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Post by BismuthBoy on Jul 30, 2006 13:44:03 GMT -6
I just bought a 16 foot Seaark with a 45 hp Mercury Jet. I'd like to set up this boat for trapping the Allegheny River.
This boat is a 6 degree V-hull, side console with full-width rear bench seat, open floor, and large casting deck. There is decidedly little closed storage space; one compartment below the casting deck only. Portable fuel tank and battery sit behind the bench seat and there is a small live well attached to the front of the console.
I'm looking at a pretty extensive water line for coon and muskrat during water season, then spring beaver trapping.
Any help, and especially pictures, would be appreciated. Newt and Dave Plueger, I know you guys do a lot of boat/river trapping; your input would be greatly appreciated!
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Post by plueger1 on Jul 30, 2006 17:47:32 GMT -6
The largest boat I have trapped out of is a 14 ft. john boat. and on a river much smaller than you will be on. About the best advice I could give would be to keep everything organized so that it can be located easily and keep everything accessible from either side of the boat. Also carry extra clothing, rain coat, shoulder gauntlets, shovel, etc. You will eventually forget something at a set and having a spare has saved the day for me many times. If your running a line that will take up most of the day be prepared for whatever mother nature decides to dish out. Try to have multiple lines laid out so that as soon as one slows down you can jump to a fresh line and keep your catch up. A river can be gentle and calm one moment and deadly the next. NEVER take chances on a river. Hope this helps ya out. Dave
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Post by MickMcLaughlin on Jul 30, 2006 19:55:02 GMT -6
Did I read correctly that you use a trolling motor , not a gas motor?
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Post by plueger1 on Jul 30, 2006 20:23:21 GMT -6
Thats right. the river I trap is too shallow for the most part to operate an outbourd. I know, I could go with a Go- Devil or something simalar but I prefer the quiet ride the trolling motor gives me. The river moves at a pretty fair pace and I'm stopping all the time at sets anyway. 55 LB. thrust Minkota does the job for me.... Dave
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Post by ColdSteel on Jul 31, 2006 4:15:31 GMT -6
I do some river trapping for otter and beaver.First all dress plenty warm and always keep a extra set of clothes and boots.I also make sure I have a lighter and matches and I keep them in a dry box along with my cell phone in case of a emergency.Also always wear a life jacket water temps are very cold.I also carry alot of prop sticks for my conibears so I can stay in the boat a much as possible without having to climb in and out of the boat.If you get good weather river trapping is very enjoyable I love it and I think you will too
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Post by thebeav2 on Jul 31, 2006 6:54:01 GMT -6
Never leave the boat unless you anchor It or tie It up. It could be a long walk out. If your motor uses shear pins,have some spare ones.
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Post by shagnasty on Jul 31, 2006 7:08:03 GMT -6
i mainly use a canoe but did use a 14ft jon boat and 9 hp motor this year a few times, i just take the tools i need and traps i need. i wear a life jacket and hip boots only, no chest waders, dont want to sink to the bottom like a rock should i turn over. most times i really could use a larger vessel or set less traps as ive nearly sank my canoe many times and the boat a few times this year from too much fur. but i never skin on the line because im always making more sets instead . i may start skinning sometimes in my canoe as weight is a big factor when having to portage dead trees and log jams. i should also start taking a set of dry clothes and a way to start a quick fire but have not in the past, i just tough it out even when wet, which happens alot. river trapping is not for sissys or those that have little trapping motivation, it is the worst conditions to be in and the most dangerous so be careful.
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Post by thebeav2 on Jul 31, 2006 7:43:05 GMT -6
If one wears a good pair of neoprens they will keep you warm and If they fit good you won't take In any water If you go over the side.
