Trot Lines

[bfishn]

Green sunfish are my preferred flattie bait by a big margin. You don't need a bio degree to identify them, they're the ones that are soft to the touch and don't poke you when you palm them. If I had to swallow a bream whole, that would sure be my choice, Seems the flatties agree.

[Old plug]

I have tried cotton seed cake when I fished on sloughs above St. Louis. I think it is far inferior to about anything else you can find. Here on lake of the Ozark's shad without a doubt the king of catfish bait with chicken parts coming in close behind. I have not touched a trot line in many years, but I would have misgivings about setting a line on the bottom. I would think you could snag and loose the whole line like that.

[aarchdale@coresleep.com]

We just set the lines off our dock, its just rock and mud there the only logs and stuff are stuff i put in...I ran lines last year and this year without hang ups so i think im in the clear on putting them on the bottom i just wasnt sure if thats the best spot or not, its def. the easiest

[ozarkgunner]

Set it on the bottom with bottles halfway to float it off the bottom.

[Goggle-Eyed]

I always thought cotton seed cake was for Buffalo and carp.

I have used/tried it years ago and all we caught were carp.... my BIL has had great success fishing jugs with shrimp this year (better than normal). They caught one about 30lbs and one that was at least 50lbs... 30lb was kept by my nephew and 50+ was released since his dad pointed out "respect" and the fact that they already had a nice mess of "eating" fish!!!! both big fish came in the cove near the "floating house" in Linn Creek cove....

I am not a big trot line or jug fisherman... I like to catch everything on Rod and Reel, I guess if I was hungry or needed to have a fish fry for a ton of people I would trot/jug...

[Old plug]

I have seen what seems to be some improvement in catfish fishing on the lake. The other morning I seen a guy with 5 real nice channel cat he caught that morning in the next cove. I do not fish for them except with family members off the dock with bait. But I do truly love to catch them in the fall under feeding white bass on spoons. I believe that the big blue cats follow the white bass up on points and when the white bass slash feed as they do the blues sort of go along under them lie some vacuuming cleaner. That is about the only time I really use my fish flasher. I have caught catfish up to 48 lbs on 10 lb test doing that. I use a steel leader. I learned the hard way not to. I call it the poor man deep sea fishing.