Winter otter trapping

I live in the central lower peninsula of Michigan and there's some otter running around a river that I'm looking to take, most of the river is froze up and the biggest body grip we can use on dry land is a 220 because it's private land, but I don't have any 220s and I won't be able to buy any until the off-season, I can see slides where they're coming up and down the bank but I can't put a 330 there, I do have 160s but I feel that's a little small, I have a lot of coil springs and drowner cables but as I said most of the river is froze so I wouldn't know how to make a drowner cable work, I could put the 330s in the boxes but I won't be able to get the materials until after trapping season, I don't know if I could make dirt hole sets for them or try busting ice out but I'm sure it would just freeze up again, hoping someone here has the knowledge I'm looking for

Also I forgot to add that the river is pretty wide and I don't see any pinch points or crossovers around that I can find but I do see otter tracks all over the ice

Kurt,

Where do you live? Anywhere near Lansing?

I'm about an hour north of lansing and 25 minutes west of it

Is the river deep enough to get bottom edge sets in under the ice? I have not caught a lot of otter, but 3 of the 4 that I have, have been in bottom edge sets (330s) under the ice. I try to chop the hole open every couple days, especially if the temps warm up a bit. Might just be me, but I think the open hole is an attraction to the otters.

I'm sure there's parts of the river that are deep enough, it's just hard to find the right location with all the ice there's only small section in the middle of the river that are open and I can see otter tracks going in and out of there

Doesn't the digest state that for a 330 to be considered "underwater" that at least half of it needs to be submerged? If so, you could put one on a slide half in/half out.

Page 30 of the digest says you can use body grip type traps on land or water. Size 220 is the largest allowed on land, but as long as the trap is half submerged they consider it underwater. Sounds like you could do a slide set like that. I've got the exact same scenario on a pond of mine. I have fresh otter tracks coming in and out right near where a spring comes up, so luckily it's not frozen over for me.

You could also try a post type set under the ice like you would with beaver. Break a hole in the ice, drive a post with a small platform on it. On the platform you put a foothold and bait it. Submerge the whole thing underwater and allow the ice to freeze up again. Beaver/otter gets stuck in foothold and drowns due to ice up. Not sure what you would bait it with being underwater though. I also live in Unit C of Michigan, all of this snow has been making trapping difficult.

Montcalm Co.? Sounds like a BE set, near a log jam, may be worth trying. When things tighten up (iced over good) it can be hard to access the spots the otter access because it is too dangerous to get out there. It is a low success set, but some guys use bucket sets with fake minnows in them and a 220 over the opening. Others have caught them in 330's with a rubber minnow wired to the triggers like it is swimming upstream. Personally I have never done well using those, but some have. I have caught them in footholds in logjams where they hunt for food. Simply by setting the trap on the bottom in a spot they are crowded in (ice forces them under a log, etc.).It is a Low percentage set like the bucket/fake minnow sets. If you have open water where a slide enters the water you can set a 330 half in/half out at the bottom....just not too close to the slide mouth. Put a stick over the jaw above the water to make sure they go through instead of over the trap. This won't work unless you have deeper water that will not ice over even slightly. They usually don't exit the water and go UP a slide, so a foothold there isn't a good trap choice. If you can find their exit point, and it is not skimmed over with ice, you have a decent foothold set spot. Use a slide wire or you'll have a real mess waiting for you.

A picture of that setup would be neat to see

Set the 160.

Go to the beaver, or old beaver lodges when the ice is on. Set the holes/runs/pinch points near the beaver houses.

I have caught them in 160 , both dive set and baited bucket with sardine, just make sure you have them cabled off not trap wire !!!!

I have caught one in a baited body grip 330 under the ice. I am sure it was a curiosity thing for the otter.