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Post by mustelameister on Jul 31, 2006 10:47:00 GMT -6
An emergency box that is waterproof is essential, and make sure it's tied into the boat or canoe you're using. In mine I have a flare gun, change of clothes, mitts, hat, first-aid kit, walkie talkie and one of those propane torches that ignites by clicking the button. My wife knows the river sections I trap, and if I'm not home when I'm supposed to be, the plan is for her to drive down to that area and using the walkie talkie, attempt to communicate with me. Cell phones are useless in two of the stretches. I have used the propane torch on a couple of occasions, however. It's the easiest way to start a fire. Just pile up your kindling, screw on the propane tank, click and you've got fire right now. Screwing around with matches with stone cold fingers will get you in trouble bigtime. If you buy a first-aid kit, be sure to check it to be sure it "makes sense." Not only the antiseptics, bandaids, tweezers, etc. but now I also have a roll of duct tape in there to seal off any serious wound. Used that trick once when my axe glanced off a limb I was lopping and sunk into the side of my boot. I took the boot off which exposed a nasty gash which was bleeding quite freely. The roll of duct tape was in my tool box, fortunately enough. I wrapped around my foot a couple of times, put the boot back on, and headed for home. Red Green would have been proud. I utilize two different sized Go Devils on two different boats, and have a quart of oil in each boat. Learned this one the hard way. I dearly love these motors, but they have an auto shutoff if your oil level gets even just a wee bit low. So . . . I carry a little extra oil. Be sure to have duplicate tools on board. Real easy to have something slip over the side and you're screwed. I also paint my tools red. Maybe it comes with getting older, but how many times have you other river rats made a set, then arrived at your next set only to realize your axe or pliars or whatever it was you used upstream is still laying there on the bank? Buy a lifejacket that fits you well, and get to where you can where that thing like a warden wears a flak jacket, in other words, it just isn't there anymore. Make sure you have plenty of lights. Don't go cheap on your spotlight battery. Also have a couple of spare bulbs. Most of my trapping is in the dark, so I wear a Nite-Lite. The soft cap fits nicely and this rig works almost forever if taken care of properly. A spare is in an ammo box, just in case. My spare is now the one I bought in 1988, and runs for about 3 hours before growing weak. My newer one, circa 1999 or so, will run from sundown to sunup, but again, I always have the spare. One last thought: be sure you have your necessary paperwork in a waterproof container, and maybe secured in your emergency box. Your trapping license, tags, boat registration, etc. Makes life a lot easier if you're ever confronted by the law on the river.
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Post by mmwb (Andrew Parker) on Jul 31, 2006 13:08:01 GMT -6
Dress in wool. Vaccum sealing is a good way to keep things dry: Extra clothes, matches/tinder, paper work.... Keep yourself hydrated and snack if your at it for hours. Hydration and calories can go a long ways to keeping a guy warm.
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Post by BismuthBoy on Aug 1, 2006 10:00:25 GMT -6
I guess I need to clarify my post a little...
I'm an old river rat, been running motorboats on this river since I was 11 years old. I trapped out of my smaller boat quite a bit before, what I'm concerned about with this post is how I should set the boat up. Built-in trap boxes, storage, organization, etc..
I'm an EMT and deputy fire chief (my fire district boundary on two sides is the river) so safety is always first and foremost in my mind. Had a few friends have some close calls on the river, and a few acquaintances drown, so I have a lot of respect for the power of water. I picked up my boat yesterday but it probably won't hit the water for about the next week due to near-flood conditions.
By the way, getting water in boots or chest waders will not pull you down. Water in water is neutral. Chest waders, especially tight-fitting neoprenes, trap air and make your feet float. In cold water especially, don't try to shed your footgear. They help hold in heat. If you don't believe me, now's the time to experiment. Jump in a pool wearing your hip boots and/or chest waders, see how well you can maneuver. I guarantee you won't sink out of sight.
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Post by mustelameister on Aug 1, 2006 10:22:53 GMT -6
B-Boy: Agree with you on the chest waders in water floatation thing, however, my concern lies with that suspended silt, muck, leaves, and loon doo I sometimes step off into, and getting out of that quick sand or whatever you want to call it is real tough to do sometimes in chest waders. I usually find it in the inside bends of slow moving rivers.
I stick with the hip boots. I can kick them off and still wiggle out if I have to. I keep a dry boat cushion on hand to keep my butt from getting wet, and if it rains, well, I get a wet butt.
So, with your experience and background in safety, what have we left off the list?
I don't care for too many things built into my boats. The 18-foot jon boat I run the big rivers on has lots of tubs. They stack together to keep room in the boat, and when needed, one by one I can pull 'em off the stack and load them with fur.
