Going to set out my first trot line when the weather warms up any tips or advise. I was planning on putting it where the river runs in to the lake.

In about a month

Yea Thats when i was planning on setting it end of feb. begining of mar. depending on weather.

What lake??

Best advice I can give you is take your time.

I am not giving away the main secret here but I will tell you this:

1) Make sure you are in an area that the flatheads travel (provided you want flatties).
2) Make sure you have plenty of weight on each end. Tying to trees is not considered weight. YOu want the ends of you line on the bottom. I use sacks of concrete that I have allowed to get wet and cured whole in sack form.
3) Run your hooks at every 3'. Stretch your line out in the street or yard and use a black sharpie marker to mark each 3' so you know where to tie your stagings.
4) Use your garage door rails (overhead doors) to tie your line at 24" above the floor.
5) Tie your hooks on and leave plenty of line for the stagings, then tie one onto the main line and make sure it is 2" off the floor. Measure that and cut all your stagings to that length.
6) Use a plastic solo cup and fill it up with concrete, put an eye bolt (small) in the bottom of the cup. Use fast set concrete and mix it dry so it isnt all soupy. You want it to dry fast so you can keep that eye bolt from coming loose on you.
7) Tie the eye bolt to the main line wiht a staging and make sure it is matches the distance from the floor to the main line.
8) Run the weights after every 3rd hook. Plus one at the very beginning and one at the very end.
9) Get a swim noodle and cut a section off it that will float the main line but not pull the weight off the bottom. This will keep your hooks about 2" off the bottom.
10) Build a "fighting line" and a "snagging line" - The fighting line should be a heavy D Ring with rope on it. The snagging line should be a line with a weight and a large treble hook on it to drag and find your line when you go to run it. Tagging your line should be thought of but only has to be tagged withing so many inches or feet of the first hook (check regs). It does NOT have to be visible to the general public, if I recall.

That was just building the line. Dont use store bought junk, build your own of you are doing it, do it right.

1) To set it out, find the right place.
2) Put a long line with some floats on it so it will float up and you can find your main line once you drop it off. Never set a main line with stagings and hooks on it already. That is asking for trouble, hooking yourself, tangles, cussing and anger.
3) Drop the first end off the boat.
I choose to set mine out when the wind is blowing in the direction I want the line to run so I can use the wind to move me instead of the engine.
4) Get to the other end and drop it off the boat. Before you drop it off, make sure you have a "fighting line" attached to it so you can pull it and stretch it tight tight tight tight.
5) Go back to the beginnign and start tying your stagings and hooks to the main line at each of your marks.

Now, I think that is everything. It is very time consuming to do it right. I had an old "lineman" teach me this method. He has caught several flatties over 100# on his lines. I will not name lake or location though.

The real secret to this is knowing how to tie your hook to your stagings. That is the secret I cannot give out. Sworn to secrecy. Doing it right and being in a flathead trail and you will catch fish. I suggest sticking a cork on the end of your hooks if you are not checking it at least once a day because if you learn to tie the hook on right, it fishes 24/7/365 whether baited or not.

Now, go see if you can figure out how to tie the staging and hook and getcha some.

great post pyleofcats

Carry a knife on your side incase you get stuck with a hook

I got a PM about what is the snagging line and fighting line for.

The fighting line is used to put on the main line when you feel a big fish. You are not going to be able to wear out a big fish enough by just holding the main line by yourself, you dont play it enough and the fish can break loose. YOu have plenty of line on the D Ring and just let the fish swim and pull it back in and let it swim, just like a drag on your reel.

The snagging line is to drag the bottom of the lake to try to hook your main line to pull it up and check it.

Remember, your line needs to be marked within so many feet of the first hook but I do not recall that it has to be visible on the surface. I never made mine visible. You had to get the main line up in order to see who it belonged to. But it WAS always marked.

I'm sorry, I disagree! Sounds like possibly the hardest most cumbersome way to set a trotline I have every heard!

I have made some of my own trotlines and they work great. I also use the ones you can buy at walmart/academy. Caught cats up to 82 lbs on the store bought ones(NOT using the supplied stagings and hooks). We tie to trees all the time and se no problem with it.

Good luck if you want yella use live bait have fun bring help and streatch a tite line.

matt

+1 Sounds like possibly the hardest most cumbersome way to set a trotline I have every heard!

I never said it was easy. It is just how most all the old time liners do it. Or at least the ones I know. Doing your homework and figuring out the trail is probably the hardest part of it all.

