This might be a stupid question, anyone know of a tool that could use to dig a pocket along a stream in frozen ground? A cordless drill auger? Probly isn't a way but thought I ask

I would look into the auger, that’s a great idea. Just be careful if it binds or something with the frozen ground, don’t want to hurt yourself.


Y’all get deeper freeze than us, but I think it should work.

A hand held auger and bit would work tho it would be A LOT of work. A 3/4 - 1 inch wood bit bit in a cordless electric drill would work too. The pocket doesn’t have to be in the water to work.

Wouldnt the water be frozen also if the banks are frozen?

How frozen we talking……. Frost a couple inches or a foot or better. When the ground starts to get hard here in Michigan I had to improvise once with a pick axe…… not necessarily by choice but it’s what I had in the truck….

It has been in single digits above an below zero

Better go cordless drill and a wood bit……

This for coon or mink

Cordless and mason bit, wobble out a hole and pin bait to the back

Portable pockets
I use Gatorade bottles

Faster and easier than digging a pocket.

I have some black plastic tile I never hardly used before,what did use, didn't catch a thing

Some creeks or stretches of creeks stay open almost all winter.

Ever try PVC pipes Dave? If you still have any of my fish based bait in the freezer you'll catch them with it. I use an elbow on the end of a piece of 1/2 PVC pipe. Just scoop it full of bait and stick it in open water 2-6" deep and set your trap in front of it. Sure beats digging pockets in frozen banks. You don't have to worry about exposed bait either like I know you get concerned with with fish stick sets.

In this picture there were 6 PVC sets, caught the 4 coons and the other two sets are you see still standing didn't connect that night, but we caught over 20 coons at this location, along with a large beaver and a coyote, right in the middle of the creek.

This.

I wouldn't carry a good drill down into the creek and a cheap one wouldn't have the power or battery life to drill many, if any holes.

Have you tried using a fish or bait on a stick. I guess unless you are targeting mink.

He has but in his area the bait has to be covered (certain river corridors are that way here) and it just didn't preform the way he wanted it to.

Yes I have some of your bait left, about a gallon still,, I have used PVC with some success, the idea I had was for mink, I think the plastic tile is more for banks like a flat sandbar bank

It's more work, but you can stake a 12" or longer piece of that drain tile with just a little water flowing through it in your open water areas, and smear a sticky bait or wire some fish or muskrat, in the top of the top of it and guard it with a foot trap on each end. Mink love checking out them little tiles. (assuming you are talking about 6" black field tile) I have also used bodygrippers to guard them on dry ground along the creek...

A pocket set along tyhe water,, just a sharp tile spade and some effort behing the shover,, keep the holes smaller in size 3,4 inches wide, 4-6 tall depending on conditons
Southern exposure locations helps, too

Thanks for the pictures an ideas, I have to give it a try if it warms up a little

Find a grassy bank and with the amount of snow we have, it insulates the ground so maybe not much frost right now.