Do you still have to have a tag on trotlines in lakes and rivers with you info on them . Or is it if you plan to leave it more than a couple of days ?

You need to tag it at all times to be legal.

You should never leave it for days.

Fairly sure you have to have one regardless, someone could be checking a trotline after 4 days of soaking it and a game warden pulls up and they say they've had it there for an hour

Just looked it up and you need one regardless and they're good for 10days after placement

I will be running it every two days , Just was wondering after this weekend after talking to a ol boy that had one next to where we was fishing . I asked him and he said not if it's for just a couple of days . I told him back when me and my father n law was running them in Richland Chambers we taged all of ours and had to keep up with the dates n such . Ol boy said all that has changed ( that's why i asked the ? on here ) Thanks for the info guys !

what about limb lines?

Hi redmist220,

To my knowledge, there has been no slack as to having your trotline tagged. Now if you are on a private pond, lake, tank, or sleugh, to the best of my knowledge, you do not. But you can always verify it by touching base with a Game Warden. They are the ones who interpret the written rules & guidelines, or I should say, have been informed as to the interpretation of the fishing laws.


I recall one day back in the mid 1980s, a Game Warden came by me on the Trinity River (about 25 bends down below TX 21). After checking my fishing license, we started chatting. Talk about one of the nicest guys out there, we conversed at least 15 minutes, maybe more. He explained that even though the rules (regulations) at that time only required 1 tag on 1 side of your trotline, he explained why it was best to put 1 on each side. Of course, now you are required to have 2-- 1 on each side. He shared a recent episode. He had checked somebody's trotline. The side he was checking, did not have the tag. It was hung up out in the middle. He looked over at the other side but could not see the other end. Therefore, he cut the line that he was able to retrieve. But still went over & fished for the other possible side. He did manage to finally find it. And as he pulled it up, it was no longer hung in the middle. And Guess what? That side did have the tag & it was legal. But now due to his retrieval, he set all of the line over on the side that had the tag, for the owner to retrieve. So he explained due to situations like these, a tag on each side would have prevented a dilemna like this.

He further explained that even though the rules back then, did not require you to tag your throwline, he suggested I should. Then he shared the reasons why. From time to time, others come in & decide to grab other people's lines & steal them. He said if he caught somebody with lines that had the tag of someone else, he would confiscate them, fine them (or even jail them), and be able to contact the owner (to which they would eventually get them back). And that was when I decided to not only put 2 tags on my trotlines, and 1 on my throwlines.

He also shared that he checked boat cards too. He ran across 3 in a boat. Of course, he knew the owner & it was not one of these 3 guys. So he hauled them in & threw the book at them. Basically, they were in stolen property. So I have no problem in registering boats & having the card on me.

And finally they now require the motor to be titled (not sure if that is the correct term). Again, it may be seen as another charge to us as to money. But yet, it helps to deter some outboard motor thefts & also helps to track down stolen ones.


Now currently the tag date is only 10 days worth. It must be redated before it expires, or the line will be pulled. I liked the 30 days. But I understand some of the reasoning. My preference would be 15 (no less than 14) days, if not 30 days. My "Planter" trotlines require some work to put out & are not something you put out & then retrieve in a week or so. If I do not plan to run it for a time, there are 3 options I can take: 1) Pull the leaders off (that the hooks are attached to), 2) Put the hooks "in the saddle" (run the hook into one end of the barrel swivel located on the main line to which the leader is attached), or 3) Use "J-swivels" to which the hooks drop in & can be pulled off easily (without untying the leader at the hook or the swivel).

If you use juglines, or trotlines with some sort of floating devices at each end, the float may be used as the tag or tags.


Also, be sure your trotlines allow each end to drop far enough down, so a motor cannot cut it or get tangled into it.

You must tag all Jug Lines, Trot Lines, and Limb/Throw Lines. Must include Name, Address, and Date Put Out. (good idea to include your phone number too that way if it gets cut of moved you can be contacted easily to retrieve it.)

They must be tagged whether you have in it the water for 1 hour or 1 week. This applies to all public water where you can legally use lines other than rod and reel.

Must be re-dated after 10 days.

Specifics listed in the fishing section of Outdoor Annual. Explains what you can legally retain (catfish and rough fish) and spacing between hooks (3ft trot line) etc..