I also like 5-6 feet between each stagging so that you have some space if you have 2 or 3 big cats caught next to one another. Having staggings only 3' is the minimum distance required by TPWD regulations, but just not enough space if you are in some really solid catfish, especially big blues and flatheads.

Tying a stagging to hook and swivel, simple and effective.
- double your stagging line (nylon only), tie a over-hand knot in both ends and together. Burn the tied ends to keep them from fraying out. Put the looped stagging through your swivel and pull and then through itself so the knotted end is at the swivel. ALWAYS, ALWAYS thread the loop end through the FRONT of your hook (over the point, not from the back to the point of the hook), learned this one from a professional lady bass angler. Doing so, you will increase your hook set by 50% since the hook will automatically turn when it comes up against the fishes mouth and set itself. This is where Tru-turn hooks got there design.

Try it out, both ways and pull the hook over the side of your hand and see the difference it makes. You'll be surprised!

I catch a lot more fish on single hooks by always tying them from the front instead of the back.

Good Luck my friend!

Granger, thanx for all the info!

Agree with pyleofcats,
Dont knock it till you have tried it.
The idea of keeping the whole line parallel with the bottom
and only a few inches off the bottom seems awesome.
Have actually sketched out ideas with juglines that would keep all the lines along the bottom, but then I ran out of room in the freezer doing it the way I have been doing so I put my engineering on break and figured if it works why fix it??

I grew up trotlining with my dad. I started juglining about four years ago, and have not put out a line since. When I'm setting my jugs out, I target bait, active fish, channels, and ledges just like I do when I am R&R fishing. For me it has been much more productive than setlining because if I don't get bit, I just roll up the jugs and change locations. Much easier than setting a new line, plus by being able to move my jugs, they are productive anytime, not just when the water is warm. Just my .02!

I used to set lines like pyleofcats; but after having them cut by trollers and others so many times, I finally went to jug lines totally. I put out stationary jug lines, 5lb weight on the bottom with 4-5 drops depending on the depth. Has worked great the past 3 yrs. And I catch blues and yellows with no problem. Rarely leave them out for more than two days. Usually catch enough fish in 1-2 trips, I've got plenty for several weeks. Easy to put out and easy to take up. A lot less trouble than my trotlines were.

Gotta watch out when putting set lines out near a river mouth in early spring. Lot's of boat traffic trying to get to the sandbass can get your line run, tore up, or cut out of meaness.

+1
Great fishin location = dam near impossible to keep a trotline in one piece. Unless you are fishin on private waters, all the prep and hard work that goes into a really good trotline just aint hardly worth it these days.

That's why I gave it up for Rod and Reel. I've got between 10-20 hooks in the water where ever the boat is at any given time.

I only get to go lining once maybe twice a year now but havent forgoten what i learned when I went more often. We fish max twice a year and catch enough fish to feed about 600 pluss folks. We do a couple fish fries for our church, and family parties throughout the year, past that i like to get something to bend my pole. Always chasin the yellas and out of my clan(family) we catch by far the most yellas we dont run more than 30 hooks and dont run jugs much, to easily stolen.

matt

my suggestion.....be sure and leave enough slack so that i can cut it without getting my pocket knife in the water! i get highly bothered when i get hung on someones set line........

Guess what... We get highly bothered when you get hung up on our set lines too...

You, Sir, are a rabble-rouser! Slap-slap! I challenge you to a duel.

+ 100 pyleofcats

pm me djdoubl3j if you want to know how rig the staggings..


If you used a tree on one end you should have had alot of straighten out hooks if your catching big ones on a reg bases.....

Very good info the best desription I've heard it may sound like a lot of work
(aka as doing it right) but it works and will hold when something big get hooked and it does fish 24/7/365 with the J-style hooks suspened off the bottom a few inches with the hook tied correctly...but most inportant is you have to put it where the big fish travel.levey road beds, creek channels..big cats often follow the same paths over and over and when you catch really big one you'll catch more big ones within a hook or 2 of the other...now days I would use circles hooks to avoid gut hooking and however you wont "snag" any but the catch to miss ratio will go up.. pyleofcats didn't mention that you need quite a bit of extra line at least 2x the water depth between the rock and the first hook so you have enough stretch to be able to pull it to the top to run it .....If you don't put it out "invisble" to other fisheman and us a drag hook to retrive it with, someone will run it for you,,It happens all the time unless you hide it (totaly under water)

These were all caught set on trees, no bent hooks no lost fish and no concrete!

