a 20HP Mariner.

With thousands of set(sign) locations on a river how do you decide where to trap, trial and error, past success, or the sixth trapper sense?

Set all of them.

One thing you have to remember you will be OUT of the boat 90% of the time setting traps It's very hard if not Impossible to make sets and set traps while In the boat.

The only way to make a boat line pay off Is to do some major scouting well In advance of the season opener. You can even flag locations. When you scout lay out the line In segments. Lets say the first segment will take 40 traps and the next will take 30 traps. now you will have to make the decision as to how your going to safley haul your grear. I stash my traps at the start of each segment of the line. So I'm never over loading the boat. You can do this before the season starts. Drwoning cables can be set up On hot locations.
You will also need to find bridge crossing where you can drop off your catch. A bunch of wet muddy coon will weigh up In a hurry and make for a unsafe situation.
So get out and scout and then scout some more don't go into this blind and leave things to chance.
Be safe take no chances and NEVER leave the boat with out tying It off to something. I don't like anchors they have a way of getting tangled up In things on the bottom If yoiu chose to use a anchor use rope to fasten It to the boat.I use a 2 prong grappnel just toss It In the brush and your hooked up or hook It up In the bank.
I've been doing this for 30 years or so. So get out and scout.

Good luck

As far as motors go I bought a 4 stroke Yamaha about 3 weeks or a month ago. I think it is great. It is 20 instead of 9 but I couldnt be more pleased with its performance to this point.
I did a lot of research and I feel that any of the motors you mentioned would be great.

like the beav said i use a 2 prong grappel, watch your weight, a tarp will get in the way in nov. there isn't alot of people on or by the river. set every spot with 3-4 traps depending on sign the 1st yr. the more times you run the river you will know where the good spots are, flag stops and KEEP A LOG you will not remmber every set or how many is at each stop.unless you are running a real shallow river i don't see the need in a guard.
i run the river with a partner its safer and we can get more sets out in less time.

Make sure you're trapping state land, In Michigan property owners own the river bottom to the center of the river. Can't set a trap without permission.

sorry so late....and yes it is a 40 coon limit...if you have a prop lower.....either buy or I build a skeg guard....very simple to make and will save your motor.....I have actually ran my jon boat across gravel bars where the bottom of the boat was sliding on gravel with a skeg guard.......the skeg guard slides across the the bottom gravel or mud keeping your prop off the bottom and out of harms way......very easy to build if you have a welder.....

Trapped the river for years and years in a 12-foot V-hull with a 4 HP Evinrude prop motor. Only ever broke 3 shear pins in the life of that motor. Unfortunately, I broke one about 10 miles from home and didn't have a spare. That was a long day!

Now I use a 60/45 HP Mercury jet on a 16-foot 7-degree V-hull. Lot faster!

My river is all rocks, so mushroom anchors tend to drag until they wedge under a rock and are stuck. Also, when you throw a mushroom anchor up on shore, they just roll off. I use all Chene anchors on all my boats now. It's a 2-point anchor which digs in quickly, but if it gets hung up under a rock you can move upstream with a slack anchor line and it will back straight out from under the rock when you tighten up. It also hooks into mud on the bank quickly, or you can put a point around a bush or small tree for quick anchoring. ALWAYS, ALWAYS tie up or securely anchor the boat when you are out of it. Pretty lonely feeling when you are standing on an island watching your boat float downstream (believe me!).

All my equipment goes in totes. I don't use the lids on the totes though because when you're doing 35 MPH and a lid flys off, they hurt when they hit you in the face (again, believe me!). Catch goes on newspapers on the casting deck, leaving a space for me to easily get out on shore.

Rivers are incredibly powerful; ALWAYS WEAR A LIFE JACKET AND USE THE DEADMAN SWITCH CORD!

Rivers are also fur bonanzas. Just be careful, and sharpen your skinning knife. Might need more stretchers too.

Jets Rock.........here is my trapping boat in bowfishing mode with a Honda 150 jet and hydralic CMC jackplate

on my river line i run a tunnel haul jon boat to eliminate the use of a jet prop,and yes the rivers will produce a ton of fur but allways rember safty first.

anybody else run a jet lower???

I run a 16 ' aluma weld john boat with a 45 hrs factory mercury jet . I'ts not as pretty as yours but it goes were I want to go if gets a few scratches or dents in the bottum on the way so be it

big down where your from a jet is a must up here there nothing but a power robber.

Thanks I never thought about the private land issue as the river near by runs though mostly state land but there may be some pockets of private.

Thanks for all the response.
I just put my boat up for sale
and as soon as it sells I'll get and set up my trapping boat.
Was planning on a 14'x36" riveted jon with a 9.9 motor as I'm concerned with weight of the rig. I've got 40-60 river miles to trap for coon and any incidentals.
SgtB thats a sweet setup.