Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Building a dam New pond dam. How to prevent muscrats?

Got a new small pond dam. filled nicely. Got 3-4 ft freeboard and inside bank is grass that is too steep to mow easily at 2:1. The ponds in the area have muscrats, and this pond dam is steep enough to attract them probably.
Suggestions on how to manage the bank? Enameled wire? Rip rap? I like the look of mowed- that's preferred- but how to mow this? It's about 6-8 ft of inside bank. I do have tractor and tracked skid steer. Need ideas!!!
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I'd use galvanized cyclone fencing. No way to get rip-rap to hold on that slope. Put it at the water level down, and use 48" tall fencing.

How to mow? I'd look at a sickle bar mower.

Thanks so much, I'll look into the cyclone fencing. So happy to see that it's not going to break the bank and seems pretty easy to install. I assume it just lays on the bank at water level and held down initially with just some rocks?

Chain link fence buried below the dam surface (from just above full pool to 4-5 feet under water) during construction is a standard way to prevent muskrat damage.

If not in the city limits use a 22LR

22 LR bullets can ricochet off of water surfaces when shot at a low angle, so know what is down range.

If they show up, Conibear 110 traps (or the equivalent).