How to Make a River Otter Set

To make a river otter set, follow these steps.

1. Select a suitable site that is free from objects above the water’s surface that could cause entanglement on land.
2. Attach the snare to an anchor point by securing it to an immovable object or using a sliding wire submersion cable.
3. Check carefully again for entanglements above the water’s surface.
4. Insert the desired length of 9-gauge wire into the ground and secure the snare on the support wire.
5. Insert the support wire into the support collar by rotating the collar around the wire. If the cable does not have a support collar, use lineman’s pliers to cut and bend wire to create a support.
6. Open the loop of the snare to a diameter of 5 to 6 inches.
7. Place the lock at the 1 o’clock or 11 o’clock position to properly load the cable loop. In slower currents, increase the lock to the 2 o’clock or 10 o’clock position.
8. Adjust the wire support so the loop will be suspended at the required height above the channel/run. This is usually in a position where less than ⅓ of the snare loop is above the waterline and the remainder is below. Snares for river otters can also be set completely below the waterline swim-through areas where otters may be completely submerged.