These tubs are bought from Farm & Fleet, strong durable plastic, and have those nylon rope handles.
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Post by shagnasty on Aug 1, 2006 11:19:46 GMT -6
i just throw my chit in the boat and go, no time for organizing, it will be a wreck in 10 minutes anyways. i fill the boat with stuff anyways. the chest waders i have will fill up with water and weight a ton, i would not want them on me in the fast current and huge rocks and logs i am used to dealing with.
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Post by thebeav2 on Aug 1, 2006 12:36:15 GMT -6
I believe that pre season work Is even more important when your running a boat line. When i did It I went out a few weeks a head of time and stashed stakes and weights and In some cases placed my drowning rods or slide wires. I would stash my coni boxes along the way. I even stashed traps along the way. I knew when I got done just how many sets I would make from this stretch of water to the next area. Then I would pick up the stashed Items and set up the next section. Anything to keep as much weight out of the boat as I could. I always had a doz or so traps and stakes In the boat as back ups In case I came to a hot location that I had missed when pre scouting. If I had some bridge crossings I would leave fur at these locations so I could come back with the truck and pick It up later.
Be careful and Tie up boat when you leave It.
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Post by 17HMR on Aug 1, 2006 12:49:44 GMT -6
Beav, "Tie up the boat" sounds like a bad experance talking, and good sound advice.
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Post by shagnasty on Aug 1, 2006 13:03:37 GMT -6
beav, you have problems with hunters, fishermen finding your stuff? would be a problem here as we cant legally leave the water without permission. also, what about competition, all that work and someone already smoked the section? one trick is to run light the first day and make a few sets and see what amount of sign and decide on how many traps to bring, pull the next day or make more the next day depending on sign, leave a day or two after that and moveunless a real good area. many ways to do it, but im not much on putting stuff out early, my plans change daily and i never know where i will be setting steel until i go do it. also weather can be a big problem some years basically ruining river trapping except for very small windows of time, so you will need to be real flexible in having time when the water is right. at least that is how it works here, constant flooding and receeding waters, a real nightmare at times.
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Post by thebeav2 on Aug 1, 2006 13:46:33 GMT -6
Shag I know your country and It's nothing like our water.Most of our water Is pretty stable In the fall and late winter and as to competition It would only be about 30 yards down the creek from the bridge. Running a major river line takes time and commitment most don't have It. I was planing to run a river line In SC but with the variation In water and all the downed timber I would be a fool to do so. But I can garutee that there wouldn't be anyone else on the river no one traps down here. No fishing that time of year and the duck hunters would be out In the swamps and not on the river. In WI most of our water or I should say banks along the water coarse are private and you need permission. You can wade the stream and be legal but once you drive a stake In the bottom you are trespassing unless you have permission. To run a efficient river line I feel you need at least two people or you need for someone to dive your truck and trailer to the take out point It's just a plain waste of time setting traps all day and then going back over the same ground to reach your take out point.
Gary
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Post by shagnasty on Aug 1, 2006 16:52:27 GMT -6
another trick is to dump a jon boat and small motor over the bank, trap down river a ways, then up river a ways, a little time is lost backtracking but not much with a motor and you dont need help, using a canoe, i will float downriver and have a take out point, i dont paddle up river. i trap rivers with log jams, those have little competition and are a nightmare, but are loaded with fur, so a trade off. i will do it while im still young and able.
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Post by bussro on Aug 1, 2006 16:56:49 GMT -6
I just got a bigger boat myself. I'm gonna build a platform to pile critters on. No need in throwing a clean, dry coon in the bottom of a wet, muddy boat. What I've got in mind is a square frame made of 2"x4" lumber covered with steel seperated mesh. It' ll have short "side-boards" to keep animals from falling off of it in rough water. Will use a few plastic totes for traps ect. The boat already has a 54" gun/rod box for spare clothes and such.
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Post by plueger1 on Aug 1, 2006 17:23:19 GMT -6
Might not be a good idea to use steel mesh. I tried it years ago and had some problems with coon freezing to the steel and once they were scraped I could see definate square marks from the mesh on the leather on some of the coon. Just been my experience. You might want to consider laying them on a wood or plastic.
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