How to Make a Simple PVC Pipe Set

Most of the time you can find either natural or man-made attributes and structures to use to your advantage when making sets. But sometimes you’ll run across a location that has nearly nothing to work with. These types of locations seem to be where the water is low and the bridge walls are on dry ground and the stream lacks any vertical banks that cater to making a pocket set.

Situations like these are the ideal time to pull out a PVC pipe set. A PVC pipe set is simply a piece of ordinary PVC pipe used as part of a trap setup to help lure in animals. You place bait or lure inside the short section of pipe and stake it into the ground at an angle. Curious animals come in to check out the scent inside the pipe, putting them right where you want them for a clean catch. PVC pipe sets are cheap, easy to make, work well in all kinds of weather, and are a reliable option when there’s no natural structure to work with — making them handy for beginners and seasoned trappers alike.

Normally I don’t use a PVC set if I can make a more natural set, as I’d prefer not to carry the pipes around for it, but it’s worth having a few in the truck to make your life easier when you run across the above scenario.

Step 1: Position the Pipe

Shove the PVC pipe into the ground right where the water meets the bank.

Step 2: Size the Pipe

Use a pipe that’s at least two inches in diameter and about fourteen inches long.

Step 3: Angle the Pipe Over the Water

Set the pipe so it overhangs the water slightly. This makes the animal work out over the water to investigate what’s inside.

Step 4: Bed Your Trap

A few inches in front of the pipe, bed your trap in a couple of inches of water.

Next you will need to apply bait and lure. I like to use ground fish in the pipe and then smear a dab of a lure such as Money Printer on the lip. I then shove some grass into the pipe to hide the bait, thus making the animal spend more time at the set investigating. You can also squirt some fish oil or crawdad oil on it.

This lure and bait combo makes it effective for harvesting raccoon, mink, and otter. I’ve also caught lots of muskrats and a few beaver in them, which I think is partially attributed to the pipe being white and a visual attractant to them.

One thing to note is that the white pipe looks unnatural, which works to your advantage for eye appeal, especially with coon.

That being said, it also allows someone standing on the bank or bridge to easily spot your set and potentially steal or tamper with your traps. If this is a concern you can just spray paint them black and they will work just fine.