staking watertraps

[LakeParkTrapper]

I'm just getting back into trapping and wonder what your favorite method for staking off muskrat traps.  I will use drowning cables on coon but can't decide if that is too much trouble for muskrats.  in past used light wire and a drowning stick.  the stake was a stick I cut along the way.  thinking there is a better way.  I thought of setting up drowning cables with disposable cable stakes on each end so I would not have to carry all those stakes around.  what is your method

[Bogmaster]

 Now a good portion of my rats are taken off rat houses in open water.I use a 4 or 6 foot, 1 iinch square hard wood stakes and stoploss traps.If you stop into my booth In bemidji,I will show you how they are set up.I will be in the second dealer building--not the main one.
 Tom

[trappnman]

If trapping just rats and mink, and no coon- try electric fence stakes.

The round fiberglass ones. I drill a hole about 1/3 up, and use electric fence wire. Push the bottom 1/3 into the mud so the wire is just into the mud. Angle them so that the top is at an angle facing away from the bank- this will keep just about all coon there if caught as incidentals.,. but not recommended for coon.

I use 100 or so of these in water trapping- light, reliable, easily seen.

If trapping rats in high competition, I've used big [U shaped stakes made with 11 gauge wire- about a foot long and pressed into bottom. You must know your sets, or mark them close by- but no one will know they are there. I don't use this a lot, but in a few locations.

[bblwi]

I bought 8 dozen of the 1 by 1 by5 ft hardwood stakes that Tom is referencing in his post.I will try them on my marshes.

I also made about 10-15 dozen of the following stakes. I purchased about 150 22 inch hardwood chair spindles from Trapper Art years ago. I drilled a hole in these to allow for a 30 inch piece of lighter cable to run through with a stop on one end and a loop on the other to use a split ring to hook the trap chain ring in. To this 22 inch piece of hardwood I cut 40 inch pieces of light duty white PVC pipe. This gives me a bout a 5 ft stake with enough hard wood to sink in the mud far enough to hold coons if need be and very light in a canoe for the rat line.  I have modified the originals several times and feel now I would have been better off to just get the 1 by 1 hardwoods from the get go. If you catch coons you don't want soft wood or light duty wood it will be kindling by the AM.

Bryce