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Muskrat Floats revisited

Posted By: trapper les

Muskrat Floats revisited - 06/13/21 10:18 PM

Does anyone use these ... do they work? [Linked Image]
Lol, just making conversation
Posted By: trapperkeck

Re: Muskrat Floats revisited - 06/13/21 10:41 PM

They won't work in Minnesota. No open water spring season. South Dakota, North Dakota and Nebraska. Heck yeah!
Posted By: trapper les

Re: Muskrat Floats revisited - 06/13/21 10:52 PM

I know...I have just 60 of them, and I need another 150 or so...but they dont work here...unless you use them in a certain scenario. Super secret, apparrently
Posted By: trapper les

Re: Muskrat Floats revisited - 06/13/21 10:53 PM

Originally Posted by trapperkeck
They won't work in Minnesota. No open water spring season. South Dakota, North Dakota and Nebraska. Heck yeah!

Yeah, but I hear all the NE guys move here for the great trapping. What's up with that ?
Posted By: trapper les

Re: Muskrat Floats revisited - 06/13/21 10:54 PM

I should get my lifetime liscense here, and move to NE, now there's a plan, and take them floats with me.
Posted By: trapperkeck

Re: Muskrat Floats revisited - 06/13/21 10:55 PM

Those crappy long springs are no good. You have to use 1.5 coils or you will lose half your catch. #2's are even better. More weight to get them down fast, don'tcha know.
Posted By: trapper les

Re: Muskrat Floats revisited - 06/13/21 11:01 PM

I've heard that before, but these tiny rats I have up here die in the 1 1/2 longs easy. We aint got them 6lb rats you are accustomed to. But, that was a demonstration float in the pic, I use them longs for that, but prefer duke coils in the 1 1/2, and or any trap that floats in a pinch...weak 2s and 3s too.
Posted By: backroadsarcher

Re: Muskrat Floats revisited - 06/13/21 11:09 PM

I use floats in the fall Les. They work, of course in the right areas. I bait mine with apples and put the floats out before season and let them get eating on the apples. When the season starts I just add the traps and hope we dont get to cold of weather to fast.
Posted By: trapper les

Re: Muskrat Floats revisited - 06/13/21 11:12 PM

Me too, I use apples, parsnips , and or squash. Parsnips shine on a float.
Posted By: trapper les

Re: Muskrat Floats revisited - 06/13/21 11:13 PM

Floats work good in areas where water levels rise and fall regularly.
Posted By: trapperkeck

Re: Muskrat Floats revisited - 06/13/21 11:14 PM

Slap some cattail roots, stems and water grass in the middle of that float and they will come.
Posted By: backroadsarcher

Re: Muskrat Floats revisited - 06/13/21 11:19 PM

Originally Posted by trapper les
Floats work good in areas where water levels rise and fall regularly.

I agree, I trap a small creek in one area and if we get any rain traps can be put under water a long ways before a rat will get there.
Posted By: trapper les

Re: Muskrat Floats revisited - 06/13/21 11:20 PM

The big lake near me affects all the bays for miles around, by about 9 or 10" at the most, and when ever the wind changes.
Posted By: backroadsarcher

Re: Muskrat Floats revisited - 06/13/21 11:23 PM

I suppose you get any wind it is just like tide water up there. Can rise and fall quickly.
Posted By: trapper les

Re: Muskrat Floats revisited - 06/13/21 11:29 PM

Yes, that is the nice thing about the float, and unless you are at a rat house, it is a lower percentage set. But, a percentage is a percentage. I see it as viable. I may change my design a little , not much, by making the float as short as possible and still floating the two traps . The rat will climb to the highest point, which is evidenced by what happens when you set a trap on a pile of rat turds.
Posted By: trapper les

Re: Muskrat Floats revisited - 06/13/21 11:30 PM

A feed bed out in the reeds might be there for a day or two until the water rises or the wind comes up, but a float still works.
Posted By: bblwi

Re: Muskrat Floats revisited - 06/13/21 11:48 PM

We don't have hardly any open water spring rat trapping so floats are not really effective here. I had 30 that I put in specific spots for two fall seasons and did OK, so I set them again and got those and my coon line out and it rained a lot and lost all my other open water rat setting. Paid too much attention to a less efficient system and put them in my son's outdoor wood burner and that got me out of that system.

Bryce
Posted By: Steven 49er

Re: Muskrat Floats revisited - 06/13/21 11:59 PM

I've got about 250 of those floats laying around here somewhere. Considering the price of lumber I'll sell them to you Les, for 20 bucks a piece. What a bargain.
Posted By: trapper les

Re: Muskrat Floats revisited - 06/14/21 12:03 AM

I have a sawmill, I can make lumber, lol
Posted By: Northof50

Re: Muskrat Floats revisited - 06/14/21 02:32 AM

It's the blue high density Styrofoam that is expensive, Les pay him in Canadian money, by the time the boarders open it will be par.

Make your nail to fit in the base hole and have the traps on the outside edge.

Rally's poles look good.

Get a pool noodle and cut 5-6 inches and insert in the top of the pole, keeps the top floating and highly visiable
Posted By: Northof50

Re: Muskrat Floats revisited - 06/14/21 03:43 AM

Have one of Rally's clips with his halibut clip hooks on each side of the float on each trap so when a non-target gets caught you can find it and not pulled out.
Posted By: 10bands

Re: Muskrat Floats revisited - 06/14/21 05:18 AM

Floats don't work well here unless you're trying to catch lots of rats then they're fine.
Posted By: Trapper Dahlgren

Re: Muskrat Floats revisited - 06/14/21 11:31 AM

we can't trap in spring ,but they work well in the fall ,
Posted By: trapper les

Re: Muskrat Floats revisited - 06/14/21 02:25 PM

Originally Posted by Northof50
Have one of Rally's clips with his halibut clip hooks on each side of the float on each trap so when a non-target gets caught you can find it and not pulled out.

Those coast swivel clips are on each side, but I have went to a small spring clip with knurled nut for a lot of fastening now, for speed and ease with gloves on. Guantlets when rat trapping in the boat.
Posted By: The Beav

Re: Muskrat Floats revisited - 06/14/21 02:46 PM

Where I trap In WI floats don't work.
Posted By: trapper les

Re: Muskrat Floats revisited - 06/14/21 02:49 PM

I'll bet I could make them work there, lol
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