86 'coon in one day . . . . that's a pile of skinning for sure!
Here's how I rig my stake drowners. The two stakes are treated garden stakes purchased from Menard's. Precut and presharpened. Not as tough as oak, but they'll do.
Since they're not oak, they have a tendency to absorb water more, and therefore, if you really reef up on the cable to pull them out of mud, you might start pulling the cable through the wood. I run 3/32".
To solve that I drill a small hole through pennies and use them as washers on either side of the stake inside the stop. On the side of the stake I pull up on with the cable to pull it out, I drill out a larger hole and slide a 1/4" nut into that hole through which the cable runs. The penny washer is snugged up against that nut. Now when I pull hard, the cable binds against the nut & penny washer, and not the wood.
Like I said earlier, I hold these two stakes together, slide the trap down to the midpoint in the length of cable, and then wrap the cable around the stakes. When I get to the trap, in this case the #11 DJ Newhouse, it's easy to hold the unit together by setting the trap on top and folding the longsprings down against the stakes. Stacked in a tub in the boat, they're real easy to pull out and use.
They're not adjustable like the Beav's design, however, if I need to shorten one up, I simply wind the cable at the terminal end around the stake, then plant it in the mud with my boot. As I'm winding the cable around the stake to shorten it, I make the last rotation or two with the cable nearer the point, so when I plant it, there's no chance of the cable unwinding off the top of the stake. This works for me.
Now the drowner rod. This pic shows the side nut welded 18" from the bank end of the rod, and the bent washer with the S-link clamped on.
Here's a pic of the terminal end. You'll want to make sure you do a good job of welding these nuts on. If not, you'll lose your trap and catch.
Here's the rig I work out of most of the time. It's a 14-foot V-bow with a 9 hp Go Devil. On the bigger river I run an 18-foot flat with a 35 hp Go Devil.
I'm holding one of these 10-foot rerod drowners next to it. It's easy to load 10 of these drowners on either side of the boat, and still have 3 tubs of the stakes in the middle.
Up front I have a tractor spotlight bolted on which plugs into an outlet directly under the front seat. I've got wiring running through plastic pipe halfway up the side of the boat back to a switch box on the transom so I can flip my spot off and on at will from the back. Same for the running lights, another switch.
On the back of the transom I've got two steel slots for baloon tires and mountings to slide into. When mounted, they ride up. When in use, they flip down and allows the boat to be pulled along with the boat about a foot off the ground. I use this in a couple of places to get around severe log jams. If the going is rough due to soft ground or it's uphill, I have a gas-powered winch I use to pull the boat through whatever. Works for me.
Now . . . let's get back to the subject of #11s versus other 'coon traps. This pic shows the pocket shovel Trapper Art used to make. It's got a nice long blade. His newer ones havea shorter blade. We also have the #11 directly in front of it.
Notice how that #11 would nicely fit the hole the pocket shovel would make. With the ends of the longsprings stuck back into the bank on either side of the hole, this is a very stable trap and one that is rarely flipped. Guarded with the short stick outside the loose jaw, facing the river, I find this an excellent set for 'rats, mink and 'coon.
The other traps? The other double longspring is a #2, the coilsprings are both #1 1/2 . . . Bridger on the left and Duke on the right. Pulled both of these coilsprings out of the box for points of comparison.
Now let's look at jaw widths. First, the Bridger:
Now the Duke:
And finally the verbally abused, lowly #11 DJ Newhouse:
Whatever works, right?