Is it worth installing these on muskrat and mink traps or are they just a gimmick.

It’s my experienced opinion when trapping rats and /or mink in water with a 110 or 160 size trap, no need for a “stumble/trip” wire. If you use those traps on dry land in trail sets, to me it’s a flip of the coin because the mink has more control over it body movements than in the water and could slip through. I will say using 160’s in dry trails I do like wire but if by adding the wire gives you a warm comfortable feeling, wire’em all no matter where and for what you're using them.

If you use wire I suggest using a fine SS leader wire not cable. You may have to anneal it before using so you can twist it but it’s frog-hair fine when in a dry trail! I’ve flattened the ends of my trigger wires and drilled tiny holes for the wire and with a tiny dab of epoxy you’re golden.

Brings up question. Sometime ago I remember a product, I’ll call them tiny ferrules twisted onto each trigger wire using monofilament fishing line. Did this work or gimmick?
Thanks

Yup, remember them being advertised but I liked my method better whenever I wanted to use a “stumble wire” so I never bothered using them. I used far more BE sets than I ever did dry trail/snow sets.

Back to C.O. Trapper’s original question. I neglected to also explain in my 1st answer as to why I never felt the need for a 110 or 160 to have a “stumble wire” for trapping rats and mink under water. Understand that when these animals swim under water the water is a resistance to their swimming motion so they lack the total control of their body that they have when on dry land.[u][/u] That is why you don’t need a stumble wire for underwater sets because there is no precision of control of their swimming to be able to avoid a trap’s trigger wires as possible on dry land!
LOL, I mean on dry land they can stop and think about whether or not they want to go through the trap, they sure as the devil can’t stop and think about going through a trap under water! LOL

When on dry land, use braided fishing line, and find you some clear poly tubing that just barely fits over the trigger wire. SLide the line up and through the tubing, then slide the tubing over the trigger wire and repeat on opposite side. If it breaks or you lose it, super simple and cheap to replace.

when i am using just a normal 110 underwater setting verticle structure for mink my traps are constantly plugged with muskrats which is not a bad thing i agree there is really no need for a hoop for underwater sets but if your gonna set verticle edges up on dry land i would definetly recomend some type of hoop on a four way trigger so that the center of the trigger can appear to be open once the trap outline is broken up always remember mink dont like to push with there face and more then likely appear to melt around even a blade of grass

When the triggers go bad, you can put 220 circle triggers on 160s. Only downside is they catch more debris in a current.

Don't need the wire here even in dry land sets as orienting the trigger shape is enough to make a catch for me. PLUS as Bob said above, the "plugged" adult muskrats take more time to wiggle them out of the extra wire. If you use 110 size BG's to any extent, its annoying to squeeze the spring and not have the rat fall out of the trap for a quick reset, not to mention replacing the added wire every so often. Probably not an issue to those only using a few but setting, checking, moving and resetting lots of them daily takes more time than I want to donate when removing a catch. My experience. ................the (impatient) mike

Thanks for the input guys I'll be in water so I'm not gonna use them

On land I always add a small wire along the bottom of the trigger wires. I cut them off so they are shorter so the bottom 1/3 of the circle is the smaller wire. It's gained me many mink over the years. It helps to make the loop the size of a soda can.





In water. Doesn't matter.


I use bricks like this too. I think I saw this on Minktrapping.com


I saw Eris Space give a demo with snares on bricks at Minktoberfest. It look pretty slick but we cannot use snares here. The body trap is a mechanical snare. Use it like a snare on land.

I use this sometimes on dry land sets. Spider wire between triggers

Bob Noonan likes em, that’s gotta mean something.

I got my first weasel last winter that way Turtledale

I like that. How do you attach that line?

I flatten the ends of the trigger wire with a small hammer. So the line doesn't slide down. Tie the line on. And put just a real tiny dot of gorilla glue on with the knot with a toothpick. It lasts longer than you'd think. Sometimes after a catch I have to spread the trigger wires back.

Trip wires were the only trigger mod that caught me any dry land mink but they are fragile and easily broken. Circle triggers were the bonanza for me which I FINALLY tried after 40 yrs trying every thing else. My catch skyrocketed to my great surprise. Very durable wire to make them(very easy) can come from bicycle spokes(small bg's), unicycle spokes for(mid bg"s) and joist insulation spreader wire(for LG). Yes, a few smaller mink can get thru(tracks in snow) but these are usually females which I don't want to catch anyway. It is a great help to place your BG's w/dog down as when their back hits going thru it takes much less pressure on it to fire even though it is a longer movement. Last two season that I experimented with them late season(snow for us) I ran 160/155 mixed with them for three weeks at culverts and caught 14 for 15 before the weeks were up(and a few assorted other furbearer). Then the mink market crashed and I just don't have the time to chase under $10 mink on a big line till my retirement home build is done. Circle triggers on under water 330's have almost eliminated incidental spring muskets(which are out of season here). They get bent up like any trigger wire configure but are easily restored to shape(most times).