My friend Jan and I like to eat catfish and we have found no better way to get some than with a trot line. We usually run just one line because that gets enough fish to keep the freezer stocked....and besides that, getting enough bait for more than one line is always time consuming.

Heading out to check the line



The basic equipment - weights made of coffee cans filled with cement, floats made of pipe insulation, line in the wooden box and a bucket for the bait and for the fish.



Wooden box made by uncle Harvey. It has slots for hooks on the sides and line falls into the middle.



Jan back at the dock with a smaller than normal mornings catch. But if we do this Friday night, Saturday nite and Sunday nite and there will be plenty to eat.

Allen,
45 years ago I would wade the Illinois
River in NW Ark and set limb lines on Saturdays and check them on Sunday. Would only have time to set and check 7-8 hooks, but usually managed to get a couple of channel or flathead catfish. Usually used cut perch for bait, but also chicken livers and hearts. what are you using for bait? Do you continue during the winter?

Steve,

We have tried all kinds of stuff for bait but on Table Rock, for Flatheads and Channels we keep coming back to live sunfish (the smaller the better) hooked through the top fin with a short line so they can wiggle on top of the water. The vibration and ripples seem to attract cats.

We usually bait 3 or 4 hooks with cut perch or shad in hopes of getting a blue cat. We like the taste of the blues better than any of the others and they seem to prefer their bait cut.

We stop before duck season comes in and then we start gigging a few weeks after duck season is out (February) -- depending on how cold it is.

I wish we were allowed to do that here in PA.

Nice setup Palmer! I've done some trotlines with my dad in Illinois for channel cats. We pulled up a big snapper the last time- that was fun!

quote:

Originally posted by Mikelravy:
I wish we were allowed to do that here in PA.

Same, I've always wondered what kinda fish we could pull up if we did trotlines here in Minnesota. Even more fun would be jugfishing for big northern pike.