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Trotlines

Nutterbuster

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2017
Messages
10,062
Location
Where the skys are so blue!
This has been my quarantine obsession. Where I live I can run them every day, and Alabama is pretty laid back about the regulations. I've never run a trotline until about a month ago, but have quickly been able to put probably 100lbs of fish away. Running the lines in a canoe is cheap and peaceful. Goodway to start and end each day. Here's some pics.


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Anybody else run lines? I'm still very much just figuring out all out. Huge shout out to @swampsnyper and @huck72412 for putting up with my questions and general obsession over the subject. Who knew you could catch catfish with soap? ;)
 
We can run limb lines in moving water, no trotlines or jug lines. One of my favorite summer activities. Cool little paddlefish!
 
I am just getting into trot lines. I have ran very few in the past and have a lot to learn. I have been having trouble getting the ol boat running but might take the kayak out soon. Been making a few lines in my spare time, as most of the stores have been out.
 
We can run limb lines in moving water, no trotlines or jug lines. One of my favorite summer activities. Cool little paddlefish!
I wish I could have gotten pics of his big brother. I snagged about a 20 pounder at the mouth of a small creek. Kinda turns into an all-hands-on-deck scenario with a fish that big.
 
I am just getting into trot lines. I have ran very few in the past and have a lot to learn. I have been having trouble getting the ol boat running but might take the kayak out soon. Been making a few lines in my spare time, as most of the stores have been out.
DIY lines are the way to go. I'm 99% happy with my current setup.
 
Last summer I ran a few lines at the lake we were living on. I could drag my kayak about 50yds and check the lines. I was never much for using live bait and catching the monsters we have in KS. My bait of choice was cheap and easy (that’s how I like it ). Hot dogs cut to 1-2” size, Kool Aid (strawberry was most successful for me), and garlic salt. Mix it all up in a ziplock and let it gel up and then I throw it in the freezer.

I don’t know how many times I would set it and be paddling back to shore and they would hit it. I usually only set 3-4 and would get 10-12 1-2# a day. I’d check them 5 times a day on weekends being right next to it.
 
Cut carp/suckers works really good. I have fun bowfishing for the carp then cutting em up and using em for catfish bait later. If ya leave the skin on the carp its really hard to get off the hook and makes the cats work at it. Seems like the size of the chunk of carp and hook will determine the size of cat ya want to catch.
 
I remember running trot lines with my grandpa when I was real little. I can't remember much, but the one thing I do remember was we would tie off our bait in pantyhose (I think we were using old cornbread or something) to keep it together on the hook. Seemed to work pretty well.
 
Way more fun to catch them with a rod and reel but definitely more effective if you are just in need of food.
 
Way more fun to catch them with a rod and reel but definitely more effective if you are just in need of food.
I've always been very lukewarm on fishing, which kinda sucks since where I live is teeming with fish and kinda short on big bucks. Actually turned down an offshore trip with a buddy last weekend.

I told myself this year I was going to get into it. Kinda lame to live on the river and not fish, right? So I started thinking about how to make it work for me.

For whatever reason, I can sit all day in a deer stand and not get bored, but I have about a 15 minute attention span on the water. I like to bream fish because the action is usually pretty hot. Set lines seemed like a good way to get some exercise, and ensure good action when I was out. Lot of work involved, and it's really been reminding me of the beginning of my saddle hunting career. Building and running a good trotline quickly and safely by yourself requires lots of planning, for me anyway.

I love the excitement of not knowing what's on the line. I run 50 to 100 hooks, so there's going to be SOMETHING, but what? I pulled up a softshell turtle about as big as my truck tire a few weeks ago. Gators, turtles, choupique, gar, big cats, or maybe just 40 or so little ones...who knows?

But, I didn't count on trotlines leading to me buying r&r tackle. That wasn't part of the plan. But before you go through the work of setting and running a 300ft long string of hooks, you wanna see what's there, ya know? So it comes the rod to poke around a few hours. Maybe set one line, scout a new spot for a few hours, and go back to check the first one. And if you want cut bluegill fr bait, better bring the cricket cage and ultralight! I've spent more time with a pole in my hand for the past few weeks than I have for probably the prior 10 years.

I guess what I'm saying is for me the fun is about tied (probably slight advantage for set lines in my case), but it's lead me to a lot of "pole time" too.

Of course, I am a dirty crossbow hunter too. Bear that in mind. ;)
 
I've always been very lukewarm on fishing, which kinda sucks since where I live is teeming with fish and kinda short on big bucks. Actually turned down an offshore trip with a buddy last weekend.

I told myself this year I was going to get into it. Kinda lame to live on the river and not fish, right? So I started thinking about how to make it work for me.

For whatever reason, I can sit all day in a deer stand and not get bored, but I have about a 15 minute attention span on the water. I like to bream fish because the action is usually pretty hot. Set lines seemed like a good way to get some exercise, and ensure good action when I was out. Lot of work involved, and it's really been reminding me of the beginning of my saddle hunting career. Building and running a good trotline quickly and safely by yourself requires lots of planning, for me anyway.

I love the excitement of not knowing what's on the line. I run 50 to 100 hooks, so there's going to be SOMETHING, but what? I pulled up a softshell turtle about as big as my truck tire a few weeks ago. Gators, turtles, choupique, gar, big cats, or maybe just 40 or so little ones...who knows?

But, I didn't count on trotlines leading to me buying r&r tackle. That wasn't part of the plan. But before you go through the work of setting and running a 300ft long string of hooks, you wanna see what's there, ya know? So it comes the rod to poke around a few hours. Maybe set one line, scout a new spot for a few hours, and go back to check the first one. And if you want cut bluegill fr bait, better bring the cricket cage and ultralight! I've spent more time with a pole in my hand for the past few weeks than I have for probably the prior 10 years.

I guess what I'm saying is for me the fun is about tied (probably slight advantage for set lines in my case), but it's lead me to a lot of "pole time" too.

Of course, I am a dirty crossbow hunter too. Bear that in mind. ;)
Alright, as long as you are actually fishing as well, I'll let it slide....Haha
 
If you want fish in the freezer trotlines are hard to beat. My FIL and I usually wear out the blues in February once most of the shad are gone and the temps are cold. We have a spot where we can pull 100 pounds every few nights. Always a blast to run the lines too! You never know what you're gonna get. In the summer we don't run them as much because we catch a lot of gar and turtles. We've caught cats on dough stink bait, cherry Kool-Aid hotdog chunks, cheddar cheese, minnows. Catfish will eat anything.
 
If you want fish in the freezer trotlines are hard to beat. My FIL and I usually wear out the blues in February once most of the shad are gone and the temps are cold. We have a spot where we can pull 100 pounds every few nights. Always a blast to run the lines too! You never know what you're gonna get. In the summer we don't run them as much because we catch a lot of gar and turtles. We've caught cats on dough stink bait, cherry Kool-Aid hotdog chunks, cheddar cheese, minnows. Catfish will eat anything.
That's awesome! I havent caught the first gar yet, but I had some trouble with choupique and turtles at first. I moved the lines to a spit with better current and havent caught anything but a cat since.

I've had the best luck with local river shrimp and cut bait so far. Did ok with hotdogs and zote soap. For the cost/convenience those are hard to beat.
 
What do you mean you use soap? What kind of soap and how big do you put a chunk on?
 
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