aluminum foil water set.

[GoodOlBoy]

I may have posted this before but my great grandfather taught me to cover the pan with aluminum foil and set the trap in shallow water at a known watering/crossing spot. Coons are curious as the day is long and will slap the shiny thing in the water out of curiosity and you have them. I have used it many times on victor double longspring #4 traps. If you are lucky enough to have a good heavy root or a deadfall nearby hooking the trap down isn't a problem. Otherwise you can always do what I have done and use a piece of plastic coated steel dog run cable to run to it from a tree. The cable isn't hard to bury and they ain't gonna chew through it (Though the love to try) the only problem with this set is you need to check it at noon and at dusk. If you get one caught in it at dusk they are not going to stay the night, you will come back to find nothing but a chewed off foot in the trap.

One other little tidbit. If you arrive at the trap and don't see it, and you see the cable pulled taught in a direction other than where you put it check to see what is in it before you go yanking on it. I have caught both skunks, and bobcats in this rig as well though it is rare. Pulling either irritated animal to you ain't the begining of a enjoyable evening.

GoodOlBoy

[Catfish]

I was doing that 50 years ago. I had best luck setting the traps in the riffles. Never got anything but coon in them though. Guess I`m luckier than you, I never got a skunk in that set. :D

[bigbrother]

My dad used that set years ago as well. I think I'll try it this year and see what happens. I think it's easy for us to get caught up in new tricks and tips but forget about those old stand by's that still produce. We're still a couple of months away from season but I'll keep ya posted on what happens.

[fishdoggydog]

I think a pair of one and a half coils set side by side as a blind set will catch as many as with the aluminum foil, and you don't need to worry about the foot if they are on drags with good swivels in the chain. I have had a double on mink with this set.

[bigbrother]

That may work as well. I think I would use the aluminum foil set as a double to a traditional baited water cubby and then in an area where I would expect a double. I don't have many mink in my area unfortunately. Although we do have an increase in fishers.

[Mr. 16 gauge]

I've heard of this set before, and my Uncle had a similar take on it.....he would take & cut pieces of aluminum from a beer can, and then give it a bit of a 'twist'. He would then put a hole at one end and tie a piece of fishing line to it, attach that to a swivel, and then again to some fishing line, and then to a stick (the whole rig was maybe 8" long, tops). He would then put his traps where he wanted, then place the sticks up stream from the trap....the current would cause them to spin and they would 'shine' in the moonlight like some small baitfish or minnows. He caught mink & coon with this set (IIRC), and the rigs didn't take up much if any space in his pocket.