When I ran trotlines I baited with cut shad. I would strip all the bait off my lines for the weekend I would rebait on monday. During the prespawn I have caught as high as 18 catfish on 100 naked hooks could be the shiney hooks but that shad smell had something to do with it.

Just an FYI. If you put your lines in as you described and do not mark them in any way, such as the required "floats", then expect them to be cut. I've talked to more than 1 Game Warden who told me THEY cut and remove them all the time if they are found below the surface and unmarked as REQUIRED by law. They told me I could do the same, although the only ones I have ever cut were obviously long abandoned ones.

I have never read that trotlines have to be marked.

Yes you need a gear tag for info, but that is all I know.

Can someone post up out of the annual where it says they have to be visibly marked for everyone to see with floats?

This is my understanding also...gear tag yes, but never heard they had to have floats or be marked...

I've caught a lot of blues in choke on dry hooks....They seem to like the red hooks better but will still catch a few on regular hooks...

Your the reason us R&R guys hate trotliners! Take your trotline out of the water when not in use. I believe the new law says it can only be in the water a week unattended? I could be wrong there.......Just imagine all the trotlines that are left out there, fish bite the hook....fish stays on the hook...fish dies. And BTW, u can put a willow leaf on that hook and catch blues and flatheads pretty good with no bait.

Gear tags do not have to be floats but floats can be used as gear tags. Did I ever say I don't put gear tags on my lines? I did not. The OP is talking about markers not gear tags.

It's on page 36 and 39 of the 2014 rule book and it states:

Page 36

Gear Tag:
A tag constructed of material as durable as the device to which it is attached. The gear tag must be legible, contain the name and address of the person using the device and the date the device was set out. Date is not required for saltwater trotlines or crab traps under a commercial license. For juglines and freshwater trotlines, properly-marked buoys or floats qualify as valid gear tags.

Page 39

Tag Requirements: Must be used with a valid GEAR TAG (see pg. 36). Properly-marked buoys or floats qualify as valid gear tags. Gear tags must be attached within 3 feet of the first hook at each end of the trotline and are valid for 10 days after the date set out.

There is nothing wrong with a submerged line with no floats as long as you have gear tags.

From an ethics POV. I personally think if you even think there is a possibility you will be unable to check your line at least once per day, then you need to remove the line. It doesn't matter if it is weather or work or whatever. I like fish, but I don't want some fish being stuck to a line for that long. I also have a pet peeve of people leaving line on the trees once they are finished.

My line never had a chance of being "abandoned" I just got caught up with this thing called life. I hate people that abandon trotlines for an extended period of time just as much as the next guy but it was a general question and how this turned into an ethics argument I have no idea.

Well boys I guess they were hitting the bare hooks cause I baited it back up and found these on it this morning

Nice catch but don't see how that proves they were hitting bare hooks one way or the other.

meaning that nobody seems to have been running my lines.

That's a really nice flathead. Using live bait or dead bait? This is the first year I've used nothing but soap. I love it because I haven't caught a lot of rough fish, but I have yet to get a flathead on it either.

live bait. He came in right at 18 which is about the limit on how big ill take them home for flats.