Any advice on trapping these buggers? I have never trapped cattails/ marsh before- planning on running a few 160s. How many live in 6' hut? Any suggestions?

You should be able to find where the rats are climbing out on to the house. if you can do that just set your foot hold under water at that point. No more then 1" of water over your trap. So you might have to push down the hut a bit so you have affirm foundation for your trap.

I just re read your post and I see your using 160s. Well take a close look around the hut and try and figure out where the rats are swimming. They aren't swimming out to open water since there Is no food source out there. If you can find any of these trails through the cat tails just take a lath set your trap and slide the lath through both spring eyes. Then pull the springs out so the trap will lock up on the lath. Set the trap In the run and adjust It so about 2" of the trap are above the water line. You could also bait the trigger and set It close to the house. If you do that then you want the trap a little higher out of the water so the baited triggers are showing.

If you have clear water conditions you may be able to see the rat runs on the bottom. Then you can place the trap right on the bottom.

Could be 2 rats could be 4 or 5 rats. Hard to tell.

In shallow water, you can often set the dive hole into the hut, if not any runs nearby. I put em on the bottom, never did that good setting on top.
Under ice is where the baited conis shine. If you can't see them, I guarantee there are runs there that you can feel with your feet, sometimes actual tunnels under the vegetation. I've even set them from a canoe by feeling out the run with the end of the stake, if too deep to wade.

if its like most of the few i find here,its empty and a great mink set.check our laws as there is a giggity in there about huts i think.

giggities are something- tho I'm not sure the particular gig you are referring to?

Hard to believe only a few rats living in that thing I couldn't fit in my truck!

Ill be looking for runs... There are a number of much smaller push ups as well.

Thanks for the info!

The pushups or the smaller huts are where the rats do their eating. If your laws allow you to set In the hut you can place a foot hold up In that push up. Or find the run going to It.

I don't know about that. I set one about the size of a steering wheel and it had three rats using it. One that big is pretty rare around here, but it should have at least a half dozen or so.

In pa we can't disturb the huts at all. A conibear with florence green duct tape on the trigger, placed in the water beside works well. If you can find the entrances, those are always good to set.

If you can trap on the hut just make a hole and put your 160 in front of it or a foot hold, I place 4 traps per hut and generally get 3 and often 4 the first night

Rats will check out any disturbance to their hut just like beaver will their dam so it is a deadly set if your state allows you to trap on the hut that is

isn't it underwater only within 5 ft?

Lot of times here there will be a toilet somewhere on the hut, be sure and set that. On those small feeder hut I'll find the run or hole going into it and set it with a 110 on a stake. usually good for a rat or 2.

I tried to look 3 times but pretty sure that rule reads except underwater- meaning underwater the 5’ rule doesn’t apply.

The five foot thing is for land sets. And if you set a foothold where they come onto the hut, is that disturbing it? I don't think so.
But, no ripping holes in the hut.

Pa regs are enough to make a man insane

agreed.