So I have been running a line the last couple weeks and havent been able to get back to it since last weekend due to the weather, work schedule, etc. Last time I ran it a storm was coming in so I was not able to bait it and just hauled tail out. I finally was able to get to it this morning and much to my suprise, there were 3 blues on it with one going 12. I still cant believe it! Have any of you guys had the same experience? With the recent rains, lake level rising, etc I thought they might have just seen something shiny and gone after it. Theres also a chance someone baited my lines for me? I doubt it though. Anyways here's a quick photo I took before I threw them in the ice chest.

Might have had some left over bait on it from when you baited it the first time?

There's always the outside chance it bit because of a shiny hook. But, there also a reasonable chance someone else has been running your lines for you. I could see maybe 1 getting caught on a bare hook, 3 would be a little too much to expect. Anything's possible though.

I distinctly remember it being stripped with nothing on it. Not even remains off the cut bait. That would be a good assumption though. I would think if someone found it they would have atleast cut it then moved it and baited it, not just rebait it. Idk its a weird situation.

It has happened to me.

Pretty common actually

IF THEY found IT ? does this mean it was not marked and tagged ?

If your lines are not marked someone could have baited your line by mistake. At lakes trot lines are pretty thick. In East Texas it is common for lines not to be marked.

Anything that will take a spoon will take a hook that flashes in the light. I've taken catfish, drum, buffs, bass, even crappie on empty hooks. You have to remember that fish do not have hands and use their mouth to investigate things just as you or I would hold an unknown object. My first setline of the year I had not even finished attaching it to the other tree and I had a black crappie on the first hook. I doubt somebody else would bait your setlines by mistake. They are more likely to run them to take your fish than to bait them. I've done setlines for channels for almost 20 years and I've caught quite a few fish on blank hooks. I know that stormy weather last week almost chased me off the lake too, but I was lucky enough to have a break in the weather to go pull my lines before they sank deep into the water. I don't keep even unbaited setlines out when I'm not running them at least once per day because they will still catch fish even unbaited.

Yes, it occurs, because they see the sparkle, which can resemble a sparkle of a small bait fish such as shad.

A lot of people do not realize it, but when the schools of shad pool together, the bass come in & voraciously attack & eat them in a sort of buffet "frenzy". Meanwhile a second army of predators come in & wait below the bass & shad. We know them as catfish. As the bass are attacking the shad up above, portions (entrails & bite size chunks or even some dead ones) fall to lower depths. Then this is voraciously eaten by the catfish who are looking upwards & seeing those sparkles coming towards them for supper. They too go into a feeding "frenzy"


So, yes, an unbaited hook can catch fish too. If you plan NOT to catch fish, the best way on a set line to do it is by ...
1) Put the hooks "in the saddle" (put the hook thru 1 of the eyes of your swivel on your main line).
2) Take (remove) the leader(s) w/ hook off of the mainline.
3) Untie the hook off the leader (staging).
4) Using "J" swivels on the leader, just simply reverse the hook off of it.
5) Last resort, is to pull (remove) the line.



I have even caught catfish (Blues & Channels) while setting a trotline out & then putting on leaders, before I go back again to add bait. They were hooked in the mouth, indicating they were the aggressor, not me as I might be moving the line while setting the line up.

Yes it was "tagged" but seeing as the lake I was on had come up a couple feet everything was underwater including the tag.

I run quite a bit of jugs as well and am always drifting into trotlines and 75%% of them are never marked.

With the current lack of morality in the US many "line" fisherman have switched to unmarked
submerged lines.A few that once stopped have started again with simple technique advise.
GPS and grappling hooks allow them to harvest instead of being ripped off

I keep my lines as discreet as possible to keep away the thieves and the bass/crappie fishermen who often have no issue with cutting your lines out of spite. I use green braided line and put the ends about 8 to 12 inches below the waterline. Also, line fisherman have gotten a bad rep over the years so I prefer to keep them out of sight and out of mind.

those hooks still smell like fish