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Drowning Rods

Posted By: Trapper7

Drowning Rods - 05/14/19 07:53 PM

I guy I pretty much introduced to trapping when he was a teenager was doing a nuisance beaver job. He had taken one old one and three young ones. He still had another adult to get. He had lost the last adult in a foothold and left a toe as a calling card. He was using the wire and rocks in a sack trick to drown the beaver. I told him to stop by and I'd let him use my fiberglass drowning rods. He had some of the new MB-750s and I suggested he use them instead of the trap he had lost the beaver in prior. He seemed reluctant at first, but decided to give the rods a try.
He called yesterday and said he got the beaver and is now hooked on drowning rods. I had the same experience myself. I used the cable and sack drowning rig and thought it was a lot more work than the rods.
Posted By: warrior

Re: Drowning Rods - 05/14/19 07:58 PM

Same here, this was today. I mainly set this rig or Kirk Dekalb's cages.

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Posted By: traprjohn

Re: Drowning Rods - 05/15/19 11:07 PM

been using rods since '03...…..3/8" smooth rod
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Posted By: Posco

Re: Drowning Rods - 05/15/19 11:19 PM

Originally Posted by traprjohn
been using rods since '03...…..3/8" smooth rod
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You make your own drowning locks, John?
Posted By: traprjohn

Re: Drowning Rods - 05/16/19 12:47 AM

yessir, its just a pc of angle iron with 2 holes drilled
Posted By: Trapper7

Re: Drowning Rods - 05/16/19 03:17 PM

Anyone ever see fiberglass rods? I have a pair that a trapper friend gave me. They are lighter than metal rods and just as strong. Nice thing is they don't bend out of shape like metal rods sometimes do.
Posted By: Swamp Wolf

Re: Drowning Rods - 05/16/19 03:36 PM

Chains work as well as the rods and are much less cumbersome to haul in truck and around beaver pond. Use truck brake rotors as end weight....stake bank end with rebar. Can use #2 twist link or welded link chain. I use about 10 feet of chain. The square tubing locks work well.
Posted By: Trapper7

Re: Drowning Rods - 05/16/19 06:05 PM

I've never found rods, especially fiberglass ones, to be cumbersome. I suppose if you were going through a lot of brush. That could be an issue. Have never tried chain, so can't comment on that. But, either is better IMO, than having to find rocks to fill up a sack on the end of a wire.
Posted By: coonman220

Re: Drowning Rods - 05/16/19 08:03 PM

I have some drowning rods, sold couple, never use in few years, I just as soon use a gunny sack with sand or rock myself , drown rods are not all that easy. U got have right angle when shove in. The top end stake like to get popup by the rod unless use a long stake , long clumsy an don't want drag around far from pickup
Posted By: Posco

Re: Drowning Rods - 05/16/19 08:28 PM

Originally Posted by Swamp Wolf
Chains work as well as the rods and are much less cumbersome to haul in truck and around beaver pond. Use truck brake rotors as end weight....stake bank end with rebar. Can use #2 twist link or welded link chain. I use about 10 feet of chain. The square tubing locks work well.


I may try the chain. With the setback regs for dams and lodges being what they are here, finding the right conditions for drowning rods is tough. Ten footers are usually nowhere near long enough.
Posted By: warrior

Re: Drowning Rods - 05/16/19 09:40 PM

If I'm using chain it's to long chain them. I ain't toting in any more weight than I have to because it's bad enough toting weight out.
I like long chaining beaver. They'll be sitting quietly on the bank like leashed pup. Just don't get much opportunity to do so since entanglement and long chains is bad.
Posted By: QuietButDeadly

Re: Drowning Rods - 05/16/19 10:09 PM

To me, a 10' rebar rod and trap is a lot less cumbersome than a 10' chain, trap and brake rotor or concrete block or whatever weight you have to carry in to the site. Might be some advantage to the chain or cable set up if you trap the area repeatedly and can stash the weight there but for the one and done places, I will stick with rods.
Posted By: Swamp Wolf

Re: Drowning Rods - 05/16/19 10:57 PM

By cumbersome I mean the 10 foot rods sticking out the back of your truck....and trying to thread them thru brush and trees to get around the beaver pond/swamp to the spot the set needs to be made. Aggravating as heck to transport on an ATV too.