You ever wonder why trucks run better now than they did in the 1960's... it because we learned thats why you can set a trotline without 3 sack of concrete and half a home depot too!






My method seems to work too, with a fraction of the cost and added weight and stuff to drag along. Gives me more time to catch pearch and bullheads.

matt

everyone has their own way of "cacthing the most fish" when it comes to a trotline. In my experience using a hook to find your line is very good. If it is hard for you to find and snag chances are all those low lives that check other peoples lines will have a hard time finding it as well. The floats that are underwater help take the fight out of the fish. They are fighting the floats and not just a taunt line, which could lead to them geating of the line. My way is not the fix all as well, I just know if I want to check my line every three days or so my fish are still waiting for me.

those are great looking fish redchevy...but I just can't help but wonder how much more fun you would have catching them on rod and reel....i mean, is there really sport to set lines? just wondering what the thrill could be. I know it is a good way to stock the freezer but they make catfish farms for that too....not trying to stir the pot just have always wondered these things (i drive a blue FORD ironicly)

Nice fish redchevy
I learn something new every day and alot of the new ways are great,But it's hard to change when something has worked so well for so long.......to each his own ...very nice cats ...

Yeah I drive a maroon dodge... go figure!

You are doing nothing but stiring the pot and you know it, but I dont care, I do have fun fishing set lines, but enjoy pole fishing as well.

My best rod and real cat went 48 and I love pole fishing but set lines is something I did with my grandpa and learned through the years with my brother and will keep doing it.

cool....i loved fishin with my grand paw too! God Bless

Wow that was alot of reading just to find out the real seceret was not told !! The hook trick is o k but realy make sure you can check your line Everyday cause floater's aint cool . Anyway's when you drop your weight you need a 6 foot Rubber Band then a Ring then your line . The rubber band will keep everything tight and the fish will pull and thrash but will where out and never loosen your line . I set my line somewhat like the other dude but i think he has a few unnesecary parts and peices. Good luck

Horns,
paddling up to a stretched limbline that is moving in angry circles is like seeing wrapped presents on Christmas morning, sheer hope and anticipation. Then feeling the weight and pull of the unseen fish and trying to get it up and on the stringer without the option of 'playing' it until it's worn out is almost more joy than a heart patient can handle. Finally, the reward of stocking the freezer, or sitting down to parmesan-crusted catfish garnished with sun-dried tomatos caps the effort with sheer delight. I always take a pole when I harvest and rebait my lines, but limblining has changed my life for the better. I don't want to be a sportsman, it's overrated; I have a productive hobby.

So enlighten us... Whats the 'REAL' secret?

Your staging is not a single line, it is the line doubled. Tie the two loose ends to the main line.

At the bottom of the staging will be a "loop" that the doubled line maked. Fee the entire loop through your hook from the HOOK side of the hook (front of the hook).

Open the loop and wrap the hook back through 4 or 5 times. Then pull tight.

YOu have tied the hook in the manner that it will hook anything that swims through it. Baied or not.

Make sure your hooks are at least at or beyond the 3' minimum. If they are closer it is considered a snag line and it is ILLEGAL.

This also is on Tiny's page.

http://www.catfishing.tv/trotline/snagline.html

Its not really a "secret" but is a guarded thing the linemen keep to themselves.

i can appreciate that...just tried it once or twice and was bored by it so I always wondered what some folks get out of it.....thanks!

Tying the stagging this way is done to SNAG the fish whenever one may swim by since it is tied to snag them instead of them biting it baited. This is prohibited and ILLEGAL in Texas!!

I guess I didnt consider that much of a secret. We use circle hooks wich arent much good for snaging. However somehow... and this is behond me we have snagged a soft shell turtle through the tail and a banded watersnake in the side.

matt

Your picking a good place to set out your trotline. Only problem, so does everyone else. During certain times of the year, that spot looks like a spider web. End of Feb. you got every boat heading up the river channel to chase crappie and white bass. Those boys are chunking and cutting. I never chase cats in the river during the white bass run. To much boat traffic. There is better spots on the main lake.

x2

Its been many many years since I set a line. I am only telling how I was taught by old linemen. Legal or illegal its how I was taught. Thanks for pointing out it is illegal. Very much noted.

The question I have is what if I baited those hooks with a tiny shad? Just wondering. Not trying to cause an issue.

Quite frankly I didn't know that method was illegal.

