Going on vacation to Bastrop area, Colorado River, have riverfront access, was thinking about doing a trotline for the first time ever in my life. As a project with the kids.

I've watched a video on how to make on. Any advice related to baits (ease of doing this would be an advantage) and anything in particular related to advice of doing so in this river.

And also any fly fishing and traditional lure fishing advice for this river?

make sure you get it to the bottom and use live bait (perch, goldfish, etc) would be best but cut bait will work too.

check the TPWD book as there are some guidelines you need to follow like no more than 25 hooks per line and they have to be at least 3' apart.......(may have changed, i am going from memory)

good luck

The best bait for trotlines is live shad. The second best bait is cut shad.

Here's my approach:

• Store the short lines with hooks buried in a pool noodle that's cut and fitted around the rim of a 5gal bucket
• Run the main line exactly where you want it with no hooks attached.
• Bait all hooks and lay them out neatly in the boat
• Run the line attaching the baited short lines with trotline clips

Oh, and when you check it, bring a net if possible. Sometimes if a fish has been on a while, he will wear a bigger hole in his mouth from the hook, and he'll come loose when you pull the line out of the water.

We have always had luck using pink Zote Soap cut into a small cubes. Couldn't tell you why...it just works.

Used to run lines every summer as a kid and in HS. We always used small live perch. Had a several ponds we would rotate traps between.

Rivers I always preferred 3 hook drop lines. You can hang them from trees or tie them to trees on the bank

Easier to run etc and you can put them exactly where you want them ( in an eddy etc )

Just my 2 cents. .

You need a boat for a trotline.
From shore, use a throw line. Tie on several hooks and bait as you would a trot line. Tie one end to the shore, put a weight on the other end and either throw or walk it out into the water.

As suggested above, check the TP&W annual for the rules. It's available on-line, download to phone.

Ok, above poster beat me to it.

ghollow said:

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The best bait for trotlines is live shad. The second best bait is cut shad.

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Live perch.

They can actually stay alive.

Use surgical tubing (or a limber sprout) to tie off the ends. Solid tie ups = pulled hooks. Live perch are king. 3-5 inch is great, don't hesitate to use an 8 incher - a 10# yellow will take that with no issues.

Edit: On rivers, I always like a weight in the middle to where I'm fishing bottom in the middle, top by the bank.

The deeper hooks always got the perch, but closer to the banks the shallower hooks usually get hellagramites or catalpa worms.

For the typical 25 hook trot, Pick out two trees In the water that are the length of your line. It can be between two boat docks. Tie one line about a foot underwater and start stretching across the water while your partner baits each hook. Tie the other a foot underwater but stretch the line really tight. The deeper the water the better so if you have a kayak or Jon boat that will help.

Set it up at dusk. Drink beer and check your line every few hours. Pass out around 1 am and wake up to even more fish in the line.

That's how my East Texas buddy taught me and it works very well.

hsmith12 said:

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We have always had luck using pink Zote Soap cut into a small cubes. Couldn't tell you why...it just works.

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This. It's easy, cheap, the bait soap stays on (so long as it's fresh/soft), and it works. Growing up on Toledo Bend we made perch traps and used live perch. Caught flatheads and blues mostly, which are the best eating. Started using Zote soap and found it works just as well as live perch. We probably catch a few more channels. I was very surprised that we'd still catch flathead on Zote. They normally only eat live bait, but we'd catch them regularly with Zote. Give it a try.

If you can make sure each hook has a swivel. Catfish will twist the crud out of it anyways but the swivel will only help.

I have had good luck with nightcrawlers in ponds for channel cats. Break the crawler in half and thread him on the hook. Push it up past the eye. Caught a fish on every hook doing this once.

Like others have said and take it how you will:

Old railroad spikes or window weights make great sinkers for tree lines...also, live bait (shad, perch, goldfish, etc) are preferred. Use the waters current to your advantage...bigger fish sit in deep water or bend in the river...and use swivels...the fish will twist and turn without fouling up the rest of your gear.

Good luck.

Pink Zote: The reason it works is that it is still made with FAT, leaves a scent trail in the water. Years ago there was a guy that had a site that made and sold the soaps he made that were very high fat content for cat fishing, cannot now find that site.

Did more googling and found it: https://www.catfishedge.com/rednecks-catfish-bait-soap/

I used to run them off of tree limbs hanging over the water and used live perch.

