Troutlines And Jugs

[Painter nick]

I new to troutlines and never juged before. I was thanking somewhere on the lower james river arm. Guess my ? is how deep should I put my troutline and jugs. My dad use to do it all the time and i went a few times but that was fifteen years ago and i was young. I would ask him but he past onto the big boat in the sky. I see why he did it all the time catfishing is the funest for me and i know have a 14ft flat bottom. can any one please help me out.

[abkeenan]

i am not an expert but i set out a trotline a few times a year and i love the whole process. Bass fish early morning until around 11ish, eat lunch, go catch perch for bait until around 3, set out the trotline, eat dinner, go back out and bass fish until whenever. Catching those perch is a ball in itself on a little tube jig and lil spinner on ultra light stuff. Heck sometimes u catch a bass or have a cat try to eat the perch when u are reeling it to the boat. Sorry for the rant, just good memories and cant wait to get til spring/summer to do it again. As far as the trotline goes make sure u get the one that has the little beads that are seperated by an inch or so every 5 feet or so with the clip with the swivel that you can unhook from the line. Its better for many reasons: the beads dont allow the hook to slide up and down the line, the unclipable part makes it easier to reload on bait, replace if hook it bent/lost/etc. and also when u have a fish on instead of having to get the hook out of the fishes mouth (how tough are catfishes mouths!) you just unclip the whole rig and get it out later = much easier, especially on the bigger cats. The swivel helps keep them on the line due to the cats innate ability to roll with power. I like putting my trotline from snag to snag in the water, usually trying to find water from 15-20 feet anchored in the middle of the line by something heavy enough (small anchor, scrap metal, brick, rock, etc.) to keep the middle of the line down on the bottom. I hook the perch in the back just behind the dorsal fin. I dont use sunfish because they seem to die much quicker than the black perch on the hook. Also on the hooks that come on the trotline i replace with heavier circle hooks that hold the cats on longer and gets them in the crook of the mouth everytime. Make sure u have your line marked with jugs and i try to keep out of the way where i know bass fisherman are going to be fishing. Also make sure u either keep the board that the trotline comes on in the package or make something where u can wind it back on when you are finished using it, if not u will have the biggest mess and tangle ever. Also might take along a big container/bucket of some sort to put your cats in cause they like to really slime up your boat/carpet. Hope this helps.

-Brett

[abkeenan]

this is the line i like:

http://www.magicbait.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?...igCatchTrotLine

[Sam]

I like putting my trotline from snag to snag in the water, usually trying to find water from 15-20 feet anchored in the middle of the line by something heavy enough (small anchor, scrap metal, brick, rock, etc.) to keep the middle of the line down on the bottom.

See, I've already learned something. I've only set a trotline twice, and never had anybody to show me how it's done.

Both times I set 'em stretched between snags but with the hooks only a few feet underwater. All I caught was some gar, which had invariably drowned themselves (I wonder if they have to keep swimming to breathe, like sharks?). Now I know what I did wrong - I should have weighted the middle of the line clear down to the bottom.

There's all kinds of good information on here, about a variety of subjects. Thanks.

[redbud]

I dont have any problems with trot line,limb line or jug fishing . If you decide to fish like this please follow regulations .There are abandoned jugs and lines all over the lake. After a couple of days it is trash. Old limb lines can be dangerous to wild life. I have seen more than once a blue heron that has flown into a dangling line and become hooked only to struggle to death.As the lake levels fluctuate some of these lines are left at just about face level if you are standing on the deck of a fishing boat.Many of these lines are nylon with a galvanized 6/0 hook, never to decompose. This became such a problem on other small lakes that it has been banned in many states.I have also seen trophy bass dead on a trot line half eaten by turtles, what a shame . Please be responsible ,Irespect everyones right to take a fish .Old lines are always cut when I encounter them.

,

[eric1978]

I dont have any problems with trot line,limb line or jug fishing . If you decide to fish like this please follow regulations .There are abandoned jugs and lines all over the lake. After a couple of days it is trash. Old limb lines can be dangerous to wild life. I have seen more than once a blue heron that has flown into a dangling line and become hooked only to struggle to death.As the lake levels fluctuate some of these lines are left at just about face level if you are standing on the deck of a fishing boat.Many of these lines are nylon with a galvanized 6/0 hook, never to decompose. This became such a problem on other small lakes that it has been banned in many states.I have also seen trophy bass dead on a trot line half eaten by turtles, what a shame . Please be responsible ,Irespect everyones right to take a fish .Old lines are always cut when I encounter them.

+1...Exactly

[Wayne SW/MO]

The depth depends on the time and place. A snaggy area in 10-20 feet of water is fine for daylight. I always like fishing them at night and then a shallow flat or saddle would be my choice. under 10' is fine and can be very productive.

For jug lines its best to have some form of adjustment, up to about 6-8'. I don't see much use it using jugs on a lake except at night. Baited with perch, they are best for Flatheads in my opinion.

[Sam]

That's right about old trotlines and juglines being dangerous. I got one wrapped up in my prop once in the middle of the night, and it was an awful mess that took a lot of work with cutting pliers and a flashlight to straighten out. That was a bad experience with big rusty hooks all through the tangle - someone could have got hurt real easy.

I'd like to try setting a trotline again, and I'll probably do it next season. There were a couple of weeks last spring when I accidentally caught a few good-size catfish on crappie jigs and Roostertails while fishing for crappie and white bass on the James arm - and I hooked a couple of cats that were too big to get in on light tackle. I know catfishing would have been real good then if I'd targeted them.

Before doing it, I'm going to read the regulations carefully. I know a trotline has to be labeled with the fisherman's name, address, and maybe phone number. I believe they passed new regs in the last few years about how often a trotline has to be checked, and I think something that says a fisherman has to stay within sight of his jug lines. I remember thinking at the time that the new rules were a good idea, but I'm fuzzy on the details. I'll study up on the current regs before I set a line out.

[Whack'emGood]

I dont have any problems with trot line,limb line or jug fishing . If you decide to fish like this please follow regulations .There are abandoned jugs and lines all over the lake. After a couple of days it is trash. Old limb lines can be dangerous to wild life. I have seen more than once a blue heron that has flown into a dangling line and become hooked only to struggle to death.As the lake levels fluctuate some of these lines are left at just about face level if you are standing on the deck of a fishing boat.Many of these lines are nylon with a galvanized 6/0 hook, never to decompose. This became such a problem on other small lakes that it has been banned in many states.I have also seen trophy bass dead on a trot line half eaten by turtles, what a shame . Please be responsible ,Irespect everyones right to take a fish .Old lines are always cut when I encounter them.

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I third this whole post.

Whack'em

[Whack'emGood]

Before doing it, I'm going to read the regulations carefully. I know a trotline has to be labeled with the fisherman's name, address, and maybe phone number. I believe they passed new regs in the last few years about how often a trotline has to be checked, and I think something that says a fisherman has to stay within sight of his jug lines. I remember thinking at the time that the new rules were a good idea, but I'm fuzzy on the details. I'll study up on the current regs before I set a line out.

I have never found a name and address on a trot line... or witnessed a guy watching jug lines.

I usually find them covered with moss-- looking like they had been there for a long time... and I see jugs floating up in the brush near the banks and such... I guess the guy forgot to come and get his lines...

Whack'em