Thanks for the info StateGameWardenTx

I have a question about jugging, limbing, and trot lining. How long will a fish live on one of these? I can't see not checking them every day to keep fish from dying.

Tommar asks/notes:
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I have a question about jugging, limbing, and trot lining. How long will a fish live on one of these? I can't see not checking them every day to keep fish from dying.
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That is a good question. However, there is no definitive & absolute answer for it though. As there are so many variables involved.

For a few possible angles ...

If you are fishing on the main lake during the summer while thermocline is active (normally it will have depleted oxygen levels from mid level to the bottom). If you have a trotline or hooks in the thermocline, a catfish may go for it. But then be caught in that level, and die because of the lack of oxygen. In simple terms, they will not last. You could check the lines in one or two hours & they are already dead & slimed with gunk. But the gills may still be pink enough to where the meat is still good. So, rule of thumb, in that condition, is they die extremely fast, so you need to run them every 1 or 2 hours at MAX. I also found that during peak times on the lake for skiers & jet skis, that there seems to be a lot more of "dead water" that almost sometimes looks black during May thru July (holidays especially as to Memorial Day & Independence Day). If I was a fish, I'd probably just die looking at it. And that is another reason why I won't run trotlines on the main lake from late May thru late October- thermocline, dead water, and too much boat traffic (ample carbon monoxide in the water).

However, in the winter that same line & depth, temperatures ranging from cold to cool (say late November thru February), and the hook is set on the mouth/lips (not swallowed), they could possibly last forever, as long as they do not become entangled. Of course, they may eventually lean out too much & die of starvation. Then there may be a big rain that brings fresh water into the lake (or river). While that may be good sometimes, on occasions, it (the current) may stir up toxins on the bottom (or could even dump pesticides into the lake or river) & cause a small fish kill. One case in point is that the Trinity River below D-FW usually experiences this type of fish kill. But it can happen in lakes as well. Once again, the variables are vast.


And then there are other factors such as this one case that happened to me. I had a shallow water trotline out in the lake. Possibly 7' to 10' total depth, the hook may have been around 1 foot to 4 feet off bottom. Last time I baited it, was around Midnight to 2 AM. Ran it again between 7 to 9 AM. So a window of 5 to 9 hours later. Water was fine. As I was checking & rebaiting, one leader (hook) had a head along with a short backbone extension of about 4". It was (had been) a Blue or Channel, possibly ranging from 2 to 3.5# worth. But it was dead & most had been eaten. The leader did not show signs of being twisted nor was it tangled. The hook was in its mouth or lips, so not swallowed. Chances are that a bigger predator came along, such as an Op & swallowed it, but spit it out while keeping some of it. The reason I say that, is that the rest of the bones were gone. So that most likely rules out that something such as smaller fish, even turtles or gars as to being the predators.


Basically, there are no guarantees. Apply common sense, experience, and other's experiences.

Thanks Lynn. That's good info. So normally live fish have red gills and pink gills are recently deceased but still ok to clean and eat. What color are they when they're too far gone and what about stiffness (rigor mortise)?

As for Catfish, the gills should be red to pink. Slight or a pale pink becomes "iffy" or borderline, With any white in the gills, chances are it is too late. Also, all white is definitely a no-go.

Also, if you skin the catfish in the borderline colors noted, the meat will or possibly might tear quite a bit. The other clue that the meat is foul & could make you very sick, is as you clean it, the meat has a very strong bad odor.


If fishing in the warmer days, it is best to have a fish cooler or ice chest, in that you can toss them into the ice, be it on, in, or below the ice to slow down the process (naturally-- in & below are best), especially if you catch any in the thermocline area that have already croaked.

I forget exactly what the Rules & Regs state at the moment, as to whether you are allowed to gut the fish while still on the waters in order to slow down the decaying process. Hopefully our GW here will clarify on that aspect. I know you cannot alter the length, or else how would they be able to tell if your catch was legal length or not.

Unless you're performing (practicing) CPR (the fishing method), then your object of the game/work is to keep what you have caught (legally), not cause waste or commit loss. Simply put, it is common sense.

Best of Catfishin'!

P.S.- not sure of stiffness, as sometimes at the cleaning table, I flex them back & forth to where they are limber again. I watch the gills & keep my nose scented on the way it smells.