Trotline question

[catman529]

I'm thinking of putting together a quick trotline, put my TWRA number on and tie it to an anchor on the bank of the creek. Then go pick it up tonight after work and see if I got any cats or other fish. But the place is loaded with turtles too...is it just a fact I have to accept that I could easily pull up a line full of turtles? Any way to try and get around it? I'll be throwing the cast net and catching 4-5" minnows to use for bait on Kahle hooks. I guess I'll just have to hope some fish find the bait too. Thinking of putting something like 4 or 5 hooks on.

 

[Hangnail]

Sounds more like you're wanting to use a throw line instead of a trotline. You could make up two or three pretty quick right on the bank. We used throwlines quite a bit when I was a kid and did okay with them. Five hooks is gonna require some wet feet. A limbline or two could be productive with live bait and the right places. Good luck.

 

[ShaneHallum]

We put a 2oz sinker on the bottom of our trot lines and run our hooks 10inches off the main line at 1 foot apart. This usually keeps us from getting tangled up.

bluegill is the best bait I've used in the past. We've done good with chicken livers, hotdogs in pantyhose..

 

[catman529]

Well here are the results.

Set the line out around 4pm.

A brick at the end of the line, and 4 hooks on about 3 feet of line each coming off the main line, maybe 8-10 feet apart or so. I tied the other end of the main line to a tree and chucked it in.

Bait was two stonerollers and two small bluegills.

Less than 10 minutes after throwing it in, I hooked a catfish, about 3 pounds. Threw him back, put on a new bait, threw the line back in.

At 10:45 pm, after I got off work, I was out at the river again pulling in my line. the first hook was hung on the bottom, but I pulled it off. Pulled in the whole line... no fish, no bait. Possibly the turtles and/or gar ate the bait off, or I hooked fish that were just good at wrenching free from 2/0 Kahle hooks.

Will set the line out again very soon, and check it during the day and sooner too.