I was raised on set lines. My Dad was a Trotliner & also set Limblines, as well as Throwlines. My Granddad would set poles all the way down the bank for a good stretch (we are talking about 15 or so), which we also called set hooks. Sometimes his poles were simply branches cut from a tree. Dad & my best friend's dad were also P&G soap catfishermen. They mainly fished the Navasota River (which is nothing compared to the Brazos, Colorado, or Trinity Rivers, as to width & depth). I was raised on the river & back sleughs. We always had a July 4th trip up on Water Lake (the old Navasota River bed before it moved over a 1/4 mile to the east), which is now part of Lake Limestone at the top end according to my uncle. My Mom was born & raised up near the top of Lake Limestone before it was created.

I just don't seem to have the finesse for rod-n-reeling, but am known for baiting one, setting it in a rod-n-reel holder, go out & run lines, then come back & pull one in on the rod-n-reel.

As for trotlines, as mentioned, minimum staging/leader drop from the main lines, must be spaced at 3' or more to be legal in Texas. I use 3' (ranging from 38" to 42") for shallow water (SW) trotlines, as I need the main line to be a certain length, not too short, not too long, as to tie the ends.

In BW (Big Water/ Deep Water), I use basically 4' (48"), as I have experimented with 3'/4'/5'/6' & determined that 4' is the best separation point of leader stagings. I use brass trotline brads, one on each side of a 3/0 Brass Barrel Swivel, set about 1" to 2" apart to allow a little slide, but less getting hung (as the 3/0 swivels can get hung on the brad. The main reason I use the brads, is because if I decide to alter the line, I can manipulate them to where I wish. Also, to make for easy removal & reuse. I started off with L&H pre-fab trotlines in the 1970s, because my initials are HLH, but found that they were not as beefy as needed for me nowadays, especially the hooks & swivels. They had plastic beads fastened, which rarely gave. One reason I use the brass brads, was in the event of a bigger Cat, they can slide the staging before being able to tug off if totally fixed. In my younger days, I tried tying loops to set leaders, but we know that wreaks havoc for a long line. I also did 2 trotlines one year using double knots in place of the brads. That takes a lot of time, plus is fixed once done. If you wish to adjust them later, even more time than before.

Now Newt (one of my YellowCat teachers) did not like swivels & had a few choice words as to describing them. He set his leaders attached directly to the main line about 4' (between 3' & 4'), and leaders were about 24" long. He used a hitch knot, then looped thru one side for another knot (running the hook end thru to make it), then the same for the other side. He explained the hitch knot secures them the qwikkest & best way to the main line, and the knot on each side cuts down on sliding by a big cat. In a sense, like brads, as a big Cat could slide it over some. However, unlike a swivel, the leader can wrap/roll around the main line

As you can see, there are positives & negatives (pros & cons/ checks & balances) to choices as to trotline set-ups. For instance, my "Planter" design trotline can't be used in SW, as it was designed for BW usage, where there is nothing to tie to. It is adjustable, and I can set just off the bottom, or raise either side to certain levels, as well as make the main line set at a diagonal. I thought I had finally aced the problem as to running them in rough waters, by going to 3.5 gallon anchors instead of 2 gallon anchors. However, last weekend (6th) just before lunch, we had winds from 15 MPH or so. Because the lines & floats were set out while very low, the lake has risen a foot to 2 feet since then. With constant waves, the floats have enough buoyancy to slowly loosen the anchors (72 pounds worth) from being planted in the bottom of the lake. As I ran it, almost 2/3rds across, my hands were hurting from the wind & waves (some coming over the front) pushing the boat. I notyiced the main line I had just passed, was now towards my side & facing towards the front. My first thought was the line broke. Until I looked to my left & saw we were passing the end floats I had started running it on. Then I knew we had a "bobbing" anchor. So James fired up the motor & we stretched it out, facing another way. I can tell, as I have the floats set up in a manner to tell me which way the line is facing on each end & if there is too much slack.

I also have special loops set in strategic spots on my main line, be it for BW or SW. These are for bottles (filled with water, but just a tad of air) to help suspend the main line slightly or extra weights as needed. A few other reasons also, serve purposes such as a marker to help me know where I am at while running the line, and to hook count.

In SW, there me one stump or so that prevents you from running your trotline straight without getting hung or snagged on. So I use a tie line to pull at that spot, which makes the line angle around the problem obstacle. I try to tie below the surface & weight them just off the tree/stump to prevent getting cut by motors (including ours). This helps to prevent getting cut, as well to cut down on others running your lines for you.

