Seems Dobbins Woodchipper works. Caught a few with it.

Sarge

Proof that otters are very curious^^^^^

Woodchipper is a beaver food lure, ie tree oils.

Nah, no tree oils in Woodchipper. The base is 4-herb. It would be a curiosity to otters. I wouldn't consider it a good otter lure though. Beaver Plus has way more otters to its credit than Woodchipper.

I sure thought I could smell some poplar bud/birch and such in Woodchipper. I stand corrected.

Mink gland lure or bobcat gland lure. Both work great for otters. I know Otters hate mink, so that is why mink lure works. Not sure why the bobcat gland lure works, but it sure does. I saw it on you tube from Dale Billings a few years ago. Figured I would try it. Glad I did.

Any bait lure will guarantee a coon in the trap!

Awsome info guys. Thanks alot I'm looking forward to trying that double dirthole. I've never heard of a compass set I'll have to study on that one.

LMAO! I can’t help it, every time someone mentions the double-dirt hole set I can’t help but remember an infamous pair of trappers from Indiana that used the “ Double-Dirt Hole Alien Set” when making a 400 coyote run in 2 weeks. I’m forbidden to mention one fella’s name here but I will say to those who were really here back then, “BAIT’EM-UP!!! You’ll understand why I said that if you were here!

Compass set is 4 holes. Trap set in the middle of them. The double dirt hole I use for the water is one hole about 4-5” above the other. Makes them stand up and check it out. Got the tip from lenons lures online articles.

My years in southeast Alaska, where there are a LOT of otter, when the price tanked, I would make ! otter set every opening day, on a point that was visited by every otter that passed. This was in the ocean, and the otter had a smorgasbord of available food sources. It was a blind trail set that was guarded by a 280, and next check always held an otter. I would then pull the set, and that evening I was reminded of why I hate skinning and fleshing those torpedoes.
However, that usually wasn't my only otter for the season, as they would find my mink boxes and wolverine cubbies, too. And I know that a Belisle 120 will hold a smallish otter, and so will a #1 longspring. I also know bailing wire usually will not!
Mink gland lure hooked a few, as did beaver castor and Gusto.
I really never put much stock in lure for otter, but trap location is the key.

That’s been my experience also, I just blind set where they’re going to be. We have so many of them, they’ll tell you where to set if you’re paying attention. And they have so much food available I haven’t ever spent time trying to appeal to their stomachs. I’ve never tried a curiosity set for them, not that it wouldn’t work, I’ve just never felt like I needed to, any rocky point in the ocean will get otter traffic, log piles along the beach will get otter traffic, any small stream feeding into the ocean, small islands, etc. I have had limited success with submerged buckets, but that’s usually something I set near docks where there’s no good place to set, and the water is 20’+ deep, so it’s the only set I can think of to put in.

2010 - 2011

Swamp is that when they were going around 80 dollars a piece.

Slipknot,
Averages were about that.

All those went to NAFA.

The 70+/- otter in the top pic brought $6000 and change.

Swamp Wolf, those skins look great. Nice handling. I know that Trapped4ever takes a ton of otter, and has expert skinning and handling skill. he traps southeast Alaska, and gets top dollar, even in down markets. As prices have improved, I hope those chasing otter get rewarded for the work required to properly finish those things. They really are a neat animal, and the fur is amazing. I don't understand why they aren't $200.00 average pelts.

Id sure like to see otter increase to those levels again. Have plenty of otter down here with good access.