Thanks for all the advice. I'm at the river and put the trotline out this afternoon. I used Chalrlie blood stink bait. My impression is that it comes off the hook real easy. I tied one end to a tree. The other end I tied to a weight. Using my kayak I tried to get it directly across the river. But I could see half the baits fell off in the process.

Checked it a few hours later, and had one catfish on. No other baits on. Zero. Repaired with same. By the time I got to the finish I noticed I had one on again and harvested that one as well.

I put a tag on the line next to the tree. But I'm confused about how to be completely legal. Do I need to have a buoy on the other end? That's where I Have the weight attached. Do I need to have the wt than the buoy after? Not sure either how I can attach a tag to the buoy. Thoughts?

Besides soap (which I might buy), anyone have suggestions for a different non-live bait that will actually stay on the hooks?

Pretty stoked about the 2 catfish. I feel like I just did something I can be proud of. Not taught by my father, but inventing new family traditions on my own.

Congrats man! It's a great way to get a freezer full of fish.

Use circle hooks.

Last time I filled up a cooler on Ray Roberts using this:

Berkley Gulp! Catfish Dough, 5-Oz. Bag https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000TXVQHE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_pvIiFbAEZKPZ8

Get the bloody shad flavor.

Chicken livers are a damn mess and the Berkeley dough hardly stinks. Did well on the hook.

I have had good luck with these hooks from academy. I haven't used them on a trot line.

Na Zdrav 87 said:

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I used to run them off of tree limbs hanging over the water and used live perch.

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That is a "drop line/drop hook". Set hundreds of them on the Salado Creek through the years......

Sounds like pieces of hot dog will stay on the hook better than the stuff you are using. Or, go to HEB and buy some shrimp.

Speaking of the stuff you are using...is it a nugget or a dip/punch bait? If the latter, you'll need to use the trebles with springs on them.

B-1 83 said:

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Na Zdrav 87 said:

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I used to run them off of tree limbs hanging over the water and used live perch.

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That is a "drop line/drop hook". Set hundreds of them on the Salado Creek through the years......

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The Salado here in SA?

SanAntoneAg said:

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B-1 83 said:

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Na Zdrav 87 said:

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I used to run them off of tree limbs hanging over the water and used live perch.

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That is a "drop line/drop hook". Set hundreds of them on the Salado Creek through the years......

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The Salado here in SA?

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No, Summers Mill mill pond well below Salado.

SanAntoneAg said:

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Sounds like pieces of hot dog will stay on the hook better than the stuff you are using. Or, go to HEB and buy some shrimp.

Speaking of the stuff you are using...is it a nugget or a dip/punch bait? If the latter, you'll need to use the trebles with springs on them.

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It's wet dough

Sound like it's a punch bait, also known as a dip bait. That stuff doesn't stay on a spring treble hook well, much less a single hook.

You're probably better off using something a bit more solid. If not live fish, then night crawlers, hot dogs, soap, shrimp, etc.

I'd go the nearest grocery store and get some beef heart, cut that into cubes. They stay on the hook very well. If there is a bait shop nearby, get some worms or shrimp.

Well, what did you catch?

I did run trot lines without a boat a few times in my teens. You must be a strong swimmer for this to work.

I'm totally striking out with the hot dogs so far today. But they're staying on the hooks.

In response to some of the posters above talking about the bigger fish being in deeper holes...

I do agree with that, but they don't always stay there. A lot of the bigger yellows I've caught overnight on trotlines have been on the edge of the river bank on the 1st or 2nd hook. Because of that, I firmly believe that even the big boys will regularly cruise along the river edges in shallower water during the night time when they are feeding.

Always have a sharp knife within reach. Trot lines in rough water can be a challenge. A hook in your hand can be a disaster when dealing with heavy duty line.

Both catfish that were caught on the first day were on lines nearest the bank. The river is not deep at all where I am at. Deepest is 4 feet. I've read that large catfish will move into shallows at night. I put 5 pieces of ivory soap on this evening. My wife was supposed to buy shrimp but she said it was too expensive. Lol.

The knife advice is good. I got a hook caught on the front handle strap of my cheaper kayak. In the webbing. That was a real pain to remove. Luckily this river very slow and tame where I am at.

Well hell, if you don't get a whiskerfish on a hot dog, I'm going to look like a horse's ass.