Post by backwoodsman on Jul 19, 2010 2:52:48 GMT -5
If this isnt an appropriate spot please move it. We prefer to follow the air bubbles and find active rat runs. Baring finding the rat runs and just setting a 110 in them heres what we do. I use 110's and footholds set on poles thru the ice. Any light colored object should work on the conibear triggers. We started cutting some wood wedges to look like apple/potato/parsnip chunks and bending the ends of the 110 triggers up to hold them on. I think the rats are attracted to the light color/shape etc and cant smell the apple/potato/real bait? Ive tried aluminum foil on the 110 triggers before and had some success but Im not sold on them. If the rats get smart and start to avoid "fruit" etc baited sets then switching a few to aluminum foil might be an idea? Old timer I knew use to dig up stream side roots before the freeze up and use them. Of course being in my youth then and knowing everything I never asked him what they were but they reminded me of over size ginseng or parsnips roots? I use 110's cause thats what I have the most of. 120's probably would be easier to set up. One way to stabilize the 110's is wooden wedges in the spring eyes wedged between the pole and spring. Or you can wire the spring eye down tight to the pole. Always slide the ring over the pole or wire the chain ring to the pole(if its driven down tight) or some how stake it fairly solid espescialy if you have otter in your area, the 110 wont hold them most likely but they wont drag it off either. Spending an hour with a metal rod feeling for a ding under the ice aint fun. I use footholds set up like miniature beaver poles but with smaller footholds and light colored bait. You can set several footholds or coni's on each depending on water depth. Ive set 3 or 4 110's on one pole before in rat infested areas. Easier to check and remove the rats/reset too if you cover the holes with grass etc to slow/retard the refreezing. Some ponds/lakes we only take 1 or 2 rats per 30+ set's even with a healthy population. If those creek banks are pretty much straight up and down you can stick a bait in under the ice against the bank and set a foothold under it, either on the bottom or shove a board with a finishing nail(s) on it to hold it or several finger thick sticks like a shelf? Upside to the ice and lower success rates is those rat hides are at their primest and until they start fighting they should bring top dollar.
Here, once you have opened up the set area, it's fairly easy to bust through again as the ice is thinner then. A little trick I learned to be able to see through ice where the surface has you limited, was to only chop a ax blade width through a thinner spot in the set area, just too get water on top of the ice. Once a little water is on the top you can see through like glass! If the ice is milky looking, just chop it out and let the set area re-freeze, esp if there will be no precipitation or wind that night. It will then be fairly clear so you can use the water trick. Somethimes I just take an insulated drinking jug in gallon size full of water, and just pour a little bit on the ice and it works real well too. Just takes a little bit to spread over the ice.