A rookie looking for some pointers...

What does your setup look like? Preferred weights, hooks, bait and depth?

I've been using tarred line tied to a barrel swivel. A 1 oz. slip sinker above the swivel and about a 1-foot leader tied to a 5/0 Tru-Turn hook.

I've been baiting my lines with 3-6" sunfish and bluegill. Where do you try to place your bait? I've been trying to keep my perch about 1' off the bottom. I've heard big catfish will come up to feed at the surface. I didn't know if setting them higher up where they could make more commotion was a good idea.

Also, what about circle hooks? Any thoughts on whether these hook more fish? Thanks guys!

Where are you fishing at?

Oh yeah. Good point.

Guadalupe River. West Kerr County.

I have been running trot lines and limb lines in Hunt all my life. The biggest yellow cat I have caught have been on limb lines with perch about 3' deep in deep slow moving pools. If you set the bait too shallow the snakes and turtles will be more likely to get it.

Tended to catch more channel cat on trot lines for some reason.

I always tie a loop into my string about 2 ft from a brick and another 2 ft higher. then tie a 3-4 ft piece of string into a circle and braid that into the hook. never really used a swivel or anything because when they roll over on it generally they will drag the brick before coming loose if they are good sized. it also takes ton of rolling to knot up 18 inches-2feet of line. i may lose one every now and again, but braiding nylon string through a swivel is more expensive and huge pain.

i hook the perch close to the tail in the back. that always has helped keep them alive the longest.

most successful spots for limb/throw lines have always been the backwater next to a strong current.

I always used 100# nylon tied to a barrel swivel, followed by a 40# mono leader and a 4/0 hook. My perch were just under the surface to the point they could swim/breath but make a ruckus on the surface. The key to it all is a limber limb....or surgical tubing at the top.

I know further down river around DeWitt Co homemade soap and fresh hearts work during the day time for channels and Blues

Zote Soap, pink not blue. But if you get every last bar of it off the shelf, the Mexican women behind you will give you a good cussing.

never done limb lines, but have done jug/trot lines my whole life.

i have always had more success towards the 3in side of your bait range and i would think your bait is a little low, probably have better results at 6-12in off the bottom. circle hooks seem to work fine. whatever you use, make sure its a pretty heavy hook to keep the big ones from bending them. ive used a variety of line and never really noticed a difference.

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Zote Soap, pink not blue

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blows my mind, but it works. the only odd thing is that they blow bubbles at you when you pull them up.

PLEASE check them regularly. If I come across them and they look abandoned, or I find a weak emaciated fish on them while I am kayak fishing, I will cut them down.

Same with an untagged trotline: If it looks abandoned, in my book it is garbage and a hazard to navigation.

[This message has been edited by MouthBQ98 (edited 4/14/2014 11:04a).]

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i have always had more success towards the 3 in side of your bait range

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Had about 20 bluegill that size yesterday when I set lines and 2 redears close to 6". Was tempted to let them go but set them anyways. Was really surprised to have about a 8-10 lb. flathead on one of those lines this morning. Surprising how big their mouths are. Had one channel on a small bluegill.

I'll try the soap! Thx guys! Keep the tips coming!

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PLEASE check them regularly

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No doubt. Agree 100%

They are a great way to load up on catfish. Sometimes you might snag a gar.

I grew up calling them "drop hooks".

I have only limblined once, but it was hands down one of the best fishing trips I have had in my life, about 45+ years of fishing.

Up in KS, 6'-8' green poles, I don't recall if they were Willow or not, a single big hook on braided nylon trotline material. We set the hooks just under the surface with live crawfish.

Baited the hooks and set the poles as we walked or swam downstream about a mile, on the return trip unhooked the channel cats and put them on the stringer. Did this from about 9:00pm to 3:00am, spent about 4 hours cleaning a motherlode of fish.

We used to use 3 or 4 hook drop lines on the Navasota River in Leon County. Used about a 1 pound home made weight at the bottom of a 20 foot long main line. Spaced the hooks about 4 feet apart and tied off to a limber limb on a tree. Pulled in many a flat head over 40#. We usually used slick jim pearch (thats what my granddad called them) for bait. Good memories.

Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, Living to Serve.

We always called em drop lines.
Tie a bell to the limb if you've got a line close to your fishing camp so you can hear if one gets on. Useful for the fish camp drunk that won't go in the boat with you.

I ran lines with my Grandfather on the Guadelupe 20 years ago south of Gonzales. He had an old clothes iron he used as a weight. (the really old kind you put on the stove the get hot). I told him he shouldn't use it anymore, it was an antique. He refused for a while; later he finally relented and used it for a bookstop in his gun room. Great memories on the Guad.

Most places I've fished I've had better luck using live bait for yellow cat. Zote soap and cut bait for blues.

No trouble with the Zote soap coming off hooks? I would like to run some trotlines here soon for some channels and may give this a shot, so I don't have turtles snagging bait.

It's very malleable. You don't need big pieces either.