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Trotlines

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? ;)
That’s some good eating. I mostly limb line and ditty pole for flatheads in my little stream. River just now came out of flooding and only been twice. Check out an article on Limb lining in “Great Days Outdoors” in the June issue. Got a picture of me and #1 grandson on the river.
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That’s some good eating. I mostly limb line and ditty pole for flatheads in my little stream. River just now came out of flooding and only been twice. Check out an article on Limb lining in “Great Days Outdoors” in the June issue. Got a picture of me and #1 grandson on the river.
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That's awesome! I've messed around with a couple of limb lines and bought some yo-yos to tie onto log jams. Never have used a diddy pole, but I think I have a few areas similar to yours where they'd shine. Very small but fairly deep bayous with lots of old timber and no low-hanging limbs. Steep banks too. I've hunted them a lot and never seen a single soul fishing there.
 
That's awesome! I've messed around with a couple of limb lines and bought some yo-yos to tie onto log jams. Never have used a diddy pole, but I think I have a few areas similar to yours where they'd shine. Very small but fairly deep bayous with lots of old timber and no low-hanging limbs. Steep banks too. I've hunted them a lot and never seen a single soul fishing there.
Have you ever fished specifically for flathead (yellow cat)? They are the filet mignon of the catfish world.
 
Never have, but I've caught a few here and there this year. Where are you getting the fiberglass rods for your diddy poles? You've done got me researching...
I originally bought a dozen rigged from a now deceased company, Mudbums. They are fiberglass tree stakes 8’ long. I had two pulled out of the bank our first go round so I drilled a small hole a little over two feet from the pointed end and put a #3 hog ring through it. Made some 2’ rebar stakes with hog rings near the top of those. three foot of 300 lb. test line with a saltwater snap for the pole. Ill post a link to a utube video where the guy walks through the process of making the poles.

If you have an arborist supply store they are relatively cheap. I would go with 5/8“ or larger. a dozen with line wrapped and secure take up little room. Live bait only for flatheads, bream or bullheads, the bigger the better. Ive had channel cats over 5lb. swallowed by big yellows.
 
A'ight, pics of my setup.
 

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Forgot this one:

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Just a $1 spring clamp from HF. Lets out main line while I paddle. Just slip the extension cord reel over it after you tie one end. It also serves as a 3rd hand to keep from dropping the main line while you're running it. AND it holds my transducer in place if I'm bringing my Lowrance Fish Lo-K-Tor.
 
I just ordered up the material.... I got access to unlimited bait. This will be a fun to learn. Thanks for the info fellas.
Mine sharing what you got on stock materials. I know what’s need but I’m just curious what you went with.
 
Mine sharing what you got on stock materials. I know what’s need but I’m just curious what you went with.
I got a premade 1.....probably not the best but itll get me fishing quickly. Then if I feel the need to upgrade I got something to copy or modify
 
I would suggest you go with a circle hook in the future. I don’t run trot lines, but I do run the heck out of jugs (leaving in a hour or so to go do that very thing) and I have much more production with circle hooks.
If I can find some with big enough eyes for trautlein cord and if the price was right, that's what I would do
 
@Sipsey, you twisted my arm! I made 6 of these with 8/0 gamakatsu circles.


Gonna bait them tonight with either some green sunfish or (if the pet shop has big ones for cheap) goldfish. I can run these from the bank with my truck and bost out of commission.
 
@Sipsey, you twisted my arm! I made 6 of these with 8/0 gamakatsu circles.


Gonna bait them tonight with either some green sunfish or (if the pet shop has big ones for cheap) goldfish. I can run these from the bank with my truck and bost out of commission.
Oh my! I hope you catch some good ones. If you catch some good flatheads use this link to clean them. I’ve used this technique for several years and its about the best way i know of for bigger yellows.
 
If I can find some with big enough eyes for trautlein cord and if the price was right, that's what I would do

Oooooo yeah.....didn’t think about that twist.

Chillin’ while my jugs soak.....

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If you have less than 15ft, depth of the line don't matter in my experience. I run mine right across the top without weights if outboards aren't an issue. Makes the line much easier to run, and less issue with snags.

I would look for the "cleanest" water with the best current (assuming you're on a slow moving system like mine) and lots of cover. Log jams are awesome for holding cats. Forks are good too.Take a rod with some punch bait and a slip bobber and go fish a bit. Use that to hone in on the areas that produce a few fish. I've also had luck running some yoyos and limb lines to test out an area and justify running a line.

I've had some funerals and surgeries going on this past week, but this evening I'll try to actually get some pics and videos up. No promises, but if @swampsnyper ever gets his vessel license we might be doing a youtube trotline contest. I have a feeling that guy might know how to put the "here fishie fishies" on some cats.

I’m about to say the heck with trying to be a law abiding outdoorsman. Any thing I ever had to do concerning this crappy government in Alabama has been a circus. I’m one pissed off coonass right now. I’ve had enough!
 
@Sipsey, I had some success!

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Just a measly 2lb channel (perfect pan size), but I caught one. All the other poles were baitless this morning, and one was flat-out gone. I suspect the resident alligator, since this isnt the first time I've lost tackle. A buddy lost several of his yoyos, and I lost a stout limb line in that creek.

Got a few kinks to work out running them from the bank, but it went fairly smooth. I was able to net him pretty easily with a landing net and a broom handle with a hook on the end to reach out and grab the line. Gotta make me a quiver to hold all the poles, the line-hook, and the net while I'm walking through the swamp.
 
@Sipsey, I had some success!

View attachment 28285

Just a measly 2lb channel (perfect pan size), but I caught one. All the other poles were baitless this morning, and one was flat-out gone. I suspect the resident alligator, since this isnt the first time I've lost tackle. A buddy lost several of his yoyos, and I lost a stout limb line in that creek.

Got a few kinks to work out running them from the bank, but it went fairly smooth. I was able to net him pretty easily with a landing net and a broom handle with a hook on the end to reach out and grab the line. Gotta make me a quiver to hold all the poles, the line-hook, and the net while I'm walking through the swamp.

That’s awesome.
Why not drive in a bigger dia pvc for your base and slip the smaller pole inside of it. Then when you check them, you could just pick the pole out of the base and pull the fish to the bank. I’d still tie the base of that pole to a root so you don’t lose them if a gator gets on.
 
@Sipsey, I had some success!

View attachment 28285

Just a measly 2lb channel (perfect pan size), but I caught one. All the other poles were baitless this morning, and one was flat-out gone. I suspect the resident alligator, since this isnt the first time I've lost tackle. A buddy lost several of his yoyos, and I lost a stout limb line in that creek.

Got a few kinks to work out running them from the bank, but it went fairly smooth. I was able to net him pretty easily with a landing net and a broom handle with a hook on the end to reach out and grab the line. Gotta make me a quiver to hold all the poles, the line-hook, and the net while I'm walking through the swamp.
 
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