help with new method please

as some of you guys know, i have been having trouble catching catfish with a rod and reel from the bank.

yesterday, while at it again (btw my rods would jerk then my cutvait was gone several times), i saw a white nylon rope tied to a tree trunk that went straight into the lake. i figured someone left it there for catfish or gar. and then my little light bulb lit up!

after doing some research on the TPWD website and google, i came upon a possible name for this, a throw-line. how in the lovely world of catfishing do i make a rig like that? what hook size, weights, swivels, knots, baits, line do i use?

i just want to eat catfish or even a lovely gar... please help.

What hooks are you using? Disregard my signature.

You don't need a throw line or a trot line to catch. Find some flooded green grass with some wind blowing on it after this rain and you should get bit. All the info you need on rigging and bait is here on the forum. Chummin your hole with some sour milo will increase your chances. Might post the body of water you are fishing and someone on here can probably point you to a more productive area.

If you're wantin to use a limb line, the last thing you want to do is tie it to a tree trunk. Highly doubt that, that is what the line you saw was used for. Where are you fishin at?

Watch some team catfish videos on catching catfish is my recommendation

using 3/0 gamakatsu circle hooks and #1 eagle claw bait-holder hooks



i mainly fish at espantosa lake either off fm1433 or off midway pk road. idk if you familiar lol its our only fishing hole

using 3/0 gamakatsu circle hooks and #1 eagle claw bait-holder hooks
Do you ever see any turtles? Step up to 8/0 or 7/0 hooks I find anything smaller too small. Btw team catfish out does those gama any day. I used to be a skeptic...

unfortunately, cat finder, only access to fishing gear here is our local walmart. just last month they purged alot of old inventory and they just got in some team catfish hooks in but they are only j-hooks. therr are some new eagle claw circle hooks but im weary of them. i had to buy the gama circles from san antonio, 150 miles away.

havent seen many turtles around yet eitger

You need a bait
You need a hook
You need enough weight to hold line,hook and bait under water
Knots do not matter
Next question . . . . .

lol, how long is reasonable to leave it out before checking it?

Ok I use limb lines when winter fishing for channel catfish. I place a circle hook on a line with a goldfish on it to figure out the depth of the fish. Don't forget the gear tag. I find trees from 15 feet deep to 40 feet deep and usually put out 5 lines. Now I fish the depth where I catch fish. I run the lines each morning and I remove them when I learn what I am trying to learn. I have no doubt that I could catch loads of fish on limb lines but I do that with my fishing rod. So most often in winter the deeper trees catch fish but sometimes a few feet of depth makes a big difference. Now I do not use weights and allow my goldfish to swim. I also have caught my share of large gar on the goldfish. I release the gar I catch after careful hook removal.

Channel cat are nastier then a chicken,theyll eat anything
Blues are abit more picky and prefer fresher prey
Big* Flatheads aint stupid and they prefer fresh live prey
They will hit good cut bait but never rancid(yes there are exceptions <~~ for the net cops)
Its not the golden rule,but its my rule**
When flathead bait plays out(1hr) said bait goes into another bucket for blues that is generally cut unless its still alive(perch)
Most often it is because of how I rig it,I dont rig it to kill it
I use 6/0(for eaters),8/0 and 10/0 hooks exclusively for the target fish,double hook for live carp up to 1lb.
We find plenty to make the feed every season,I dont hurt for fish because I put in the SIMPLE effort supported by decades of water time.Its not a sport to me,its tradition.

bought a roll of black throw line rated at 113lbs, going out later tonight and setting 2 just to test it out. one with cut and another with live bluegill. going to do a free-line method with 5/0 eagle claw sea circle hooks i just bought, will update later or tomorrow. wish me luck

Agree with everything you said except for the first part about Channels. They aren't the most selective starting out in their life, but once they pass 10lbs, they are caught more often on live and cut bait.

10# channel's are very rare in Texas
Even the bigger 5# still suck on them turds,I aint messin with'em

That all depends on what lakes you fish......some have healthy populations of channels in the 7-12lb range.