I was successful running jugs, catching some over 20 lbs. I had no intention to eat a fish that big. It was a lifetime memory to hold a 36 lb cat up at the dam where I found it miles away. She was gorgeous and released back.

I also was horrified to find a jug that had been lost by me. A small catfish died on that line and I am horrified to think how I can so easily kill someone else's lifetime catch!

Can I practically use or count on hooks that straighten easily? I prefer that because a big cat has no problem there (I hope) and if she straightens it, i won't leave line in the fish

Anyone confirm if that works or some solution? I wanna catch a lot of eater cats on jugs with my family but I also want to preserve the ecosystem and sport with the biguns

I have friends that use jug lines a lot, but never for catch & release. If they do have a big fish usually 9lbs and over, they release it. They also only leave out their lines while they are on the water and are watching them continuously. On rare occasions they will have a missing jug and when they find it the fish is usually gone. I do know they do their best on releasing the bigger fish. In my opinion just do the best you can on the methods you are using while C & R fishing. If one does not survive, it would be good for the dinner table as long that it is a legal catch.

Thanks

Since making this thread, I talked to my brother and he advised similarly to watch your jugs and don't run off. Put them out and fish nearby if you want. 1 hook each. No reason to have 50 hooks. You don't want that many.

I've caught good sized eater cats on those gold aberdeen crappie hooks while fishing for crappie so that's a thought, and also as mentioned above attend your jugs and I'd limit the number of hooks to maybe no more than two or three hooks per line.
Seems like with there being more people on the lakes than in the past, some can't seem to resist checking jugs to see what's there even if they don't belong to them.
If you are watching your jugs and you see a suspicious boat approaching, a single blast from an air horn will make them change course.

I am a set-liner. That means I set & run trotlines, juglines, throwlines, set hooks, and such. I also post my Lynn's Catfish Calendar here on the TFF. It is for YellowCats, BlueCats, and Gator Gars. A range of people utilize it for timing when to fish for those 3, be it catfishers, garfishers, and bassfishers. Yes, I said bass, as they also like to catch big Yellows, so that is what they are targeting on the side.

I would not have been able to map out the calendar was it not for the fact that lines stay out, while you are not there, like rod-n-reeling.

As for juglines, the largest Blue I have caught, was at 40#. However, I use a small plastic (vinyl) cup filled with concrete to anchor the jugline. But a larger one can take it for quite a run. The 40#er was on a jug I set near my "Planter" trotline I had set out on the Far Corner of Lake Limestone as it neared the bottom where it was opposite the side of the Near Corner on the Running Branch side. Using Near Side, as I come out on the Running Branch Creek side. As I came out that Turkey Day morning, I had seen a jug near the wall (dam), which was quite a ways for travel. As I was running my trotline on the Far Side, a jugliner said that might be my jug by the dam. So I went back to that direction. As I got close to the markers (buoys) that sprell out No Man's Land (waters), as they impose a hefty fine if you cross into it, all I could do was skim back & forth at my loss. It was one on it, but out of my reach (financially).

Come next October when I was at Running Branch Creek Marina cafe, somehow I started a conversation with two workers for BRA (Brazos River Authority). Come to find out, they recalled that jugline the previous year. In fact, a game warden instructed them to retrieve it a few days later & whatever was on, they could keep it. One of them was the one who kept it & I was told it weighed 40 pounds.

I am not in the normal catch & release. As you know, now they allow less than 12 inches on Blues & Channels. These are what I call dinks, not eaters. I toss them back because there is very little meat on them. To me, that is a serious waste of a fish when taken that small. I do not filet catfish, as I actually shave the meat off the bone. I even cut out the dimples of a larger YellowCat.

I am the type that Catch & Release into the grease pot. If it is legal, it is not released (by me). While sometimes, I will grill the bigger ones, as their meat stays together on the grill. However, my preference is 14 pound Blues (not too big, not too small). After cutting of the back straps on this size Blues, I start toward the end (head) and head towards the end (tail). After the first or second steak cut, you will have 1 inch or so thick "B" or "8" steaks. If you batter correctly & deep fry (in meat or meat/vegetable grease), it will fry up just right. The outer batter will almost crisp when you break it in the center to reveal a succulent tender meat. While hot, dip in ice cold Del Monte ketchup. Then blow a smoke ring. You see, Heinz is too salty, Hunts is too sweet. But Del Monte is just right.

But I did make an error once, in case you want a weaker set-up to not catch larger fish. You can set up your jugline with leaders that use a snap swivel (I had a 3/0 Brass Barrell snap swivel) in order to get a small eyelet Eagle Claw "Kahle" hook on it. I had a big one squeeze out the snap & take the hook. So the hooks work well, but the snap swivel is obviously weak.

On juglines, I set out 2, 3, 4, or 5 hook with variance due to depth of water I am putting it in. Plus I add a weight to anchor it. For instance, if I set them in the center just before the Near Corner, it is about 20 foot. Then at the Near Corner almost before the water pump station, it is 24 feet. Just past the water station veering right, it is 28 feet deep. So adjust my leader drops on the main line accordingly. Factors involved are what time of year, how high or low the lake is, whether I am trying for more up top, in the middle, or nearer bottom.

On trotlines, I utilize 36 hooks each (limit is 50 each). This allows me the balance of 72, for 28 more hooks. I map out how I want to do it.

I have two designs- SW (Shallow Water) & BW (Big Water). The BW incorporate my "Planter" design which utilizes a pulley type system on each end. And the two main anchors are 3.5 gallon buckets filled with concrete (depending upon where you stop that is between 60 to 72 pounds each). And 4 to 6 fender floats are used. One for the anchor rope, one for tie line to the sliding trotline, and a possible floater one if you think the lake will jump up. The anchor floats are larger at 36" or 30". The tie line floats are 24". The extra float line can be 24". The extra floats are for one or both reasons, in case the lake line rises and also to have 3 white floats so hopefully people will see them & not plough them.

I first started with 2 gallon buckets, but they easily move. I have tried with 3 one gallon buckets but more complicated with 3 anchor lines. I have thought of perhaps two 2 gallon which would have two anchor ropes. Plus you could retrieve one at a time. The Hoop loop slides down the anchor line(s) which you tie the trotline to.

For those who fry with vegetable oil, I just found out from new research that it clogs our lymphatic system which can also cause edema (swollen legs & ankles & feet. And canola oil is the worst.

Weather permitting, I hope to get back after the "Giant" on June 6th/7th/8th, which are my PYC days (Personal YellowCat days). The SW trotline for that incorporates size 72-96 3 strand nylon twist. as he broke size 36 in our last encounter on May 5th 2018 Estimated at well over 100# and runs like a tractor. With all the rain, I should be able to get out at RB now. It was too shallow back in November.

Anymore I just build 6' and 12 ' lines for my jugs. I have started using the gold 3/0 Aberdeen snelled hooks Eagle Claw puts out and bend the points to where they are pointed at the hook eye. Seems to help with hook ups and maybe a little keeps fish from getting off. The reason being if I snag one I can bend the hook and get it back without having to cut my main line. They work fine for eater cats and even bigger fish if you net them. I use live perch on my bank poles which are built pretty heavy for the possible big Flathead and the hooks on them are pretty heavy duty.