Have never beaver trapped before. Have a landowner with a beaver issue and invited me to try and remove it. So far have not been able to find any sign whatsoever except the slide into the river where he is cutting the trees down. Haven't found a lodge or anything - at least downstream. I have to walk the river about a mile to get to this location and due to frozen river, haven't gone upstream very far to look for more sign there.
The set:
The slide is very very steep. The water isn't very deep here. I shoved a 330 in right in front of the slide but the water was too shallow and the top of the trap froze as it was sticking up through the water. I tried moving it out a bit further into the water but still it is very shallow. I moved as much of the thick mud as possible to get the 330 lower. It still sticks up a bit. I busted ice around it and moved the big pieces of ice out of the hole and covered with pine boughs to maybe prevent it icing over? I have no clue what I am doing lol. Any suggestions at all with what I could do? Could I try removing more mud or am I going to screw up the slide area? I am using a castor mound for lure. Also I have the PVC style "baiting" on the triggers like I saw on here in another post. It is really hard to read the area under the ice even if I break the ice. It is so muddy there that visibility is zero. Thanks guys.

I would wait till the ice goes out if you can.

If the stream is narrow enough block it off with a conibear and fencing.If to wide if there is a sharp bend in the stream put a conibear on the inside corner with some fencing on the outside of the conibear as the beaver will hug the corner on their way back.

If the stream is narrow enough block it off with a conibear and fencing.If to wide if there is a sharp bend in the stream put a conibear on the inside corner with some fencing on the outside of the conibear as the beaver will hug the corner on their way back.

Thanks for the replies! It is pretty wide but there are some curves. Not a very sharp curve in the area I am at. I will get some pictures of the are I am in today when I am out there. Hopefully I will be able to upload them. I have been having trouble trying to get pics on here. I appreciate the tips.

I would put a leg hold right at the bottom of the slide. Stomp a flat spot in so the trap is about 8 inches under the water and offset just a bit. Put it on a drowning slide out under the ice.

Thanks, FriarTuck! The only issue I have with legholds is that I only have mb550’s. Aside from those I have a couple Duke #3’s but mainly I just have mb550’s which I believe are too small for beavers, right?

I am sure many beaver have been caught in a #3, but they are less than ideal. If using a number 3 I would set it shallower and try to get his front foot. I would use a #3 before a froze in 330 though. Another option would be some snares in the slide.

Is the ice clear enough to see air bubbles to tell where there traveling and maybe locate some bank dens.you could set the den entrance if legal or the channels there swimming in

Den entrances are the last place most of us set, because if you get 1 there and their kin see it/stumble over it, they can hole up in the lodge for days.
I'd set your #3 on a block of sod if needed to get it a few inches under surface OR set snares on the slide itself, NOT using any lure or bait.
I'd save that for a slide you make yourself, to throw them a curve.

I've done dozens of jobs and never known where the lodge is......set on sign when you find it...their crawl outs may NOT be a slide either

Don't make this more difficult than necessary. If you are setting a slide, the beaver is already using it to access food unless it is a crossover to more water. If it's already going there, you don't need a castor mound or any other advertising. Also, the white pvc pipe on the trigger mite be a stop sign rather than an attractor in your situation. I think those are best used under ice in deeper water.
If the water is shallow for a good distance from shore, a drowning rigged foothold may not be a good option either. You might move the 330 up to the top of the slide and camo/fence it a little with brush if you can LEGALLY and safely do so. However, my first choice would be to hang a snare (IF LEGAL)) with an approx 9" loop with the bottom about 2" off the ground at either the top or bottom of the slide, or better still, both. If you set the bottom of the slide, move the snare up slope enough to keep it from touching the water.
If you are able to use either of these methods, be sure your support wire is stiff enough to hold the snare steady as the animal is entering it so it can close properly. Also be sure you have it anchored properly so your catch can't make it back to the water.
I catch a good many beaver with snares and use 330's only if that's what the situation calls for such as bank den entrances or narrow channels where the water is at least a foot deep so I can use a dive pole. I NEVER use a foothold for beaver or otter because it's a lot of work for an old man and I don't find it necessary to get the job done. Snares are a great tool for those places where you have to walk & carry all your stuff in. I hope you can legally use snares, cable restraints or whatever they are called by your state's wildlife agency. They are a great tool for beaver removal in lots of situations. Some guys get good at using them under ice, but thankfully I don' have to contend with that, tho yesterday, today and tomorrow have been/will be close before it warms up again.

PS. Trapper John already told you some of this in the post above mine. He is sure worth listening to.

The Duke 3 will work for beaver, try and make a flat spot in the mud about 3or 4 in deep and a foot out from the bank. Then use a jab stick in the bank under the water also about a foot long. Offset you trap 3 to 5 in. When the beaver swims into the stick in many cases they will drop their front legs and set off the trap. If possible trap should be on a drowning setup. If not daily check and as early as you can get there to check.

Thanks a lot for the info, everyone! So far, I havent caught this sucker. I’m afraid the water is going to be too shallow for a drowning rig right now. At least until we get some warmer weather in the spring with some rain. Or maybe after the melt, I will be okay for that. I cant use 330’s on land here by law. I have some snares, never successfully snared anything so I think I will try to catch him that way until this ice clears up some. Normally I think this section would be deep enough for the 330 or a drowning rig but with all this ice, I have little water to work with. I will keep posting with questions/updates. Thanks guys.

It doesn't take any depth of water to drown him if you put the far end of the rod/cable under the ice.

Update:

I pulled that 330 some time back to let the ice clear. The beaver had definately visited. He bit a hole through one of the PVC sticks. I plan on going back with more 330’s once the high water in my area settles down some. Thanks for the help, guys

Watch the angle you set your conibears on slides and trails. I've had very little luck setting castor mounds with conibears. Lots of older beaver can be square shy. Mb550s are not an ideal foothold for beaver but if you set it up on a drowning rig or attach a good 10' extra chain and set up drowning sticks. That's the best way to go with bait stations and castor mounds for me. If you have some shallow water see if you can feel it's run or see it. If the water is murky you will know when you step in their run, it'll be pretty hard and trenched out about 8-10" wide. That's the best place to stick a 330 on a stand or support sticks. Stands make life easier. If you can, go in with blind sets first and catch them in their runs, on trails or crossovers.. pick up a few and then set some castor mounds.. look for where they are eating. You will usually find a lot of chewed sticks all in one spot. You can just set up some guide sticks ,throw some fresh stick in front of the trap and then check it every day. You will have it. Beaver are really strong and fairly large sized critters. Their hard to hold in a foothold trap for long unless you use drowning setup. Especially if you catch a foot front. After you catch them in blind sets, then use castor and or other lures.. once you stop catching and stop seeing sign, that's when I would set up on their den to make sure the job is done.