Trotline Trouble at Aunts Creek

[vonreed]

I don't know what I expect to get out of letting everybody know, but me and the boys put out 2 25 hook trotlines yesterday evening and we went back down to check today.  Apparantly somebody thought they needed to be cut.  I have no idea why somebody would feel the need to cut my lines.  Both were in an area which is way out of boat traffic and both were clearly marked with my personal information.  Cut within inches of my tag.  I put floating bottles on these lines on the bank side so anybody fishing can clearly see them and not get tangled for both of our benefits. I guess I will start putting them beneath the water line so they're not visible. 

 

I'm not sure if I would want to catch somebody doing this or not, but it would not be pretty for one of us.  It was kind of a bitter life lesson for my 2 boys that they hadn't experienced yet.

[Old plug]

If they were set shallow My bet is some fisherman got snagged on one. Seems  to me there is a awful lot of people running around down there on TR  with a less than decent attitude judging by the post I see on here. 

[abkeenan]

That sucks. Sorry to hear that you not only lost your trot lines but also went through the effort to put them out and bait them. We usually put  them out once or twice a year to get some flat head cat's so I know the work it takes to get them out there and loaded. If they were clearly marked then that is just an jerk move by the idiot who cut them no two ways about it. We always mark both ends of our lines with gallon milk jugs with our info. If I see someone tampering with them or making an attempt to cut them someone is getting an a$$ kicking.

[fishinwrench]

Awe take it easy on'em.  My grandpa shot a guy in the arm for running his limb lines back in the late 60's.  Oddly enough they later became best friends and the fella did alot for our family.  My grandpa used to tell him...."I'm glad I didn't kill you cuz you turned out to be a good egg".

[Fish24/7]

 I've been there.

had many  lines and jugs taken over the years on lakes and rivers

now I sit and watch my lines after baiting up, and people still come over and touch them while I'm there.

. If I have to leave them in all night I'll take the hooks off so all they get is string and a plastic bottle

I set out 15 jug lines one evening on Bull, then watched a small pontoon drive by and pick each jug up and move them further apart so 2 jet skis could zip in and out of them like a ski course,lol

words were exchanged between myself and them, it ended well , they actually learned a few new things about jugging for catfish, hahah

 

[MOPanfisher]

That sucks Vonreed.  Some folks just can't leave things alone.  You feel like you are doing the right thing by making it noticeable so someone won't accidentally lose a lure on it and they cut it.

[Flysmallie]

Some people are assholes. Nothing more, nothing less.

[vonreed]

Thanks for the comments guys. I had just put all brand new Gamakatsu hooks on it also and never even got to check the line before this.  You know, I can except somebody running the line and stealing a few fish, no big deal.  I probably would never have known any different. Knowing it was a fisherman made it a whole lot worse.  I did manage to snag one back up, but spent 1-2 hrs doing so and never could find the other.  Another thing that irks me about it, is that there may be half a dozen bass or catfish strung up on the bottom that will just suffer and rot if I can't locate the line. 

[Champ188]

Vonreed, you and I may differ on other topics, but I'm with ya on this. When a guy goes out and trotlines responsibly as you did, then has this happen, that's just bullcrap. Sorry about your trouble.

[Devan S.]

I quit trotlining for the same reason. Now I do jugs and jugs only. I like to set and watch them if not I anchor them, put them out well after dark and take them up before daylight. Trotlines just aren't as easy to set and take out as jugs and leaving them out during daylight just begs for them to disappear. 

 

I also find it strange I jug fish quite a bit on Grand and knock on wood haven't lost or had a single jug stolen yet and I don't watch them there. Table Rock I still lose a couple a year setting them late and running them early.