Another thing I used to use, is what I called loop stakes. This is a 3' piece of rebar, with a loop bent around on one end. It is now illegal to use metal stakes to attach trotlines to, due to the rebar sticks poking holes into fiberglass boats. I used the loop stakes on the river to tie to & stick in the mud where nothing else was available. I would leave a small portion of the top of the loop out of the mud or clay. This was in the event the river was up when I was to pull my lines. I have a 12 foot 1" PVC gaff that has a "J" hook piece of 3/8" rebar hose clamped on one end. I could lower the gaff, swish it around. When it hit the rebar loop stake, it would clang easily (you can hear it), then run the hook right thru the loop & yank the loop & line straight up. In other words, loop stake & the full line was salvaged & removed, leaving nothing behind.

I guess I need to present my case before TPW for allowing loop stakes, but not rebar sticks. However, if not mistaken, the metal stakes rule does not apply to throwlines. I used them on the river for throwlines as well. Not only that, they work well for staking out a big fish that is too big for the camp fish box (with a rope connecting the 2) & for tying the boat too, whether at camp or at a temporary stop place near the bank.

Also, due to problems last year, I can advise those who jugline in open waters that big boasts, skiers, and jet skiers can run in, to not use hard PVC for your jug. It becomes a safety issue as to injuring someone including boats. And safety issues are becoming more & more important as more traffic is found on the lakes. In shallower waters that are marked as a No Wake Zone, they probably won't be an issue with them as nobody is zooming thru. If someone gets hurt or major damage is incurred, you can get sued. Just thought you might want to know that. We were experimenting with hard PVC floats to make the "Planters" spotted easier, by us & others. Of course we were only looking at one facet.

I use size 36 green trotline cord (mostly 3 strand twist) for main line & leaders, but sometimes make the leaders out of braided (which costy a little more). I make up new trotlines every year. The old trotlines, I use for making juglines. Except in the line of hooks. Of course some are SS & can be used for several years.

I use a diverse set up of hooks, because I usually know where I am fishing & what type & sizes to utilize. Plus by keeping them this way, a big one may hit one or 2, getting off, only to get caught finally on a 7/0 to 9/0. I just got some 9/0 Tru-Turn "J" style hooks in (Perma-Steel, not SS) & hope to give them a whirl.

Last weekend we lost a very good sized one just inside the Near Corner at the bottom of Limestone on a 4 hook jugline. It got caught on the first hook (a 6/0 Tru-Turn). It twisted & straightened it out to look like a "Y" with one of the upper forks removed. But it somehow also got hung on a 5/0 to 7/0 Eagle Claw lazer sharp circle hook and stretched it out to look like a wide "J" hook. And it got the line all tangled in a branch. We have caught a 33.6# Blue & a 40# Op in this area, but I would have to say this was a 60+ pounder that did this. The 40# Op was caught on a 7/0 TruTurn with no problem at all. So I guess this will be a good area to try the 9/0 out.

Well, gotta get going, too many chores to catch up on.

Thanks,
pyleofcats and Catfish Lynn theres alot of good info here if you over look all the Malarky

Thanx everyone for all the great info, will put it all to use when the weather warms up!

Pyle: Can you post a picture of the right way to pull the loop through the eye of the hook. I am a little dense and want to make sure I get it right!

Just pinch the end of the bottom of the loop together and pull it through the eye of the hook.

Hey Pyleofcats! What I was getting at was the direction of the loop going through the eye. If I am holding the hook with the point at the top and the eye at the bottom, should the point of the hook be facing away from me or toward me when I push the lop through the eye? (assuming I am going to push the loop with the right hand moving away from me and toward the hook)

this swivel setup will stop alot of line and leader twist ...


drape the hook over your arm and slowly pull when the hook reaches your arm it will turn a dig in....with it thru the other side of the eye it wont..

That there is a Mustad Stump Hook, triple strength SS. I currently have either a 9/0 or 7/0 one hung on a stump or tree underwater on a trotline & it has not given up yet.

Yes it's a 9/0 ss we called them salmon hooks because they had such a long point ...That we could sharpen lol..It was or go to saltwater shark hook till we started using circles in frsh and salt

Would this work? Set it in lets say 10 ft of water and it would stay below the surface invisible to others?

Would this work? Set it in lets say 10 ft of water and it would stay below the surface invisible to others?

Would this work? Set it in lets say 10 ft of water and it would stay below the surface invisible to others?