If fur trapping for beaver near your truck that's OK. But if nuisance trapping, you simply are not gonna catch them all next to your pickup truck.
Posted By: trapper les

Re: Drowning Rods - 05/16/19 11:01 PM

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Posted By: warrior

Re: Drowning Rods - 05/17/19 12:02 AM

Originally Posted by Swamp Wolf
By cumbersome I mean the 10 foot rods sticking out the back of your truck....and trying to thread them thru brush and trees to get around the beaver pond/swamp to the spot the set needs to be made. Aggravating as heck to transport on an ATV too.

If fur trapping for beaver near your truck that's OK. But if nuisance trapping, you simply are not gonna catch them all next to your pickup truck.


That's why I don't do rebar. Got a goood friend that does and his rides strapped to a ladder rack.
I like my 8' fiberglass. Only issue is eight foot truck beds are rare these days but fiberglass bends.
Posted By: trapper les

Re: Drowning Rods - 05/17/19 12:09 AM

I have fiberglass rods to, and one of the locks pictured above works great on those. But, I have caught hundreds of beaver using different rods, and I don't care to use the fiberglass 10 footers I have, unless I can get the end in the bottom fairly deep, and that it should be fairly deep water as well. The problem lies in the chance that a beaver can get the bottom end out of the muck with the fiberglass. No problem with the rebar in that respect, as it doesn't flex. 1/2" rebar, that is.

My "go to" rod is the rebar and I don't mind them sticking out of ;the back of the truck a foot and a half.
Posted By: Calvin

Re: Drowning Rods - 05/17/19 12:38 PM

Rods here for me when I can. What you use will be dependent on the bottom make up. In rocky/gravel areas I need the 1/2" rebar as the fiberglass flexes too much to get into the bottom far enough to hold. Have them both and use them both n various lengths . Most used are 11-12'.



Posted By: ~ADC~

Re: Drowning Rods - 05/17/19 01:49 PM

Originally Posted by trapper les

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What kind of welder did you use on that Les? grin

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Posted By: ~ADC~

Re: Drowning Rods - 05/17/19 01:58 PM

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Hardly ever set footholds for beavers these days but I liked this style rebar drowners when I did.
Posted By: J.C.

Re: Drowning Rods - 05/17/19 07:04 PM

Originally Posted by warrior
Originally Posted by Swamp Wolf
By cumbersome I mean the 10 foot rods sticking out the back of your truck....and trying to thread them thru brush and trees to get around the beaver pond/swamp to the spot the set needs to be made. Aggravating as heck to transport on an ATV too.

If fur trapping for beaver near your truck that's OK. But if nuisance trapping, you simply are not gonna catch them all next to your pickup truck.


That's why I don't do rebar. Got a goood friend that does and his rides strapped to a ladder rack.
I like my 8' fiberglass. Only issue is eight foot truck beds are rare these days but fiberglass bends.

And that is why I have the finest two seater in the world. With 8 luscious feet of bed.
Posted By: 330-Trapper

Re: Drowning Rods - 05/17/19 11:38 PM

Ive used wire, 3o years ago, then cable, then rebar rods in the 90s, chain now and couple dozen 10' fiberglass rods. The chain s and fiberglass rods are the best Ive used yet.
Posted By: trapper les

Re: Drowning Rods - 05/18/19 01:04 AM

Originally Posted by ~ADC~
Originally Posted by trapper les

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What kind of welder did you use on that Les? grin

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7018 rod, or 6011 and an old Lincoln 225
Posted By: ~ADC~

Re: Drowning Rods - 05/18/19 01:26 AM

That's too bad. I was hoping it was a wire welder with flux cored wire so I could show why you should use gas, but no, its not bad for a stick welder!
Posted By: trapper les

Re: Drowning Rods - 05/18/19 01:49 AM

I want the wire welder with gas. Flux core sucks, lol.

If I use the 6013 it looks great, but I don't always trust the weld. The washers break loose on my washer topped rebar stakes when I use 6013, but it looks nice. 6011 and 7018 make my strongest welds. I'm shakier than a hoor in church and I stay in one place too long when I'm welding sometimes.
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